Erykah Badu Gets Real About Producing the Soul Train Awards & More (Video)

Known lovingly by her fans as Queen Badu, Erykah is indeed a reigning force in music and beyond. The devoted mother is deeply involved in promoting the importance of education, and has contributed her energies to solving cold rape cases. A native of Dallas, Texas, Erykah Badu is often promoting self-love and wellness on her social media and in her lyrics, and taking care of her body is just as important as it is for the spirit. For all of those reasons and more, she was a delightful choice in subject for Complex’s “Get Sweaty” segment, which pairs artist interviews with physical activity, a combination that makes for a unique approach to the fostering of conversations.

Nas & Erykah Badu Perform Their New Song With The Intensity It Deserves (Video)

In the segment, Badu shares that her daughter is “an active member of the circus,” so the interview takes place at the Lone Star Circus School, where Badu and Complex’s Emily Oberg take part in some unusual forms of exercise. While upside down, Badu discusses her upcoming gig hosting the Soul Train Awards, which will also feature her as producer. “I first hosted the Soul Train Awards in 1999 with Heavy D and Patti LaBelle,” she says. “But I was kinda green. I didn’t really know what I was doin’. Having the opportunity to work in production, you know, on the background, gives you an opportunity to kinda see how all the moving parts fit together.” She goes on to explain that the forthcoming responsibilities are appreciated greatly, but she is apprehensive. “For some reason, the producer believes in me. I hope I don’t get fired,” she says with a smile.

The Grammy-winning singer also shares the reasoning behind her appreciation for newcomer D.R.A.M., saying “I feel like he embodies an old soul and he also has the rhythm and cadence of the future of Rap.” That comment serves as a springboard into her reflections on the music’s culture as a whole, as she explains “Hip-Hop kinda is the people, and it grows as the people grow. It’s really interesting right now…it’s in an interesting place because it’s expanding. There are so many varieties of what Hip-Hop is.”

The 2016 Soul Train Awards will air on BET on Sunday, November 27.