Erykah Badu wasn’t about to pour her energy into an unresponsive crowd — and she let everyone know it. During a recent show, she stopped her performance mid-song to call out several front-row audience members who weren’t giving her anything back.
In a now-viral clip, Badu can be seen pacing the stage before signaling to her band to cut the music. She then turned to the audience and directly addressed the people seated closest to her.
“I’m not doing shit else until these people stand up,” Badu said, pointing toward the front row. She zeroed in on one person in particular.
“Especially you. You get your ass up. Where she at? Did she leave? Good,” Badu continued, before shifting her attention to another attendee who had apparently been staring her down the entire show.
“Some n***a over here trying to mean mug me the whole time in the front row with his arms folded,” she said, both amused and unfazed. “You paid your money to do that? Thank you.”
The crowd burst into laughter and cheers as Badu picked the performance back up, reminding everyone that she has no problem breaking the fourth wall — or resetting the vibe — when the energy feels off.
Fans online overwhelmingly backed her, applauding Badu for protecting her space and insisting on real engagement from the audience. Others joked that getting called out by Erykah Badu might be its own kind of spiritual awakening.
Check out a few reactions below.
