Skip to main content

Art & Creativity Quote by Erykah Badu

"I'll dabble here and there in different forms of the art, but the label has me locked down like a slave so, of course, I'll be doing albums during this time"

About this Quote

That “of course” lands like a shrug with teeth. Badu is talking about artistic curiosity - “dabble here and there in different forms of the art” - but the sentence pivots hard into captivity language: “the label has me locked down like a slave.” It’s deliberately abrasive, not a casual metaphor. She’s naming the power imbalance that sits under the glamour of being “signed”: contracts that decide what kind of work counts, when it’s due, and who owns it.

The line works because it stages a fight between identity and product. “Different forms of the art” hints at a wider creative life (performance, acting, community projects, experimentation) while “albums during this time” sounds like an imposed deliverable, a quota. “During this time” implies a sentence to be served. The label isn’t just funding the music; it’s rationing her freedom and narrowing her output into the most marketable container.

Context matters: Badu emerged in an era when neo-soul sold “authenticity” as a brand while the industry tightened control through multi-album deals and long release cycles. For Black women artists especially, the marketplace often rewards a carefully managed persona and punishes deviation. Her language yanks the curtain back on that bargain. She can explore, but only around the edges; the core labor still belongs to the machine. The irony is that the “album,” framed as a creative statement, is also the receipt.

Quote Details

TopicMusic
SourceHelp us find the source
Cite

Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Badu, Erykah. (2026, January 17). I'll dabble here and there in different forms of the art, but the label has me locked down like a slave so, of course, I'll be doing albums during this time. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/ill-dabble-here-and-there-in-different-forms-of-50064/

Chicago Style
Badu, Erykah. "I'll dabble here and there in different forms of the art, but the label has me locked down like a slave so, of course, I'll be doing albums during this time." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/ill-dabble-here-and-there-in-different-forms-of-50064/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I'll dabble here and there in different forms of the art, but the label has me locked down like a slave so, of course, I'll be doing albums during this time." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/ill-dabble-here-and-there-in-different-forms-of-50064/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.

More Quotes by Erykah Add to List
Erykah Badu on creativity and contractual constraints
Click to enlarge Portrait | Landscape

About the Author

Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu (born February 26, 1971) is a Musician from USA.

33 more quotes available

View Profile

Similar Quotes

Bobby McFerrin, Musician