Her second cover came 15 years later because she's never not been one of the most important artists around. The first time was in the spring of 2001 right after Mama's Gun had come out, and she seemed both proud of the way she had brought a lot of people into the light, pointed the way towards freedom of thought and expression, but she also sounded weary, feeling the weight and expectation of being that spiritual warrior 24/7. She's graced the cover of The FADER not once but twice. I mean, she literally introduced the phrase woke to popular culture nearly 15 years ago in her song 'Master Teacher.' She's also made some of my favorite records of all time, and Mama's Gun particularly is in my top five ever. She's also charismatic, super intelligent, a warrior of the spirit and the pen. Maybe it's because she's one of the truest artists around, always doing exactly what she wants, never bending to the zeitgeist. I guess maybe it's because she's made incredible music since she burst on the scene with 'On & On' and forever changed the landscape of R&B. I feel like if there was a math equation to determine who the most universally beloved musicians are, it would go number of fans divided by number of haters squared, and I guarantee Erykah will come out somewhere near the top. In Miss Badu's case, over 10 million albums sold, headlining arenas since '95, millions and millions of followers on Instagram, yet still have next to no haters. That's why it's so rare when someone can be extraordinarily popular. If you Google most-loved musicians and then Google most-hated musicians, you will see a lot of crossover there. I've heard, 'The Beatles suck.' We all know someone who likes to say, 'Kendrick, yeah, he's all right, but he's no Cam'ron or Rakim.' Because the bigger the artist, the more haters you will have, even the great ones. 'I don't like Erykah Badu.' That's a phrase I don't think I've ever heard in the 25 or so years since Miss Badu has existed in the music space. This is The FADER Uncovered with Mark Ronson. The podcast is a chance for us to talk about the past, present, and future, reflecting on their breakthroughs, diving into their lives when their covers hit shelf and discussing what the future might hold now, and it's an opportunity for me to speak to some of the artists I most admire. Each episode will be rooted in these musicians' iconic FADER cover stories, an institution that over the past two decades has told artists' stories like no other. In this interview series, I'll be speaking with some of the most influential and groundbreaking musicians in the world, from genre-defining stars to avant-garde trailblazers, about their lives and careers.

I'm Mark Ronson, and this is The FADER Uncovered podcast.

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