It's not easy being a working mom; just ask Erykah Badu.
The singer has spent most of the year holed up in her home studio in Dallas, hard at work on the follow-up to 1997's "Baduizm." However, occupying more time than her next album is her son Seven (whose father is Andre from Outkast). Badu told the MTV Radio Network that she probably won't finish the record for a while; it's not expected to drop until the spring. "I'm writing right now," Badu explained. "I first have to write all the music, then I have to go back to each song and find the words in there. And I end up teaching myself something in the process of writing it, and that's what I'm doing right now, basically." [RealAudio] One track already recorded for the album is "Southern Girl," featuring Rahzel from The Roots. The track has already been released on Rahzel's solo debut, "Make The Music 2000," and will most likely appear on Badu's next album as well (see "Erykah Badu Reunites With 'The Godfather'"). On Tuesday night, Badu and Isaac Hayes co-hosted "Café Soul," which featured a program of music and poetry, which took place in New York City. The event raised money to benefit a pair of non-profit groups: the Sanctuaries For Families Women's Shelter and the Sheppard Foundation (see "Isaac Hayes And Erykah Badu To Host 'Café Soul' Benefit"). In other Badu news, the singer will appear in the upcoming film "The Cider House Rules" along with Heavy D, Tobey Maguire, and Charlize Theron. That film is slated for a November 24 opening (see "Erykah Badu Starts Work On New Album, Extols Joys Of Motherhood"). Badu previously played the role of Queen Mousette in the 1998 film "Blues Brothers 2000." She has also appeared on the TV soap "One Life To Live" (see "Erykah Badu Finds Drama In New Film Role" and "Erykah Badu Takes It Off For Video, Puts It On For Soap").
