No. 7 Baduizm by Erykah Badu (1997)
As inspired by the classic soul singer-songwriters of the 1960s and ’70s as she was by 1990s alt-rap acts like A Tribe Called Quest and the Roots, Badu added nods to Afro-beat, jazz and embellished it all with her own quirky sensibility. Whether or not you care for the term “‘neo soul,” it’s hard to overstate the impact this album had on the burgeoning sub genre.
