Last night, Erykah Badu officially “leaked” a studio version of “Phone Down,” her second single from her upcoming mixtape, But You Can’t Use My Phone.
Badu first premiered the song last Thursday in a Periscope “music video,” live from her car on her way to rehearsals in Las Vegas for the 2015 Soul Train Awards, which she hosted.
On Apple Music (where the song is already available for download), she notes “this ones for Aubrey”—better known as Drake — potentially. In an interview with Fader, Badu says her remix of Drake’s “Hotline Bling” was a jumpstart to the entire project, and that it’s “a whole new frequency for the planet and I just wanted to do it because it’s inspiring me to write my new album.” However, in the credits for the song, a certain Aubrey Davis is mentioned as the writer and credited for the concept. So there are some conflicting theories as to which Aubrey “this one’s for.”
But You Can’t Use My Phone will be released on Thanksgiving weekend, and is her first full-length release since 2010’s New Amerykah, Part Two: Return of the Ankh.
Listen to the “Phone Down” below:
https://soundcloud.com/erykah-she-ill-badu/phone-down-by-erykah-badu