Subscribe
Hellobeautiful Featured Video
CLOSE

Erykah Badu took to Times Square for an interesting street experiment…and she failed miserably.

This is a huge departure from her photo shoot with Riccardo Tisci!

Even though Erykah is worth an estimated $12 million, she still wanted to experience the struggle for herself by singing for change on the street. She found a prime spot in the Crossroads of the World and began singing her heart out, begging people to spare a few coins for her, and they did. Very few.

MUST READ: Erykah Badu & Riccardo Tisci Shut Down NYC Subway For Fierce ‘Paper’ Mag Shoot [PHOTOS]

All told, Erykah only earned about $3.60. She might have been a little more convincing had she not been dripping in jewelry, but that’s an observation in hindsight. She worked hard for that little bit of money that she did get as she chased people down, hounding them for some cash.

She may have only made “three dollars and six dimes” (“yeah you might laugh, cause you did not do your math”) but, if even Erykah, whose show tickets go for much higher than that, can’t even scrounge up enough money for a meal singing on the street, that says something powerful about the reality for thousands of Americans who ask for money as people pass them by every day.

READ MORE:

Erykah Badu Kissing Stunt Shut Down By Reporter

Erykah Badu Tweets Sex & Relationship Advice To Fans

Giving Face: Erykah Badu Is Front And Center In Givenchy’s Spring 2014 Campaign

For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.