Fortunately, Erykah Badu has thick skin or else she would feel slighted that she earned less than minimum wage last Friday when she solicited money for her singing in New York's Times Square.
Joined by a group of friends, the "Window Seat" singer found a spot on 42nd Street in Manhattan and began to improvise songs that begged people to drop money into her hat. Though she sang loudly and directed her lyrics to passerby, most completely ignored her, rarely making eye contact or stopping to pay attention. No one appeared to recognize her.
The lack of response was to be expected as the veteran who said she "always wanted to see what it would be like to sing for money on the streets" made a spectacle getting sillier by the second during the 41-minute prank documented in the e.badu iphone films short Street Hustle Experiment. At one point she approached a woman, holding her hat in her face while singing, "I don't want to get no job, Lady / I just want yo money." Surprise, the woman elected not to support Badu's cause.
By the end of the clip, Badu tallied her earnings at $3.60. (Minimum wage in New York is $8 per hour.) She actually sounded grateful and used the moment as an opportunity to encourage aspiring musicians. "Look at all this money. See if you got some initiative, you can make money," she said to the camera. "Alls you need is a little initiative and a little talent."
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