Erykah Badu Tells Young Women to ‘Suck Hard’ to Make It in Music—Exposes the Hypersexualization of Women in Music

Erykah Badu has never been afraid to shake the table. Whether it’s calling out industry hypocrisy, embracing her spiritual eccentricity, or making fashion statements that double as social commentary—she always has a message.

At Billboard’s Women in Music event, she did it again.

Dressed in an over-the-top outfit that exaggerated the look of BBLs and extreme cosmetic surgery, she seemed to be making a point about the way women’s bodies are being sold as a product in today’s music industry.

Then, when asked to give advice to young women trying to break into music, she bluntly responded: “Suck hard.”

Was it sarcasm? A brutal truth? A warning? With Badu, it’s never just about shock—it’s about meaning.

Erykah Badu’s History of Bold Statements

This isn’t the first time Badu has made headlines with controversial, yet thought-provoking takes:

• In 2010, she stripped down in public for her “Window Seat” music video, symbolizing the need for freedom of expression—only to be fined for disorderly conduct.

• In 2018, she caught backlash for saying she “saw the good” in Hitler, sparking debates about separating humanity from evil.

• She once said that women should expect attention if they dress provocatively, making some wonder if she was critiquing double standards or reinforcing them.

Love her or not, Erykah never speaks without intention or does she?

Sex Sells—But at What Cost?

• The music industry has always exploited women’s sexuality, but now, BBLs, OnlyFans, and thirst traps are almost mandatory for mainstream success.

• Diddy’s current incarceration on sex trafficking allegations proves that the industry has long been built on power imbalances and exploitation.

• Some female artists are reclaiming their bodies on their own terms, but is hypersexualization a choice, or an expectation?

Final Thoughts

Erykah Badu doesn’t just troll—she makes statements.

Her Billboard look was a mirror held up to the industry, forcing people to question the unrealistic and often dangerous beauty standards placed on women.

And when she said “suck hard”, was she being crass, or was she exposing what many already know? Or possibly she was just being the other side of Erykah we’ve learned to love. 

In 2025, has the music industry evolved beyond exploiting women’s bodies, or has hypersexualization simply become the staple cost of success?