"Bag Lady" is a song recorded by American singer
Erykah Badu for her second studio album Mama's Gun (2000). Written by Badu and
Isaac Hayes, the song is about a woman who is trying to begin a new relationship but has too much
emotional baggage and can't get close to anyone.[1] The song's message is to "pack light" and have hope for the future. It was released as the
lead single from Mama's Gun on August 8, 2000, by
Motown Records.[2]
In the United States, "Bag Lady" debuted at number 67 on the
Billboard Hot 100 on the issue dated August 19, 2000.[5] After weeks of ascending and descending within the chart, it reached its peak at number six on October 7, 2000, thus becoming Badu's first top-ten hit on the chart.[6] It spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart and finished at number 69 on the year-end Billboard Hot 100 for 2000.[7][8] It also became Badu's second
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one hit, spending six consecutive weeks atop the chart and 33 weeks on the chart in total.[7] Internationally, it charted only in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number 93 on the
Dutch Single Top 100.
Music video
The accompanying
music video for "Bag Lady" was directed by Badu and designed by visual artist and designer
Ron Norsworthy. It uses the Cheeba Sac remix of the song, which samples
Dr. Dre's "
Xxplosive" from his album 2001 (1999), which was based on the song "Bumpy's Lament" from the soundtrack for the film Shaft (1971).[9] In a segment during the video, Erykah and her "bag ladies"–including singers
Yahzarah and
N'dambi, as well as Badu's mother and sister–dance to an excerpt of
Johnny Hammond's "Gambler's Life" (1974).[a] The video was shot on
Mini DVdigital video—an unusual choice for a mainstream music video production–which gave it an appearance similar to a
home movie.