Five-time GRAMMY Award-winning neo-soul trailblazer Erykah Badu commemorates the 25th anniversary of her influential sophomore album, Mama’s Gun, with the release of new limited-edition Vinyl options out January 23, 2026. The 2LP UMe Ecomm variant is pressed on Gold Black Ice Vinyl and features a newly redesigned gatefold jacket, alternate cover, and special lithograph. Pre-order HERE.
Finally, the Vinylphyle edition of Mama’s Gun features this album’s first ever hi-res remaster since its original CD release, sourced from the original production tapes. The 2LP, which features new liner notes personally penned by Badu, was cut by Joe Nino-Hernes at Sterling Sound Nashville and pressed at RTI on 180g Black Vinyl. The Vinylphyle edition drops a day early on January 22, 2026, and is available for pre-order HERE.
The indisputable influence of Mama’s Gun looms over every corner of the culture. It first arrived in stores on November 21, 2000. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200, scoring her strongest first-week sales ever and moving north of 191K copies. Within the span of only four weeks, it reached the threshold for a Platinum certification from the RIAA. Not to mention, this landmark body of work garnered three GRAMMY Award nominations, including “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance” and “Best R&B Song” for “Bag Lady” and “Best R&B Song” for “Didn’t Cha Know?”
Indicative of the record’s impact, it has claimed spots on numerous marquee lists such as Rolling Stone’s “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” Pitchfork’s “The 200 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years,” and NPR’s “The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women,” among many others. Resonating from one generation to the next, it has also impressively tallied over 1 billion streams. Retrospectively, Pitchfork rated it a rare “9.4,” marveling at how, “She made a record that wore its awareness of the larger traumas and challenges that complicate human intimacy on its sleeves.”
Badu also partnered with Spotify in their latest Anniversaries video series, where she reflects on the past 25 years and performs select tracks from Mama’s Gun. Watch HERE
Badu’s unparalleled alchemy of soul, R&B, jazz, rock, reggae, and poetry underscores these 14 tracks, enshrining Mama’s Gun as a game-changer whose influence continues to grow.
Check out the full tracklisting below.
Right now, Badu is canvasing North America on the “Mama’s Gun 25 World Tour,” performing the LP in its entirety.
She reloads Mama’s Gun with this new vinyl in 2026.
TRACKLISTING:
1. Penitentiary Philosophy
2. Didn’t Cha Know
3. My Life
4. … & On
5. Cleva
6. Hey Sugah – Interlude
7. Booty
8. Kiss Me On My Neck
9. A.D. 2000
10. Orange Moon
11. In Love With You
12. Bag Lady
13. Time’s A Wastin
14. Green Eyes
TOUR DATES:
November 22: Cincinnati, OH – Andrew J. Brady Music Center
November 23: Atlanta, GA – Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
November 24: Atlanta, GA – Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
November 28: Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
November 29: Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
December 2: Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
December 3: Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
December 5: Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre
December 6: Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre
December 8: Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
December 10: Dallas, TX – Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory