Erykah Badu Joins THE PIANO LESSON Film Adaptation For Musical Cameo

Erykah Badu has joined Netflix's upcoming film adaptation of The Piano Lesson.

Badu delivers her soulful sound and eclectic style with musical performances in the film. She joins Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, and Michael Potts, who will be reprising their Broadway performances in the film.

Malcolm Washington will direct the upcoming feature, which will also include Danielle Deadwyler and Corey Hawkins. The film will be written by Virgil Williams and Malcolm Washington.

The Piano Lesson is set in Pittsburgh's Hill District in 1936. A brother and sister are locked in a war over the fate of a family heirloom: a piano carved with the faces of their ancestors. Only by revisiting history can the siblings endeavor to move forward.

The Piano Lesson is a part of August Wilson's American Century Cycle, which chronicles the Black experience throughout the 20th Century over the course of ten plays.

The Broadway production was the highest grossing revival of a play on Broadway and the highest grossing Wilson production on Broadway ever.

August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, which premiered at the Yale Repertory Theatre in 1987 and starred a then-39-year-old Samuel L. Jackson as Boy Willie, is the fourth play in the American Century Cycle.

Badu's debut album, Baduizm, exploded onto the music scene in 1997 with soulful hits such as "On & On," "Next Lifetime" and "Appletree." The album marked a shift in the music of its time and began what was labeled a "neo-soul" movement. Baduizm received critical acclaim and won Badu two Grammy Awards, for best female R&B vocal performance and best R&B album.

Badu released her second LP, Live, later that year. During the recording, Badu was pregnant with her first child, son Seven Sirius, whose father is Outkast artist André 3000. The album went double platinum, and Badu's unmatchable talent was firmly established with the album's breakout song, "Tyrone," which was completely improvised on stage.

In 1999, Badu collaborated with the distinguished hip-hop group the Roots to create the song "You Got Me." Badu struck Grammy gold yet again with the song, taking home the trophy for best rap performance by a duo or group. That same year, she made her big-screen debut, portraying the heartbreaking, tortured character Rose Rose in The Cider House Rules.

Badu's third album, Mama's Gun, was released in 2000. She also contributed to the soundtrack of the Spike Lee film Bamboozled. She toured throughout the next few years, on her "Frustrated Artist Tour," and in 2003 she released Worldwide Underground, a somewhat experimental album that featured some of hip-hop's finest. The song "Love of My Life Worldwide" features Angie Stone, Queen Latifah and Bahamadia, and once again won Badu a Grammy, this time for best R&B song.

In 2008, Badu released "New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)" in 2008, which was followed by "New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)" in 2010. Her most recent project, "But You Caint Use My Phone," was released in 2015.

Photo Credit: Jordan Smith