Erykah Badu and Thundercat will funk shit up at Michigan Lottery Amphitheater at Freedom Hill

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Photo by Parker Day

Thundercat is finally coming to metro Detroit.

What happens when you pair the “queen of neo-soul” with the unofficial father of funk or daddy of funk depending on how you vibe?

Well, we can’t be sure, because we have yet to see Erykah Badu share a stage with Stephen Bruner, who performs funk-drenched acid jazz-inspired tunes as Thundercat, but we are so ready (but also not really).

Grammy award-winning Badu last graced us with her style, swagger, and sounds in 2018 when she performed at the Aretha, formerly known as Chene Park. This time around, Badu will be celebrating, well, a few things, including but not limited to: the 20th anniversary of her album Mama’s Gun and the 10th anniversary of New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh, and the fifth anniversary of her popular mixtape But You Caint Use My Phone.

Then there’s Thundercat.

Now, Detroit was supposed to get a super-sized dose of seduction in 2020 when Thundercat was scheduled to perform at the Majestic, like, literally when COVID-19 was shutting shit down. Now, Thundercat, who was a major creative player on Kendrick Lamar’s critically acclaimed To Pimp a Butterfly, can finally celebrate a milestone of his own: taking his fourth studio record, It Is What It Is, which was released last year, on the road.

Doors open at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sep. 11 at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre; 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights; 313-471-7000; 313presents.com. Tickets are $39.50+.