!! OMG, a numerological countdown to Erykah Badu’s album release !!

A lot has been happening in the world of soul/R&B singer Erykah Badu since we blogged about her latest single “Window Seat” a while back. We’ve been AWOL with the updates so in case you haven’t been following her every tweet, here is one big recap of most major Badu-related news items from the previous weeks.
The countdown to the release of Erykah’s latest album, New Amerykah Part 2 (Return of the Ankh) is continuing with a numerological campaign called (((333))). The idea springs from the record’s March 30, 2010 release date: March 30, 2010 is 3/3/3 or 2 + 0 + 1 + 0 = 3. Leading up to the big day, Erykah will periodically release new bits of material via Twitter at 3:33 p.m./a.m. (In fact, there should be something new happening on her website at 3:33 p.m. today.)
“The number has always been in my life — every time I look at the clock it seems to be there, whether it’s a.m. or p.m.,” Badu explained in a recent Billboard interview. “I look at it as a sign that I’m on the right path.”
The Billboard article also contains several other interesting tidbits, such as:

• At a listening party last year, Erykah swore that she wouldn’t release any new material if it leaked online. True to her word, she hasn’t been performing any new songs at recent West Coast concerts. Instead, she’s been mixing cover songs, such as the Snoop Dogg classic “Ain’t No Fun”, into her set lists.

• Erykah has an executive assistant and tour manager, but she’s never had a manager, and “she does everything from conceptualize and direct her videos to style her outfits and handwrite her albums’ thank-you notes.”

• Delta Airlines has licensed “Window Seat” as boarding music for its flights. The song debuted at No. 47 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart making it the best debut of the year and the second best of her career.

AND if that isn’t enough Erykah news, she also made headlines when she managed to clear a sample from the “unusually funky” Paul McCartney song “Arrow Through Me” by hollering at Lenny Kravitz and Stella McCartney on Twitter.
Above is a video of Erykah performing “Window Seat” on Jimmy Fallon’s talk show and after the jump you can check out the Erykahleidoscopic video for the web-only track “Jump Up in the Air and Stay There” featuring Lil Wayne and a live performance of the James Taylor/Carole King classic “You’ve Got a Friend”.