Round 1B
Erykah Badu's Baduizm vs EMOUSE: The Vacanti Mouse Emails
Erykah Badu's Baduizm
EMOUSE: The Vacanti Mouse Emails
Erykah Badu’s Baduizm: On and on and on and on, my cypher keeps moving like a rolling stone. Baduizm is the groundbreaking debut album by Erykah Badu, released in early 1997 by Kedar and Universal Records. The album a cornerstone of the neo-soul movement, blending elements of R&B, jazz, and hip-hop in an experimentally-retro musical experience, which drew favorable comparisons from the critics of the time to soul music of the 70s. Badu's sound is recognizable for her sultry vocals and introspective or socially conscious lyrics, while the album’s production stands out with warm, rich live instrumentation. Featuring the singles On & On and Next Lifetime, the album not only stood tall as a leading example in the evolution of the soul genre but also established her as a new force in contemporary music, leaving an indelible mark on the world of R&B and soul moving forward. Baduizm debuted at #2 on the US Billboard charts and #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Album charts, and is certified triple Platinum in the US; it would also win the Grammy for Best R&B Album under the banner of neo-soul.
EMOUSE: The Vacanti Mouse Emails: In August 1997, scientists Charles and Joseph Vacanti published a paper in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery regarding their research into tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In the journal, they printed a picture of a mouse with what appeared to be a human ear growing out of its back; within months of this publication, every one of your aunts would forward you an email chain containing the “Ear Mouse” photo, proclaiming it to be a horrifying example of genetic modification and decrying the ethics of scientists playing God. (Note: I’ve opted to show you a cuter photo for the bracket.) In actuality, to create the ear-like structure on the mouse's back, researchers implanted a biodegradable scaffold made of a synthetic material seeded with cartilage cells into the mouse. Over time, the cartilage cells grew and formed the ear-shaped structure; no genetic modification was involved. This did not stop the spread of the emails, which often lacked text entirely or misrepresented what was shown, and incensed both animal rights activists and far-right religious groups to the extent that full-page ads were taken out in major news publications like the New York Times expressing outrage. While the photo remains divisive today, the Vacanti Mouse is an iconic image in discussions about the potential of regenerative medicine and the ethical considerations surrounding such research.
