The legendary soul singer used her sky-high Pharrell hat to collect dollars and dimes on the street.
Erykah Badu may have four Grammy Awards to her name, but apparently her voice is worth less than $4 on the streets of New York.
The legendary soul singer took to Times Square last Friday night, busking for cash with her sky-high Pharrell hat (possibly the same one she wore to hilariously crash that news shot over the summer). Badu sang her heart out for more than 40 minutes and collected, drumroll please, a whopping $3.60 by the end of it.
WATCH: This Is Why We Love Erykah Badu
The 43-year-old captured the whole endeavor on her iPhone and edited it down to a 7-minute clip. See the full video below, or watch the highlights in ETonline's player above.
To be fair, singing that you don't want to get a job while asking for their money might not be the best way to get people to open their wallets but hey, in the words of Erykah herself: "You can make money, all you gotta do is have a little initiative and a little talent." At the end of her video, Erykah writes: "Easy to judge isn't it… but in reality, life is a lot harder than this."
The most astonishing part of the clip isn't just how little money the superstar is able to collect, but the fact that almost no one recognizes her on the street. (Strike two, New York! Back in June, TV reporter Mario Diaz failed to recognize her when she tried to plant a smooch on him during a live shot.)
Could Badu be drumming up publicity for a new album drop? Earlier this year, the singer told Dallas News that she is gearing up for her next release and even traveled to Africa to work on it. Badu's last studio album, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), debuted in 2010 featuring the single "Window Seat."
Follow Sophie on Twitter: @SophieSchillaci