By now you oughta know the House of Blues opens tonight in the former White Swan Building in Victory Park, and by now you should know that Erykah Badu's going to be the first artist to take the stage in what will be Dallas' best-looking live-music venue, if not its best-sounding. Show ain't cheap: Tix range from $65 to $77, though that does get allow you access into the aftershow shindig, where Badu will debut her new act, the Cannabinoids, which features 10 local musicians and hip-hop producers who will, as Badu recently explained to Jonanna Widner, "put some fire up under the ass of hip-hop in Dallas."
It's been a long time since Badu's released anything -- four years, to be precise, since the release of the under-appreciated Worldwide Underground -- but she's got several new projects set to bow in '07. We don't know if this track is among her new material, but it's worth a listen. Thanks to our pal Gorilla vs. Bear, we found over at Stones Throw Records a track Badu recorded with "The Beat Konducta" hisself, Madlib, who says the track wasn't done for any particular record. Indeed, says Stones Throw, "When asked when this one was made, Madlib said, 'Dunno.'" So, dunno much about the song, except it's titled "Real Thing" for reasons that will become evident once you press play. --Robert Wilonsky
