Kolleen Maria Gipson is Erykah Badu’s mother and a member of the Dallas family that helped raise the singer. She also appears under the name Kolleen Maria Wright. Her grandchildren know her as Queenie, a name she discussed when she gave a rare interview about her family and OutKast’s Ms. Jackson.
Gipson’s own memories offer something a music chart cannot. She remembers two little girls changing the lyrics to a homemade song, a strong-minded daughter at the breakfast table and a grandchild whose family history became the subject of a famous record.
| Full name | Kolleen Maria Gipson |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Kolleen Maria Wright and Queenie |
| Family base | Dallas, Texas |
| Children | Erica, Koryan and Eevin Wright |
| Famous daughter | Erykah Badu, born Erica Abi Wright |
| Grandson | Seven Benjamin |
| Music connection | OutKast’s Ms. Jackson |
| Net worth | Not publicly verified |
Who Is Kolleen Maria Gipson?
Kolleen is the mother of singer and songwriter Erykah Badu. In a 2015 interview, Okayplayer introduced her as Kolleen Maria Wright, née Gipson. Readers encountering the two surnames are reading about the same woman. Her family nickname has also appeared with slight variations in spelling, including Queenie and Queeny.
Long before her daughter had a recording contract, Kolleen was raising children amid a wider circle of women in Dallas. Their public story is often told through the success of one daughter. Kolleen’s own recollections bring the other children and the older generations back into view. Okayplayer’s interview with Kolleen.
Early Family Life in Dallas
Vogue’s profile of Badu identifies her mother, grandmothers Thelma Gipson and Viola Wilson, and godmother Gwen Hargrove among the women who helped raise her. Kolleen had separated from Badu’s father when their daughter was young. In the singer’s account, the people who shared everyday responsibility for the children were central to her upbringing. Vogue’s family profile.
The family story is rooted in Dallas, but the published accounts do not give the same detail about Kolleen’s own childhood or education. They are at their most specific when describing her as a young mother, her children’s personalities and the older relatives who also had a say in the home.
That distinction is important for a reader interested in three generations of the family. A detail about where Badu went to school belongs to the daughter. A recollection of how she behaved at home comes from her mother. Neither can fill in missing information about Kolleen’s own schooling.
Her Children and Their Creativity
Erykah was born Erica Abi Wright. Her sister Koryan is also known as Nayrok, and Kolleen’s youngest child is Eevin. When Kolleen spoke to Okayplayer, she recalled that her daughters were already inventing songs when they were young. One early effort had to be revised after their grandmother objected to the words.
The memory is revealing because it involves two sisters, an audience of relatives and the small negotiations of a family household. The girls had enough freedom to make something of their own, and a grandmother had enough influence to insist on a change. It is a more vivid picture of their early creativity than a claim that fame was always inevitable.
Kolleen also remembered that she and Erica could disagree about ordinary things such as food and clothes. Her account presents a child with firm preferences years before an adult audience came to admire Badu for doing things her own way.
Grandchildren and the Name Queenie
Seven Benjamin is Kolleen’s grandson through Erykah and André Benjamin, professionally known as André 3000. The family relationship helps explain why a listener searching for the woman associated with Ms. Jackson ends up reading about a grandmother in Dallas.
Kolleen described the importance she placed on how her grandchildren addressed her and how she wanted them to see themselves. Her account of choosing a grandparent name is part of a family tradition of giving ordinary forms of address a personal meaning. It was her own relationship with the children that mattered first, however familiar the nickname later became to music fans.
The Story Behind Ms. Jackson
OutKast released Ms. Jackson on Stankonia in 2000. The song addresses a mother after a relationship has broken down. Its connection to Erykah, André and their son made Kolleen the person audiences most often associated with the title.
The people involved have told that story with humour as well as affection. Kolleen spoke directly about the attention in her 2015 interview. Badu later joked about her mother’s enthusiasm for the association. The combination matters. A song can draw on a family experience without every line serving as a literal account of a private conversation.
For Kolleen, being asked about the record brought an unusual opportunity to speak for herself. People who had known the chorus for years could finally hear the voice of the mother at the centre of the discussion. Her interview ranged far beyond the song, taking in childhood, grandchildren and the creative habits of the family.
Public Appearances and Personal Finances
In November 2024, Kolleen accompanied Erykah to the Los Angeles premiere of The Piano Lesson. UPI’s caption identifies both women and places the event at the Egyptian Theatre. The photograph records a mother and daughter attending a film occasion together many years after the early family stories Kolleen described. UPI event caption.
Kolleen’s personal net worth is not publicly verified. Having a song popularly associated with her does not establish ownership of its publishing rights. Nor does the success of a daughter’s recording career establish the finances of her mother. Kolleen’s distinctive contribution to the public record is her account of the family before and after that success.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Kolleen Maria Gipson?
She is Erykah Badu’s mother and also appears in interviews as Kolleen Maria Wright.
What do her grandchildren call her?
She is known in the family as Queenie, also spelled Queeny.
Who are her children?
Her children include Erica, known as Erykah Badu, Koryan and Eevin Wright.
How is she connected to Ms. Jackson?
Listeners associate the OutKast song with André Benjamin’s relationship with Erykah and her mother.
Did Kolleen speak about the song herself?
Yes. Okayplayer interviewed her in 2015, on the fifteenth anniversary of Stankonia.
