NEW YORK (AP) - Erykah Badu doesn't want you to believe the gossip rags when it comes to her friends - but when it comes to the singer herself, that's another story. ''Don't believe the tabloids,'' Badu told an audience as she performed Tuesday night for VH1 Soul.

But she said: ''It is true what they say about me and men - (I) make them wear crocheted pants and chin guards!'' She broke out into laughter, then added: ''But they souljas, though.'' Badu has a child with eccentric dresser Andre 3000 from OutKast, and had a long relationship with another rapper, Common, who is still laughed at for wearing crocheted pants when they were dating.

Badu, 36, was serious though as she defended the honor of her friend, R&B singer Eric Benet, who took a beating in the media when ex-wife Halle Berry accused him of cheating on her. ''He's a very responsible person,'' she told the crowd. A jovial Badu, wearing a huge Afro wig, performed in New York City borough of Brooklyn for the cable network's ''Soulstage'' concert series. She sang old hits like ''On & On,'' but also new songs, including ''Honey,'' from her album ''New AmErykah, Part One (4th World War),'' out Tuesday. Badu called the record ''my magnum opus ... the album I wanted to do all my life.''

''New AmErykah'' is only her fourth studio album in her decade-plus career. But Badu says that's because she's more of a jam artist who thrives musically when she's onstage. ''I'm a touring artist who records on the side,'' she said. The ''Soulstage'' concert with Badu airs Tuesday.

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY AP Music Writer

-Check out Erykah Badu's Discography

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