Erykah Badu is known for her eccentric fashion and hair aesthetics just as much as her indelibly memorable voice and musical catalog. Lately, she's been rocking a braided look that only she can rock with as much ease and confidence as she has thus far. With them being literally floor-length and "as thin as the lines on your hand," they require some serious maintenance, but Ms. Badu has the perfect team to keep them in tip top shape.

In an interview with the New York Times, the upcoming Soul Train Awards hostess explained the grueling process her hairstylist, Yasmin Amira Davis, has to go through to achieve the flawless look.

"I wanted [the braid] to be as thin as the lines on your hand," she said, explaining that each braid takes about eight to 15 minutes to complete by hand.

The "Honey" songstress sits through this process every two to four weeks to touch up pieces that have grown out.

Braids aren't just a fashion trend that Badu randomly decided to dabble in for its "in" factor. She and the 'do go way back — we're talking toddler days. She told the publication that she first wanted braids when she was seven or eight after seeing a drawing in a South Dallas shop of two women with long braids, ending in a wavy pattern.

"I said, 'I think that's me,'" she said. "'I feel that energy.'"

Needless to say, Badu and Davis don't do it alone. They're a part of a team consisting of five additional women who, with unbreakable concentration, work on the singer's braids for a couple days at a time. Though the process may be lengthy, the vibes are always soothing.

"When we are all together, the rhythm — and we are all around, there's incense... it just feels really good," Davis said. "It takes a village. A tribe. And it's a sharing kind of thing."

Watch Badu's soulful tribute to Prince in the video, above.