Erykah Badu and The Alchemist announce collaborative album

Erykah Badu and producer The Alchemist have announced their collaborative album, ‘Before The World Blows: The Abi and Alan Experiment’. The 16-track project is scheduled for digital release on August 28, 2026, via Control FREAQ Records and Young Recordings.

Recorded over 18 months in Dallas and Los Angeles, the album blends soul, blues, funk, rock, jazz, and underground hip-hop. The collaboration follows a creative partnership established over three years ago, which included the previously released track ‘Next 2 U’. The project features guest appearances from Westside Gunn, DRAM, Steve Lacy, Thundercat, Earl Sweatshirt, and Kamasi Washington.

To preview the album, Badu released the music video for ‘Witch Doctor’, which she also directed. The video was premiered during a special screening alongside her 2010 short film ‘Window Seat’.