We've been waiting for this one for a while. Erykah Badu, one of our greatest living artists, hasn't released a proper album since 2010's New Amerykah Part Two (Return Of The Ankh), and she hasn't put out a full-length since her 2015 mixtape But You Caint Use My Phone. Some time back, though, Badu revealed that she was working on a new collaborative album with the Alchemist, the great and prolific psychedelic rap producer. A few months later, Badu and Alchemist shared their single "Next To You." That was more than a year ago. Now, the album is finally on the way.
We still don't have too many details on Erykah Badu and the Alchemist's new album — no title, no cover art, no tracklist. On Bandcamp, it's listed under the title Sorry, we don't have an album title yet ... (According to that Bandcamp listing, it's got 17 mostly-untitled tracks and may or may not include "Next To You.") We do, however, have a release date of Aug. 28. That's soon! Just two weeks away!
Badu and Alchemist recorded the LP over a 15-month period in their respective hometowns of Dallas and Los Angeles. According to a press release, Badu made the connection to the Alchemist after she told her creative partner Cold Cris that she'd always wanted to rap over the beat from Mobb Deep's 1999 banger "The Realest." That's an Alchemist beat, and Alchemist is a Badu fan who was eager to work with the artist. Conversations led to a plan for a full-length collaboration, which is what we're about to get. Badu and the Alchemist have already performed the songs together at some no-phone shows.
Along with the announcement, we get a new single today. "Witch Doctor" is a hypnotic zone-out that goes on for six and a half minutes. Badu sings that she knows how to break your curse because she's a witch, oooh, doctor. There's a very fun bit in the middle where Badu lists off all the witches that she is not: "No Elphaba, no Glinda, no Ursula, no Sabrina, no Maleficent, no Stevie Nicks, no Broom-Hilda, no Agatha," etc. Alchemist's slow, heady beat eventually turns into a campfire drum circle. It sounds like spur-of-the-moment magic from two artists who have nothing to prove and who are just having fun while tapping into the things that only they can do. Check it out below.
Erykah Badu and the Alchemist's as-yet-untitled album is out 8/28 on Control FREAQ Records/Young Recordings. Pre-order it here.
