"I tour eight months out of the year. That's been my life for 25 years. I'm a performing artist, not a studio artist. I come from theater." That's what Erykah Badu said last year when asked why a new album kept not happening. Her last studio effort, *New Amerykah Part Two (Return Of The Ankh)*, came out back in 2010—a full 16-year gap—until she crossed paths with The Alchemist.
Now the two have officially announced their self-titled joint album, co-produced by both artists across 18 months of recording sessions shuttling between Dallas and Los Angeles. The album drops August 28 via Control FREAQ/Young. Pre-orders and pre-saves are live, though the full tracklist hasn't been revealed yet.
The lead single "Witch Doctor" has landed, and it's quieter than you'd expect—following the earlier single "Next To You" and the Amazon Music exclusive "Echos 19 (Mix 122)." Right now, these three tracks are all the outside world has to go on for this album.
The Alchemist needs no introduction to hip-hop heads—he's worked with Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Snoop Dogg, and Ghostface Killah, and his 2023 collab with Earl Sweatshirt, *Voir Dire*, made NME's list of best albums of the year. His production style has always leaned into atmosphere and sample texture, and pairing that with Badu's soul vocals feels like two strong-willed forces meeting head-on—the press release itself calls it "the inevitable collision of two singular artists."
More concrete than the album itself right now is the tour schedule. The two kick off a North America run next month, then head to the UK and Europe in fall, including two shows at the newly opened Blue Note jazz venue in London. Tickets for North America and UK dates are already available through official channels.
Going by Badu's own words, this album isn't so much a "return to the studio" as it is her handing over 18 months outside of touring to a producer who knows exactly how to place her voice. The tracklist and further details have yet to be announced.
