Photos: Erykah Badu & The Alchemist to Release Joint Album, Share WITCH DOCTOR
The record was recorded over 18 months in Dallas and Los Angeles by the two artists.
Erykah Badu and The Alchemist have announced a joint album, set for digital release via Control FREAQ Records and Young Recordings. The news arrives alongside a new single, WITCH DOCTOR, following earlier tracks NEXT TO YOU and the Amazon Music exclusive ECHOS 19 (mix 122), the latter of which debuted during Badu Presents: Echos 19, a Juneteenth concert celebration in Dallas.
Erykah Badu and The Alchemist officially announced that their joint album will be released digitally on Friday 28 August 2026 via Control FREAQ Records / Young Recordings. The co-produced album was recorded over 18 months in Dallas and Los Angeles, and is described as the inevitable collision of two iconoclasts: hypnotic, funny, blunt, deeply personal, and impossible to categorize neatly.
In the eleven years since her last project and sixteen since her last official studio album, Erykah Badu has gathered not conclusions but a series of existential insights via a whirlwind of touring, teaching, motherhood, doula work, and the kind of deep reflection made possible by living and raising children in a rapidly changing world. Meanwhile, The Alchemist has remained one of hip-hop's most prolific producers; releasing multiple projects a year, most recently Alfredo 2 with Freddie Gibbs, the sequel to their Grammy-nominated 2020 album Alfredo.
The Abi and Alan Experiment began more than three years ago after Badu told her longtime creative partner Cold Cris that she had always wanted to rap over Mobb Deep's 'The Realest,' a gritty, pounding Alchemist production. The Alchemist - who had quietly been hoping to work with Badu for years - was introduced soon after, and their conversations grew into a full-fledged collaborative project. The duo's first studio session together in Los Angeles yielded the previously released 'Next to You', laying the foundation for what would become an entirely new sonic language. The Alchemist sent Erykah Badu a collection of instrumental beats, which she deconstructed and sculpted into tracks that felt uniquely hers, embellishing his warm, punchy samples with instruments from soft kalimba notes to immersive chords and drums. The result moves fluidly between soul, blues, funk, rock, jazz, and underground hip-hop, yet belongs entirely to none of them. From 2024 to 2025, Abi and Alan road-tested the entire album live, performing in intimate, phone-free settings with Badu's digital collective, The Cannabinoids, and The Alchemist on the MPC, fine-tuning the tracks along the way. The result is one of the most forward-thinking bodies of work of either artist's career: a record that will live, love, and evolve with you through space and time. It invites you to keep exploring yourself, to have one more kiss, one more hit, one more dance, one more joke, all before the world blows.
Erykah Badu and The Alchemist continue to tour North America, UK, and Europe over the coming months, with a recently announced tour across the US. Head to erykahbadu.com to buy tickets.
Erykah Badu + The Alchemist joint tour Dates
Sep 10, 2026 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival
Sep 11, 2026 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
Sep 13, 2026 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
Sep 15, 2026 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion
Sep 17, 2026 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
Sep 18, 2026 – Forest Hills, NY – Forest Hills Stadium
Sep 20, 2026 – Washington, D.C. – Wolf Trap
Sep 22, 2026 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheater
Sep 24, 2026 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
Sep 26, 2026 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
Sep 27, 2026 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre
Sep 28, 2026 – Highland, CA – Yaamava Theater
Sep 29, 2026 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
According to the announcement, the co-produced album was recorded over roughly 18 months between Dallas and Los Angeles. The project, referred to as the Abi and Alan Experiment, grew out of Badu's longstanding wish to rap over Mobb Deep's The Realest, an Alchemist production, with the two eventually road-testing the material in live, phone-free performances alongside Badu's digital collective, The Cannabinoids.
