Written by The album arrives August 28 via Control FREAQ Records/Young Recordings, marking Badu’s first new album in 16 years.
By Andy Kahn Aug 14, 2026 • 9:24 am PDT
Erykah Badu and The Alchemist announced their joint album will be released digitally on Friday, August 28, 2026, via Control FREAQ Records/Young Recordings. The current tour mates shared a new single, “Witch Doctor,” following the previously released songs “Next To You” and “Echos 19 (mix 122).”
The album was co-produced by the pair over 18 months of sessions in Dallas and Los Angeles. The project marks Badu’s first new music in 11 years and her first studio album in 16 years. In that time, she has toured, taught, worked as a doula and raised children.
The Alchemist, meanwhile, has continued as one of hip-hop’s most prolific producers, releasing multiple projects each year, most recently Alfredo 2 with Freddie Gibbs, a sequel to the pair’s Grammy-nominated 2020 album Alfredo.
The Badu/Alchemist collaboration began more than three years ago after Badu told her longtime creative partner Cold Cris that she wanted to rap over Mobb Deep’s “The Realest,” an Alchemist production. The Alchemist, who had hoped to work with Badu for years, was introduced to her soon after, and their conversations grew into a full album project. Their first studio session together in Los Angeles produced “Next To You.”
The Alchemist sent Badu a collection of instrumental beats, which she reworked into finished tracks, adding instruments including kalimba, additional chords, and drums. From 2024 to 2025, Badu and The Alchemist tested the material live in intimate, phone-free settings, performing with Badu’s group The Cannabinoids while The Alchemist played MPC.
Erykah Badu and The Alchemist will continue touring North America and Europe in the coming months. The pair recently confirmed LIVE: A September Tour, a 13-date U.S. run also featuring De La Soul on select dates, beginning September 10 at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois and concluding September 29 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Tap below to listen to “Witch Doctor.”
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