Erykah Badu and acclaimed producer The Alchemist have officially unveiled the details of their long-awaited collaborative album, Before the World Blows: The Abi and Alan Experiment, arriving August 28, via Control Freaq Records/Young Recordings. The 16-track project marks Badu’s first full-length release in 11 years and brings together two distinctive voices from the worlds of soul, R&B and underground hip-hop.
The collaboration began more than three years ago after Badu told her longtime creative partner Cold Cris that she wanted to rap over The Alchemist’s production on Mobb Deep’s ‘The Realest.’ The two artists were subsequently introduced and quickly discovered a shared approach to creativity. Their first studio session in Los Angeles produced ‘Next 2 U’, laying the groundwork for an album recorded over 18 months between Los Angeles and Dallas.
Sonically, Before the World Blows moves across soul, funk, jazz, blues, rock and experimental hip-hop rather than settling into a single genre. Badu serves as executive producer, while she and The Alchemist co-produced the record, with Badu reshaping his sample-heavy productions through additional instrumentation and layered vocals. The pair also tested the material live between 2024 and 2025 in intimate, phone-free performances alongside Badu’s collective The Cannabinoids.
The album features an eclectic cast of collaborators, including Steve Lacy, Thundercat, Westside Gunn, Earl Sweatshirt, DRAM, Kamasi Washington, Joi and DJ Creole Princess.
Listen to Before the World Blows:
