Erykah Badu and The Alchemist Set Collaborative Album for August

Erykah Badu and The Alchemist have confirmed a joint album for August 28th, sharing the new single “Witch Doctor.” The announcement ends years of speculation about a proper studio link-up between two artists operating in very different lanes of hip-hop and soul.

The collaboration traces back to a Mobb Deep beat. More than three years ago, Badu mentioned to her creative partner Cold Cris that she’d always wanted to rap over Alchemist’s production for “The Realest.” A meeting followed quickly, and the first session yielded “Next to You.” From there, they developed a working method that paired Alchemist’s production with additional instrumentation from Badu. According to the album’s press release, the resulting sound moves between soul, blues, funk, rock, jazz, and underground hip-hop.

“Witch Doctor” runs nearly six and a half minutes and gives a clear sense of that range. Badu uses the track to sketch a specific, unsentimental definition of witchcraft while name-checking fictional figures from Hermione to Ursula and Stevie Nicks. It is less a comeback statement than a continuation of Badu’s long habit of treating mysticism and media critique as part of the same conversation.

Badu and The Alchemist will take the material on the road this fall for a North American run with De La Soul, including a stop at the Hollywood Bowl on September 29th. Pre-orders for the album are live, though its official title remains deliberately unresolved on digital platforms.