Erykah Badu & The Alchemist Announce Collaborative Album Will Release On Friday 28 August 2026
New Single “Witch Doctor” Out Now Via Control FREAQ Records / Young
Listen To “Witch Doctor” Now Here
Pre-Order / Pre-Save The Forthcoming Album Now Here
NEW YORK, Aug. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Erykah Badu and The Alchemist today officially announce their highly anticipated 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 the inevitable collision of two iconoclasts: hypnotic, funny, blunt, deeply personal, and impossible to categorize neatly.
The album date arrives today alongside the new single “Witch Doctor,” following the previously released single “Next To You” and Amazon Music exclusive “Echos 19 (mix 122),” which debuted during Badu Presents: Echos 19 Juneteenth concert celebration in Dallas.
The Abi and Alan Experiment began after Badu told partner Cold Cris she’d always wanted to rap over Mobb Deep’s “The Realest,” a gritty Alchemist production. They were introduced soon after, and the result is a full collaborative project. Their first studio session in Los Angeles yielded the previously released “Next to You,” laying the foundation for an entirely new sonic language. The Alchemist sent 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. From 2024 to 2025, Abi and Alan road-tested the album live in intimate, phone-free settings with Badu’s collective, The Cannabinoids, and The Alchemist on the MPC. 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, inviting you to keep exploring, 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. Full tour dates are below. Head to erykahbadu.com to buy tickets.
Erykah Badu + The Alchemist joint 2026 tour Dates:
Sep 10 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival
Sep 11 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
Sep 13 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
Sep 15– Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion
Sep 17– Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
Sep 18– Forest Hills, NY – Forest Hills Stadium
Sep 20 – Washington, D.C. – Wolf Trap
Sep 22 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheater
Sep 24– Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
Sep 26– San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
Sep 27 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre
Sep 28 – Highland, CA – Yaamava Theater
Sep 29 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
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SOURCE Erykah Badu & The Alchemist
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