Erykah Badu is literally about to release her first album in 11 years. To this end, she has tapped The Alchemist, one of hip hop’s most prolific producers and a specialist at crafting atmospheres from the sparsest of samples. ‘Before The World Blows’ will be available on streaming platforms in 48 hours, this very Friday, August 28.
The promotion surrounding the new Badu and Alchemist LP has been tricky. The duo had already discussed a joint album in the spring of 2025 and even lent support to the announcement with a single last summer. However, the release of the disappointing ‘Next To You’ was eclipsed by controversy over the song’s cover art, allegedly created with artificial intelligence. At the time, The Alchemist brushed off the negative responses with humor: “I listen to music with my eyes closed,” he replied to a user on X.
Now, with calmer waters, both artists have found a measure of redemption with the release of ‘Witch Doctor,’ the new teaser from ‘Before The World Blows.’ It is a hushed, yet thematically furious six-minute track blending hip hop, jazz, and R&B in which Erykah Badu proclaims that she is not a witch, but a “healer”: “Maybe I intimidate you at first / But I’ve come to stimulate your universe,” she sings in the opening lines in her unmistakable, languid voice.
‘Witch Doctor’ has little to do with the occult arts, though that depends on how you look at it. The song serves as a wake-up call to the listener, a warning to guard yourself against the volatile media era we’re living in. Erykah Badu isn’t “Tabitha, nor Samantha,” the heroines of ‘Bewitched,’ because “a witch is only a medium”: “And you swallow whole, everything they’re feeding you,” she goes on. For Badu, that, indeed, is “witchcraft.”
‘Before The World Drops’ is also rich in collaborations, counting among its ranks Steve Lacy, Thundercat, Westside Gunn, Earl Sweatshirt, Kamasi Washington, DRAM, Joi, and DJ Creole Princess.
Tracklist:
Echos
I Just Play A Part
Crossfade [ft. DJ Creole Princess, Westside Gunn, Joi]
Witch Doctor
Valentine [ft. DRAM]
Next 2 U
Love Me Not 8. Breezy
Abracadabra
To The Moon (Plan C) [ft. Steve Lacy]
They Ain’t You [ft. Thundercat]
What The People Say (Apostle 1)
Hot BiBi (Apostle 2)
No I.D. [ft. Westside Gunn]
I Know That Man [ft. Earl Sweatshirt]
Black Box [ft. Kamasi Washington]
