Erykah Badu and The Alchemist are finally putting a release date on their long-awaited collaborative album. The project is scheduled to arrive digitally Aug. 28 through Control FREAQ Records and Young Recordings, more than a year after the pair first began teasing their partnership. The release will mark Badu’s first studio album since 2010’s New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), following her 2015 mixtape But You Caint Use My Phone.
The project’s title, as of press time, is now uncertain. Although The Alchemist previously identified the album as Abi & Alan — a reference to Badu’s birth name, Erica Abi Wright, and his first name, Alan Maman — current release materials do not give it an official title. The announcement came alongside the release of “Witch Doctor,” a new single from the project. Stream: HERE.
The album was recorded over roughly 18 months in Dallas and Los Angeles, with Badu and The Alchemist sharing production duties. The collaboration grew from Badu’s interest in working with The Alchemist after hearing his production on Mobb Deep’s “The Realest.” Their first studio session produced “Next to You,” which was released in June 2025 and initially described as a preview of an album then known as Abi & Alan.
The project has been a long-running source of anticipation for Badu fans. A planned August 2025 release was postponed after Badu announced that the project would not arrive as expected, while The Alchemist later disputed that the date had ever been officially confirmed. The delay made the Aug. 28 announcement particularly notable, especially as the pair prepare to tour North America together in September.
Presave the album – HERE.
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