After years of anticipation and cryptic teasers, Erykah Badu and The Alchemist have finally delivered their collaborative album, Before the World Blows: The Abi & Alan Experiment.
Released on Friday the 16-track project brings together two artists who, on paper, come from very different musical worlds. Badu is one of the most distinctive voices in modern soul, while The Alchemist has built a reputation as one of hip-hop’s most respected and prolific producers. Together, however, the pairing makes a surprising amount of sense: both artists have always been drawn to experimentation, unconventional textures and music that refuses to fit neatly into one genre.
For Badu, the album represents a major return. It is her first studio album since 2010’s New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) and her first full-length project in 11 years. The record was created over roughly 18 months, with sessions taking place between Dallas and Los Angeles. Badu and The Alchemist even road-tested the material in intimate, phone-free performances before finally bringing the project to the world.
And the guest list is serious.
The album features Westside Gunn, Earl Sweatshirt, Thundercat, Steve Lacy, Kamasi Washington, DRAM, Joi and DJ Creole Princess. Westside Gunn appears on multiple tracks, including “No I.D.”, while Earl Sweatshirt joins Badu on “I Know That Man”. Thundercat appears on “They Ain’t You”, Steve Lacy features on “To The Moon (Plan C)”, DRAM contributes to “Valentine”, and Kamasi Washington closes things out with a guest appearance on “Black Box”.
The project has already given fans a taste of what to expect through tracks including “Next 2 U” and “Witch Doctor”, with the latter arriving alongside the album announcement earlier this month. But the real excitement comes from hearing what happens when Badu’s elastic, unpredictable vocal style meets The Alchemist’s samples, psychedelic textures and stripped-back hip-hop production.
The collaboration reportedly began with Badu’s love of Mobb Deep’s “The Realest”, a beat produced by The Alchemist. What started as a long-standing creative wish eventually turned into an entire album — making Before the World Blows feel less like a conventional artist-producer project and more like the meeting of two musical minds who have been waiting for the right moment to collide.
And perhaps that’s what makes the album so intriguing. Badu has spent decades resisting easy categorisation, while The Alchemist has spent his career moving effortlessly between underground rap, soul, jazz and experimental music. Put the two together and the result was never likely to sound predictable.
After a long wait, Before the World Blows is finally here — and with a guest list that includes Westside Gunn, Earl Sweatshirt, Thundercat, Steve Lacy and Kamasi Washington, it could end up being one of the most unexpected and interesting collaborations of 2026.
Have you had a chance to listen to the album? Thoughts?
