Erykah Badu and the Alchemist Set August 28 Release for Long-Awaited Joint Album
Erykah Badu and the Alchemist have set August 28 as the official release date for their debut collaborative album, ending a wait that stretched nearly a year past its originally planned arrival.
The project was first announced in 2025 under the title Abi & Alan, a name the Alchemist — born Alan Maman — revealed publicly last year. When the August 29, 2025 release came and went, the Dallas Observer reported on August 28 that the album had been postponed with no new date confirmed. Now, Pitchfork reports that the album is finally arriving, though the announcement came with a curious gap: no title was confirmed alongside the new date. A Bandcamp listing for the release currently reads, "Sorry, we don't have an album title yet …" (Pitchfork).
What did arrive with the announcement is a new song. "Witch Doctor" premiered alongside the release-date reveal, giving listeners a second taste of the collaboration. Badu had previously debuted the track live at the Roots Picnic festival in June 2026. The first single, "Next to You," had been released a year earlier, on June 20, 2025 (Rated R&B).
The album itself was co-produced by Badu and the Alchemist over 18 months, with sessions split between Dallas and Los Angeles (Pitchfork). Billboard, reporting in August 2025, described the album's themes as revolving around the figure of a modern-day witch doctor — and the desire to be "next." The two artists performed the full album live ahead of its original release window, giving early audiences a complete preview of the material (Billboard).
The release is being handled by Control Freaq/Young, a pairing of Badu's own Control Freaq imprint with the Alchemist's Young label. For Badu, the album marks her first full-length release in 15 years — a gap that stretches back to 2010's New Amerykah Part Two. Badu confirmed in June 2026 that the project would be produced entirely by the Alchemist (Pitchfork).
A North American tour will follow, with dates beginning the month after the August 28 release — meaning September will bring the collaboration to the road. Full tour routing has not yet been detailed.
For an artist whose last studio album arrived more than a decade and a half ago, the arrival of a complete, co-produced project with one of hip-hop's most sought-after producers is a significant event on the release calendar. The Alchemist has built his reputation on dense, sample-driven production for artists across rap and beyond, and pairing that approach with Badu's vocal and songwriting instincts gives the record a clear creative premise. Whether the Bandcamp placeholder means the Abi & Alan title has been dropped or is simply being withheld is not yet clear.
