Erykah Badu and the Alchemist have been gearing up to release their debut collaborative album since the spring of 2025. It appears they have finally run out of gears. The duo has revealed an official release date of August 28. With the announcement comes an unannouncement. Despite Alchemist revealing the title Abi & Alan in 2025, today’s news elides a project name altogether. (A Bandcamp listing is titled, “Sorry, we don’t have an album title yet …”) The announcement does, however, feature a new song, “Witch Doctor,” which you can hear below.
Badu and the Alchemist, aka Alan Maman, co-produced the LP over 18 months in Dallas and Los Angeles. The release, likely to include the launch single “Next to You,” is being handled by Control Freaq/Young. The duo will tour North America together next month.
Read about Badu’s “On & On” and “Tyrone” in The 53 Best R&B Songs of the ’90s.