Photo by Arturo Holmes/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
In an interview with Billboard released last night (March 19), legendary neo-soul singer Erykah Badu confirmed that she is working on a new album in collaboration with hip-hop producer The Alchemist. The news arrives just months after an interview with the Breakfast Club, in which Badu teased that she had a new “collab album” in the works.
The upcoming album is rumoured to be a follow-up to Badu’s last full-length LP New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh, released in 2010. The 54-year-old singer released the mixtape But You Caint Use My Phone in 2015, which featured a rare post-Outkast verse from Andre 3000.
The Alchemist, meanwhile, enjoys legend status in the hip-hop scene, with production credits stretching back to the early 90s, and collaborations with Eminem, Mobb Deep, Freddie Gibbs, Earl Sweatshirt and countless others. The Beverly Hills-born producer and DJ is also set to release a collaborative album with Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) next week (March 28) under the group name Forensics.
Speaking to Billboard, Badu also suggested that her upcoming album will lean into the hip-hop side of her artistry, telling the publication: “Rap is the people. Hip-hop is the people. It’s the folks. It’s the tribe. I have the luxury of experiencing having children who I watch grow up and love and encourage very much, and I cannot separate them when I see artists who are that age coming up. That’s how they feel. They are continuing the tradition.”
Despite having confirmed work on the new project, however, Badu also shared that much of her time is still taken up with touring and live performances. “I tour eight months out of the year for the past 25 years. That’s what I do. I’m a performance artist. I’m not a recording artist,” she told Billboard. “I come from the theatre. It’s the immediate reaction between you and the audience and the immediate feeling. The point where you become one living, breathing organism with people. That’s what I live for. It’s my therapy. And theirs, too. We’re in it together. And I like the idea that it happens only once.”
Love that, Erykah, but also finish the album soon please?
