Erykah Badu has a new album on the way, and it’s set to be produced entirely by The Alchemist.
In an interview with Billboard published on Wednesday (March 19), Badu confirmed that her sixth studio album – her first LP in over 15 years – is currently in progress.
“The album has been taking up most of her time; she says she can’t wait until she’s done,” the publication wrote.
Badu and the legendary producer first teased a collab back in December, when Alc posted a series of photos showing them in the lab.
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He captioned the montage “Life altering,” but didn’t elaborate any further as to what they were working on.
Erykah Badu’s last studio album was March 2010’s New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. Later that year she released her first and only compilation album, Icon, and in 2015, she released her first and only mixtape, But You Caint Use My Phone.
Since then, the elusive artist has only jumped on a handful of features – most recently being Rapsody‘s Grammy Award-winning “3:AM.”
The track is an ode to the joys of late night love and features both artists paying homage to the people that make them feel best.
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Rapsody spits: “You feel like a healer/ I know I’m imperfect/ Tho you make me feel like Jesus/ Or how God sees us/ Not afraid to show my insecurities like Issa,” cleverly referring to Issa Rae’s TV show Insecure.
She adds: “Everything I hid you always peeped it/ When it’s darkest we always attract/ The brightest people/ Baby, you a light/ You shift my whole world to the right/ Nothing left but.”
The duo first performed the song together at Badu’s 53rd birthday celebrations in Dallas last February.
Of the song, Rapsody told VIBE: “[“3:AM” is] the one record I have enjoyed the most because it was a process, and getting to know [Badu] more and building a deeper friendship. […] She taught me, just in that one song and interacting the way we did, that art can’t be rushed; you take your time and really get what you want to say and how you want to say and live with it. So that was a beautiful experience. She really elevated that record.”
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The track, which lives on Rapsody’s 2024 album Please Don’t Cry, went on to win a 2025 Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance.
