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 un-announcement. Despite Alchemist divulging the title Abi & Alan in 2025, the news elides a project name altogether. (A Bandcamp listing is titled “Sorry, we don’t have an album title yet …”) The news does, however, feature a lead single, “Witch Doctor.” Check out the music video for it below.
The “Witch Doctor” visuals are a sequel to Badu’s controversial 2010 video for “Window Seat,” where she stripped her clothes then pretended to be gunned down at the site of President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination. Taking place 16 years later the 10-minute “Witch Doctor” short follows Badu as she walks the streets at night, facing progressively violent encounters. In the end, she’s robbed of her clothes rather than removing them herself.
Badu and the Alchemist, aka Alan Maman, co-produced their forthcoming 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.