Erykah Badu wants the lights turned down low. The singer, producer, actor, and certified doula steps quietly into a private room at London’s Soho hotel and asks for a few adjustments to the vibe: dimmer lights, a softer seat. A green juice would be nice, too.
As it turns out, Badu was out late the night before with Dave Chappelle, sitting with the comedian at a grand piano and playing songs into the early hours. She looks a bit mischievous when she thinks about that impromptu gathering, but she won’t go into detail about what exactly happened. Instead, the 55-year-old smiles at me, eyes wide, her gold teeth catching the low light: “Oh yes,” she says slowly and softly, like some kind of mysterious sorcerer. “It was a late one…”
Meeting Badu, in other words, is everything you’d hope for and more. We’re here to talk about Before the World Blows: The Abi and Alan Experiment, a collaborative album with the famed underground producer the Alchemist. It’s Badu’s first full-length project since her 2015 mixtape But You Caint Use My Phone, and its dense, layered sound feels like a modern, internet-tinged take on her era-defining New Amerykah albums from 2008 and 2010.
It’s surprising, I suggest, that she’s taken so long between records, especially given how much she observes the world around her. She says that’s exactly the point. “Procrastinating and living, learning and stuff – that gives you something to write about,” she says. “It’s important to gather the data, to take in as much as I can. I don’t have a choice. But when things get kind of full, I download it through writing music.”
Erykah Badu and the Alchemist: Witch Doctor – video
Badu has been a star since 1997, when her debut album Baduizm introduced her as one of the leading figures of what music industry executive Kedar Massenburg called “neo soul,” a new wave of alternative soul and R&B. In the years since, a handful of bold, boundary-pushing records have made Badu one of the most respected artists in the world. The Alchemist – LA producer Alan Maman – was one of those early fans. In 1997, he was a roadie for Cypress Hill, who were co-headlining the Smokin’ Grooves tour alongside Badu. “I was such a fan – I used to go out into the crowd and watch her show every night,” he says later on the phone. “I never would have thought in a million years that one day I’d be making music with her.”
Since then, Maman has produced a number of hits, including Mobb Deep’s 1999 track “The Realest,” and has enjoyed a recent career revival through collaborations with underground rappers like the duos Armand Hammer and Mike & Wiki. A few years ago, while DJing a party, he ran into an old friend named Cold Cris, who happened to work for Badu, and told him that working with her was on his bucket list. Two years later, he got the call that Badu was interested in experimenting with his beats. She came to his studio in LA, and the pair, he says, “instantly became friends, and realized how much we had in common, in the way we create, the way we think.”
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‘His compositions are like classical music to me’ … Badu and the Alchemist. Photograph: Adraint Bereal
“His compositions are like classical music to me – how he layers chimes, voices, strings, and horns,” says Badu. “Our process is the same. The way we build is the same. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s a burning, beautiful fire. I get chills when I hear his music.”
Badu was born in Dallas, Texas. Her mother was an actor; her uncle was an avid record collector; and her grandmother bought her her first piano. She still remembers the first artwork she ever made, in a primary school art class: a sculpture of a spaceship made from a rubber glove, which she called Lady Luna 2. Attending a performing arts high school in Dallas, she was “the first person at school and the last person to leave,” and would spend hours dancing.Wednesday. I don’t have time for that now’: alt-pop star Steve Lacy on his struggles after huge hit Bad Habit
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Everyone loves Steve Lacy, too. A few years ago, Badu brought her daughters to see him perform in Dallas, and this year, they appear on each other’s albums. “We had things in common, and at first we mostly sent each other memes. That’s how you know if you click with someone – you share a similar sense of humor,” she says. “If you don’t have the same sense of humor, you probably don’t have the same taste in music either.”
Before the World Blows includes an interlude by Jay Electronica, the elusive rapper she dated for years and who is the father of her son Mars. Badu has often stayed close with her exes – André 3000 contributed a rare, memorable guest verse to But You Caint Use My Phone – so I ask if she has any advice for keeping ties with former partners. “You just gotta suck hard. That’s it,” she says, bursting into laughter, her voice rising above a whisper for the first time in our chat. “They were my friends first, and I think that makes a difference. Watch that be the headline – Erykah stays friends with her exes because she sucks hard!”
Our time is up. Badu gently swings her legs off the couch and stands. She shuffles over to me, leans in, and looks deep into my eyes. I’m a little scared she might drop some kind of bombshell – like the time and place of my death, or that I was a terrible interviewer – but instead, she just mutters, “You pretty as fuck!” Before I can even respond, she’s gone. Before the World Blows is out now on Control Freaq/Young.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the article about Erykah Badu covering her new album her philosophy and her work as a doula
General The Album
1 Wait Erykah Badu has a new album When did that happen
Yes She released her first studio album in 11 years Its a return to her roots but its also a reflection of her current self The title of the article Im an everchanging vessel is a big clue to the albums theme
2 What is the album called
The article focuses on her mindset and the themes of the album rather than just the title The core takeaway is that the album is about embracing change and refusing to be put in a box both musically and personally
3 Why did it take 11 years for her to release a new album
She wasnt just sitting idle She was living her life raising her kids and focusing on her work as a doula She says she needed to live and experience things to have something new to write about The album came when she was ready not on a record labels schedule
4 What does the album sound like
Its classic Erykah Badusoulful jazzy and hiphop influencedbut its evolved It mixes her signature neosoul sound with new textures and ideas reflecting her personal growth It feels like a conversation with the past present and future
Defying Labels Philosophy
5 What does defying labels mean in the context of this article
It means Erykah Badu rejects being categorized as just a singer actress or activist She sees herself as a fluid changing person She doesnt want to be stuck in one identity whether its the Queen of NeoSoul or anything else She is whatever she is in that moment
6 What does she mean by Im an everchanging vessel
Its her core philosophy She sees herself as a container or a channel that is constantly being filled with new experiences ideas and energies She doesnt hold onto a fixed version of herself she allows herself to evolve and transform
7 How does this philosophy affect her music
It
