ERYKAH BADU, THE ALCHEMIST - Before The World Blows

It certainly can't be said that the new album by Erykah Badu wasn't eagerly awaited: a full 16 years separate it from its predecessor, "New Amerykah Part Two (Return Of The Ankh)". The announcement of a new work, made by Badu herself complete with a release date (August 29, 2025), dates back to over a year ago. Shortly before that date, however, came a postponement that pushed the release back by roughly a year. Promotion was also doled out sparingly, with singles and the tracklist arriving just before the album dropped. All that was known was that it wouldn't be the third chapter in the "New Amerykah" series, and that Badu had worked on it together with producer The Alchemist. Sixteen years, after all, go by quickly when spent on collaborations, dj sets, mixtapes and, above all, constant live activity, which Badu considers the most intense moment of her art. Albums will come when there are valid messages and projects to share, taking all the time that's needed.

"Before The World Blows", let's say it right away, is an album that lives up to expectations: the genres Badu has always grappled with (neo-soul, R&B, underground hip-hop, jazz, funk...) blend and intertwine without losing cohesion, consistency or originality. Compared to her earlier work, the songs here have a darker, more jazz-inflected edge, and it's clear just how important the collaboration with The Alchemist was for both of them: Badu didn't simply sing over the beats, but enriched and completed them, broadening the musical palette. In this respect the album is close to the two "New Amerykah" records, where the voice itself became a musical instrument.

A darker, in some ways more cinematic sound is matched by equally dark themes. The record opens with "Echos", a spiritual, suspended ballad that draws the listener into the album's atmosphere and sets up what follows. "Crossfade" is another R&B ballad, one well received by critics, revolving around independence from emotional ties and the limits they can impose, handled without emphasis or rhetoric, with a dry, direct touch.
"Witch Doctor", one of the singles that preceded the album, instead tackles media control and its ability to instill beliefs and opinions in people's minds. The theme returns on the closing track, "Black Box", featuring Kamasi Washington, which points the finger at the smartphone and its pervasiveness, along with the risks of surveillance, manipulation and dependency that come with it.

“What The People Say (Apostle 1)” and “Bibi Hot (Apostle 2)” are two short, connected tracks that lighten the mood a little, moving between soul and rap, and dealing with the defense and reclaiming of one's own individuality in the face of others' judgment. But they also mark a break in the second half of the album: from “Abracadabra” to “Bibi Hot” we get the most playful and ironic, emotional and warm section – with the partial exception of “To The Moon (Plane C)”, featuring Steve Lacy, in which a teenage liaison born in an arcade leads to a possible unexpected pregnancy, with all the fears that follow for the future; from “No I.D.”, featuring Westside Gunn, the album instead heads toward a decidedly darker close. We enter a cold, nocturnal hip-hop track, and the following “I Know That Man”, featuring Earl Sweatshirt, is cold too, right up to the already-mentioned “Black Box”.

“Before The World Blows” wants to pause for a moment before the coming apocalypse. A moment in which love, art, community and identity still need defending. A moment to reflect on what's worth saving, on how we got here, on what we got wrong and on what truly mattered. A moment in which music still has a lot to say.

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24/10/2026