Erykah Badu is back. The 55-year-old singer, producer, actor, and registered doula has returned to the spotlight with her first full-length project in over a decade. Titled Before the World Blows: The Abi and Alan Experiment, the collaborative record is a joint effort with the acclaimed underground producer the Alchemist, also known as Alan Maman. It marks Badu's first major release since her 2015 mixtape, But You Caint Use My Phone, delivering a dense, layered sound reminiscent of an internet-age variation of her landmark New Amerykah albums from 2008 and 2010.
Reflecting on the 11-year gap between her studio albums, Badu explains that the delay is a necessary part of her creative process. She believes that living life is essential to finding inspiration. Procrastinating, living, and learning are what give her things to write about, as she finds it crucial to gather and upload data until she is full, eventually downloading it all through her music.
Badu's legendary status was established in 1997 with her debut album, Baduizm. The record positioned her at the forefront of what music executive Kedar Massenburg termed "neo soul"—an alternative soul and R&B movement. Despite the commercial success, Badu quickly rejected the crown. She recalls being the first to deny the label, denouncing her throne because she views herself as an ever-changing vessel and refuses to be pigeonholed by algorithms or definitions that limit her artistic expression.
The Alchemist’s connection to Badu dates back to that same pivotal year. In 1997, Maman was working as a roadie for Cypress Hill, who co-headlined the Smokin' Grooves tour alongside Badu. He recalls watching her perform from the crowd every night as a massive fan, never imagining he would one day collaborate with her. Since then, Maman has built a formidable production career, from Mobb Deep’s 1999 track The Realest to recent collaborations with underground rap acts like Armand Hammer and Mike & Wiki. A chance encounter with Badu’s employee, Cold Cris, led to Maman sharing his dream of working with her. Two years later, Badu reached out. The two connected instantly in his Los Angeles studio, discovering deep commonalities in their creative processes. Badu describes his compositions as classical music to her, noting how he layers chimes, voices, strings, and horns, creating what she calls a burning, beautiful fire.
Badu’s artistic roots trace back to her childhood in Dallas, Texas. Raised by an actor mother, alongside an uncle who collected records and a grandmother who bought her her first piano, she was immersed in creativity early on. She still remembers her very first art project in primary school: a spaceship sculpture made from a rubber glove, which she named Lady Luna 2. Later, at a performing arts high school in Dallas, she would spend hours dancing in front of a mirror. Her early influences included Earth, Wind & Fire, the Emotions, Deniece Williams, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Phoebe Snow, and Parliament Funkadelic.
Her music career began to take shape while she was studying theatre at Grambling State University in Louisiana. Her cousin, Robert "Free" Bradford, sent her a cassette tape of beats, a collaboration that ultimately birthed Baduizm. The album became an instant hit, peaking at No. 2 in the United States. However, the quick follow-up, 2000's Mama's Gun, had to be written in just three years during a period of massive personal upheaval. In 1997, Badu gave birth to her son, Seven, with André 3000, and the couple split a year later. Suddenly dealing with motherhood, heartbreak, a new home, and newfound wealth, Badu faced immense self-imposed expectations. She explains that she had to learn to ignore both negative and positive feedback to keep growing as an artist.
Beyond music, Badu has developed a parallel career as a doula, a path she fell into by accident. After promising to support a friend through childbirth, Badu stayed awake through a grueling 52-hour labor. Realizing she felt fine and held no fear, she embraced her role as part of the "welcoming committee" for newborns. She received her official doula certification in 2006. Between 2001 and 2023, she supported two mothers a year, limiting her intake due to her heavy eight-month touring schedule. She has assisted high-profile friends, including Teyana Taylor and Summer Walker, coaching them through pregnancy using what she calls "the five doctors": sun, earth, nutrients, exercise, and spirit. Badu also serves as an end-of-life doula, sitting with those who are passing away to offer peace. She views this work as another form of art, comparing the service she provides at a bedside to her performance on stage, where she aims to make the entire room feel like a single, breathing organism.
Before the World Blows explores themes of gender politics and the relationships between men and women. Badu describes some of the tracks as autobiographical, while others serve as messages for her daughters—Puma, born in 2004, and Mars, born in 2009—and the wider world. Commenting on the current state of modern dating, Badu suggests that relationships today are not necessarily more fractured than in previous generations, but perhaps more transparent. However, she warns that modern society's hyper-awareness and focus on definitions—such as ADHD or narcissism—can limit personal freedom, noting that people are pardoning behavior by defining it rather than addressing it directly.
The album's final track, Black Box, addresses phone and social media addiction. Badu, who frequently uses Instagram, admits to her own struggle with phone dependency. She notes that the phone has become a pseudo-spouse, and because it is the first thing people reach for to get a dopamine hit in the morning, they continue to reach for it all day. The album also features a collaboration with Steve Lacy, with whom Badu and her daughters bonded over shared humor and memes, leading to reciprocal guest appearances on each other's projects.
Additionally, the new record features an interlude by Jay Electronica, the elusive rapper whom Badu dated for years and who is the father of her daughter Mars. Badu has maintained close relationships with her ex-partners, including André 3000, who previously contributed to her 2015 mixtape. When asked for her advice on staying close with former lovers, Badu laughed, stating that they were her friends first, which makes all the difference.
During a recent meeting at London's Soho hotel, following a late-night impromptu piano session with comedian Dave Chappelle, Badu's enigmatic and playful presence remained fully intact. Before departing, she leaned in close to her interviewer, offering a characteristically unpredictable parting compliment: "You pretty as fuck!" and then she was gone.
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