Erykah Badu Is Prepping Her First Album in 15 Years

Erykah Badu fans have spent the past 15 years waiting for a follow-up to her 2010 LP New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), but it seems like they won’t have to wait much longer. In a new interview with Billboard, Badu revealed that she’s hard at work on a new LP with the Alchemist, a producer who has worked with everyone from Eminem and Earl Sweatshirt to Big Sean and Lil Wayne.

Little is known about the record beyond the Alchemist’s involvement as the sole producer, though Billboard‘s Damien Scott notes that it’s “taking up most of her time” and “she can’t wait until it’s done.”

This doesn’t mean Badu has been inactive these past 15 years. She never stopped touring, and headlined shows all across Brazil in 2024 along with stops at the Afropunk 2024 in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, and the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival 2024 at L.A.’s Dodger Stadium where she shared the top of the bill with Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt.

She also dropped the mixtape But You Caint Use My Phone in 2015 where she covered New Edition’s 1984 hit “Mr. Telephone Man,” and put her spin on Todd Rundgren’s 1974 hit “Hello” with help from André 3000, the father of her oldest son, Seven. (The 2000 OutKast classic “Ms. Jackson” was inspired by André’s relationship with Badu and her mother.)

“[The thing I like about rap right now] is the same thing I liked about rap when I first met it,” Badu told Billboard. “Rap is the people. Hip-hop is the people. It’s the folks. It’s the tribe. I have the luxury of experiencing having children who I watch grow up and love and encourage very much, and I cannot separate them when I see artists who are that age coming up. That’s how they feel. They are continuing the tradition.”

The upcoming Badu album doesn’t have a title or a release date. But she is appearing at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Dreamville Festival on April 6 alongside J. Cole, Lil Wayne, 21 Savage, and Glorilla. Hopefully she’ll sprinkle some of the new songs into her set.