Long Play: Erykah Badu & The Alchemist - Before The World Blows

Long Play is our event series that celebrates new and noteworthy releases and gives the album format the attention it deserves. We select an album that deserves our full attention and play it from front to back. We listen together in silence, and discuss what we heard afterwards.

For this edition of Long Play, we have picked the brand new collaborative album by Erykah Badu & The Alchemist: Before The World Blows.

Erykah Badu, one of the defining voices of neo-soul, jazz and hip-hop, and The Alchemist, who has shaped a distinct sound across hip-hop, come together on this record to brings their shared musical language into new territory.

Recorded over 18 months between Dallas and Los Angeles, Before The World Blows is rooted in funk, R&B, jazz and hip-hop. The album pairs Badu’s honeyed vocals and sharp lyricism with The Alchemist’s warped, leftfield production, moving between psychedelic passages, soulful moments and stripped-back beats.