Erykah Badu is back! The acclaimed neo-soul act has just dropped her first single of the 2020s and its for her upcoming album, Abi & Alan. We haven't received a new album from the Dallas singer in 15 years and a project overall in a decade. But part of the reason she's making a comeback is because of the one and only, The Alchemist.
He will be producing the entirety of Abi & Alan, hence his first name being a part of the LP's title. We got confirmation this was in the works in March thanks to an interview with Billboard. Badu touched on how much love she's still got for hip-hop, a genre she's been closely associated with from the start.
However, she couldn't reveal too much more. But she's really excited to finally get this album done. So, hopefully, with her head being down, we will be able to listen to her and Uncle Al's body of work before year's end.
For now, we have "Next To You" to chew on and it's a funky neo-soul and R&B jam about a love that has Badu in a chokehold. "I wanna smoke blunts with you (Music) / I wanna get drunk with you, I do," she sings as expresses just how much she wants to be with this person.
Her soulful vocals match well with The Alchemist's trippy beat that has an addicting guitar groove woven in. Overall, the rollout is off to a fantastic start. You can find "Next To You" below.
Erykah Badu & The Alchemist "Next To You"
Quotable Lyrics:
I can't even lie
You're the only one that's on my mind
And I can't wait to see you after school
Follow me and we gon' break the rules
I can't even fly
You're the only one that gets me high
