Erykah Badu and The Alchemist Link Up for the Hypnotic New Single “Witch Doctor”

If you told people a few years ago that Erykah Badu and The Alchemist were going to drop a full collaborative project, it would have sounded like a hip-hop head’s fever dream. But the universe works in mysterious ways.

Following up on the momentum of their early leaks, Badu and underground royalty The Alchemist have officially unleashed “Witch Doctor”. Better yet, they’ve finally peeled back the curtain on the worst-kept secret in music: a brand-new joint album arriving on August 28 via Control FREAQ Records and Young Recordings.

For context, this is a massive deal—it marks Badu’s first full-length studio album in sixteen years, dating all the way back to New Amerykah Part Two.

Inside “Witch Doctor”

Clocking in at a generous six and a half minutes, “Witch Doctor” isn’t trying to chase radio formats or short attention spans. Instead, it leans right into Alchemist’s signature head-nodding, dusty aesthetic, laying down a warm, rattling pocket for Badu to float over.

Lyrically, Badu is sharp as ever, weaving social commentary into wordplay. She takes aim at modern information loops with a line that hits a little too close to home:

“’Cause a witch is just a medium / And a medium like the media / And you eat it up, what they feedin’ you / That’s witchcraft, that’s witchcraft.”

Later on, she treats listeners to an incredible, rapid-fire name-checking bridge where she clarifies exactly which sorcerers she isn’t channeling—shouting out everyone from Hermione and Stevie Nicks to Maleficent and Sabrina. It’s playful, deeply rhythmic, and completely singular to Badu’s pen.

How This Dream Team Happened

According to stories from the camp, the partnership sparked when Badu told her creative circle that she had always wanted to glide over the beat for Mobb Deep’s classic Alchemist-produced cut, “The Realest”. Word got back to Alchemist—who was already more than down—and 18 intense months of studio sessions across Dallas and Los Angeles turned a cool idea into a full-length record.

Alongside the single drop, Badu also rolled out the official music video for “Witch Doctor,” where she handles directing, executive producing, creative directing, and styling duties herself.

Catch Them Live This Fall

If you want to hear these tracks come to life, the duo is hitting the road for a string of fall dates across North America starting in September, hitting spots like Toronto, New York, Washington D.C., Denver, and wrapping up at the Hollywood Bowl.

• Stream it: “Witch Doctor” is out everywhere now.

• Pre-order: The album drops on August 28.