Before the World Blows

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Ending a sixteen-year hiatus between full-length studio albums, Erykah Badu collaborates with veteran hip-hop producer The Alchemist for this deeply atmospheric project. Recorded over an eighteen-month period between Dallas and Los Angeles, the record seamlessly merges Badu's ethereal, esoteric neo-soul vocal arrangements with The Alchemist's signature gritty, loop-driven boom-bap production. The sixteen-track collection—featuring prominent instrumental and vocal contributions from artists like Earl Sweatshirt, Thundercat, Steve Lacy, and Kamasi Washington—fosters a hazy, psychedelic sonic environment that balances sensual, nocturnal R&B with the rhythmic density of underground conscious hip-hop.