{"id":418911,"date":"2026-08-28T04:54:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T04:54:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/418911\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T04:54:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T04:54:07","slug":"erykah-badu-unveils-new-album-plays-dj-set-in-downtown-dallas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/418911\/","title":{"rendered":"Erykah Badu unveils new album, plays DJ set in Downtown Dallas"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s well documented by now that Erykah Badu\u2019s presence, both in person and in music, is tectonic. On Wednesday night at Shyboy Hifi in downtown, the plates rumbled underneath downtown as the Queen of Dallas prepared to wake them up again with \u201cBefore the World Blows,\u201d her new collaborative album with hip-hop titan The Alchemist<\/a>, marking her first LP since 2010\u2019s New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh).<\/p>\n

After a year of delays<\/a>, we finally caught up to Badu\u2019s next move in Shyboy\u2019s plush, space-blue listening room, where she hosted an intimate listening party to play the new record \u2014 all 16 tracks \u2014 from start to finish. At the head of the room, dressed in black with ombre\u2019d hair she described as giving \u201cindie Norwegian rock band,\u201d she was already awaiting everyone in front of the turntables as the smoke of incense floated from either side of her throne of crated vinyl.<\/p>\n

The room was filled with Badu\u2019s longtime Dallas village. Members of her enduring backing band the Cannabinoids, including Rob Free and RC Williams, were on hand. Childhood friends recalled memories of being sent to the principal\u2019s office together. Curtis King, Badu\u2019s longtime mentor and the founder of the Dallas Black Academy of Arts and Letters, delivered tear-welling praise of the new record. Young local artists like Raw Elementz, Muriel and Meka Jackson watched and listened as she remained an emblem of the mightiest promises Dallas music holds. Oh, and none other than Thundercat, who features on the new record, was seated immediately to her left.\u00a0<\/p>\n

None of that might seem out of the ordinary for an artist who is back home in every sense, but we\u2019ll remind you, reader, that it has been more than a decade since we had a new project that put everyone in the same room to celebrate her genius all over again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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THANK YOU!<\/p>\n

You’re all set.<\/p>\n

CLOSE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

When Abi met Alan<\/p>\n

The album itself \u2014 which is alchemized with elements of hip-hop, soul, pop and gospel \u2014 is atmospheric. Layered throughout this newly unlocked level of BaduWorld, which she guided us through on Wednesday, were sublimely rich beats from The Alchemist (whom she refers to as \u2018Al\u2019), whose work echoes deep within East Coast hip-hop. The Healer told us about connecting with Al four years ago when he sent her beats that \u201cwere not made specifically for this album.\u201d Badu being unmistakably and unapologetically Dallas, though, put her instinctual sonic stamp all over the beats on \u201cBefore the World Blows.\u201d\u00a0Now, their chemistry has finally manifested as a triumphant elixir for the rest of us. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn my mind, I was traveling everywhere,\u201d she told us of the sweeping influences, which could be pinned in corners of Brazil, Africa, and, of course, Dallas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It only took listening through the first quarter of cuts to understand that this is an album meant to be listened to with intention. There are easy-listening tracks \u2014 \u201cWitch Doctor\u201d and \u201cThey Ain\u2019t You\u201d will give you the sweet syrup you seek on a Sunday \u2014 but as Badu herself affirmed after the album finished playing, she and Al wove a collection of songs meant to be heard as an aural unit.<\/p>\n

She sets intentions early on the album opener \u201cEchos\u201d (originally unveiled in honor of Juneteenth last year), singing \u201cSee, we used to be bound by blood (Red, yellow, black, white or brown)\/But now we bound by love.\u201d It\u2019s a warning shot toward divisiveness, a concept that, on its own, is the antithesis of this record\u2019s collaborative crux.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyond the album\u2019s co-headlining marquee, Badu is joined by an absolutely stacked roster of featured artists on half of the album\u2019s tracklist. A gorgeous verse from Atlanta R&B singer Joi leads to a dance outro on \u201cI Just Play A Part.\u201d On the funked-up \u201cValentine,\u201d DRAM guests across a delicious bassline for one of the highlights of the entire record.<\/p>\n

When the needle hit the Steve Lacy-featured \u201cTo The Moon,\u201d a lighter flicked as Badu relit her incense \u2014 that\u2019s Baduizm for \u201cget ready to have your shit rocked in the best way.\u201d Of all the tracks we heard on Wednesday, she seemed to be most enraptured by this one, raising her arms toward the ceiling from Lacy\u2019s first note, her fist full of turquoise rings clanking as she clapped when his verse ended.<\/p>\n

The lightest, brightest moment on the record floats in about halfway through. \u201cBreezy\u201d glows with a canary-yellow tone, cradled by her honeyed vocals and the mellifluous harmonies that swoop in at the end. It\u2019s easily a top three track on the album for us.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another standout is \u201cNext to You.\u201d Originally released last year around the time of the album\u2019s initial rollout, the song is anchored by a revisiting of The Alchemist\u2019s beat on Mobb Deep\u2019s \u201cThe Realest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a crush on that beat for a long time,\u201d Badu said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

If, like us, you grew up from a young age on classics like \u201cAppletree\u201d and \u201cOn & On\u201d from her seminal debut (\u201cI had you [\u201890s babies] in mind\u2026 that was my titty milk to y\u2019all,\u201d she quipped about her early material on Wednesday), you\u2019ll have \u201cThey Ain\u2019t You\u201d on repeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no small feat to dub a crown jewel on a Badu record, but for us, \u201cI Know That Man\u201d holds the heaviest head. On Wednesday night, she told us she heard the beat and knew Earl would know what to do with it \u2014 not that we\u2019d ever question her to begin with, but she was absolutely right. His signature leisured flow is perfect for the track, complementing Badu\u2019s biggest, most enchanting vocals on the record. Together, they bloom with the song\u2019s warm piano chords and gospel roots.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

She also throws one last unexpected punch on the jazzy closer titled \u201cBlack Box,\u201d so stay strapped in for the full BaduWorld experience.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Badu does Dallas<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot to say, and to feel, in 16 years. And Badu candidly told us on Wednesday that she\u2019s feeling it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel pretty, I feel kind, I feel nervous,\u201d she told us. \u201cBut I also feel confident \u2014 brave.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

She\u2019s still feels fun as hell, too. After the listening session, she joined longtime party-mate DJ Sober<\/a> for a set that was free and open to the public. Badu, aka DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown, hit the booth with selections that spanned from Beyonce and Andre 3000\u2019s \u201cParty\u201d to Webbie\u2019s \u201cIndependent,\u201d and of course, by the time she grabbed the mic to sing along to her own \u201cBag Lady,\u201d she was met with a choir of shoulder-to-shoudler Dallasites. Thundercat even popped out<\/a> to sing his 2015 cut, \u201cThem Changes.\u201d <\/p>\n

A queen and her loyal subjects, if you will. <\/p>\n

It was truly a magical night, and one that is destined to live on in Dallas lore. And though we\u2019ve been craving a record from our city\u2019s North Star for what feels like a generation, it doesn\u2019t matter that a decade has passed. Badu doesn\u2019t have anything to prove, but she still has so much she wants to share \u2014 we\u2019re blessed that she always starts with Dallas.<\/p>\n

\u201cMusic is my job, but this is my home,\u201d she said. \u201cI know where I belong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore the World Blows\u201d is out on Aug. 28, but it\u2019s available for pre-order now<\/a> through Control Freaq Records\u2019 Bandcamp.<\/p>\n

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