Photo by Alec Spicer for Dallas Observer
Audio By Carbonatix
It’s well documented by now that Erykah Badu’s 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 “Before the World Blows,” her new collaborative album with hip-hop titan The Alchemist, marking her first LP since 2010’s New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh).
After a year of delays, we finally caught up to Badu’s next move in Shyboy’s plush, space-blue listening room, where she hosted an intimate listening party to play the new record — all 16 tracks — from start to finish. At the head of the room, dressed in black with ombre’d hair she described as giving “indie Norwegian rock band,” 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.
The room was filled with Badu’s 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’s office together. Curtis King, Badu’s 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.
None of that might seem out of the ordinary for an artist who is back home in every sense, but we’ll 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.
When Abi met Alan
The album itself — which is alchemized with elements of hip-hop, soul, pop and gospel — 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 ‘Al’), 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 “were not made specifically for this album.” Badu being unmistakably and unapologetically Dallas, though, put her instinctual sonic stamp all over the beats on “Before the World Blows.” Now, their chemistry has finally manifested as a triumphant elixir for the rest of us.
“In my mind, I was traveling everywhere,” she told us of the sweeping influences, which could be pinned in corners of Brazil, Africa, and, of course, Dallas.
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 — “Witch Doctor” and “They Ain’t You” will give you the sweet syrup you seek on a Sunday — 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.
She sets intentions early on the album opener “Echos” (originally unveiled in honor of Juneteenth last year), singing “See, we used to be bound by blood (Red, yellow, black, white or brown)/But now we bound by love.” It’s a warning shot toward divisiveness, a concept that, on its own, is the antithesis of this record’s collaborative crux.
Beyond the album’s co-headlining marquee, Badu is joined by an absolutely stacked roster of featured artists on half of the album’s tracklist. A gorgeous verse from Atlanta R&B singer Joi leads to a dance outro on “I Just Play A Part.” On the funked-up “Valentine,” DRAM guests across a delicious bassline for one of the highlights of the entire record.
When the needle hit the Steve Lacy-featured “To The Moon,” a lighter flicked as Badu relit her incense — that’s Baduizm for “get ready to have your shit rocked in the best way.” 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’s first note, her fist full of turquoise rings clanking as she clapped when his verse ended.
The lightest, brightest moment on the record floats in about halfway through. “Breezy” glows with a canary-yellow tone, cradled by her honeyed vocals and the mellifluous harmonies that swoop in at the end. It’s easily a top three track on the album for us.
Another standout is “Next to You.” Originally released last year around the time of the album’s initial rollout, the song is anchored by a revisiting of The Alchemist’s beat on Mobb Deep’s “The Realest.”
“I had a crush on that beat for a long time,” Badu said on Wednesday.
If, like us, you grew up from a young age on classics like “Appletree” and “On & On” from her seminal debut (“I had you [‘90s babies] in mind… that was my titty milk to y’all,” she quipped about her early material on Wednesday), you’ll have “They Ain’t You” on repeat.
It’s no small feat to dub a crown jewel on a Badu record, but for us, “I Know That Man” holds the heaviest head. On Wednesday night, she told us she heard the beat and knew Earl would know what to do with it — not that we’d ever question her to begin with, but she was absolutely right. His signature leisured flow is perfect for the track, complementing Badu’s biggest, most enchanting vocals on the record. Together, they bloom with the song’s warm piano chords and gospel roots.
She also throws one last unexpected punch on the jazzy closer titled “Black Box,” so stay strapped in for the full BaduWorld experience.
Badu does Dallas
There’s a lot to say, and to feel, in 16 years. And Badu candidly told us on Wednesday that she’s feeling it all.
“I feel pretty, I feel kind, I feel nervous,” she told us. “But I also feel confident — brave.”
She’s still feels fun as hell, too. After the listening session, she joined longtime party-mate DJ Sober 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’s “Party” to Webbie’s “Independent,” and of course, by the time she grabbed the mic to sing along to her own “Bag Lady,” she was met with a choir of shoulder-to-shoudler Dallasites. Thundercat even popped out to sing his 2015 cut, “Them Changes.”
A queen and her loyal subjects, if you will.
It was truly a magical night, and one that is destined to live on in Dallas lore. And though we’ve been craving a record from our city’s North Star for what feels like a generation, it doesn’t matter that a decade has passed. Badu doesn’t have anything to prove, but she still has so much she wants to share — we’re blessed that she always starts with Dallas.
“Music is my job, but this is my home,” she said. “I know where I belong.”
“Before the World Blows” is out on Aug. 28, but it’s available for pre-order now through Control Freaq Records’ Bandcamp.
