Erykah Badu Made “Hot BiBi” Before Hearing The Alchemist’s Version

Erykah Badu turned time alone with The Alchemist’s drum machine into her own version of “Hot BiBi (Apostle 2)” before hearing his version.

In a Lucid Monday interview released October 12, Badu recalled a studio visit when the producer stepped into another room. He was about to play her a track and left the sounds loaded on his equipment.

She started making a song with those same sounds. By the time he returned, she said her version was already there. The two then joined their takes for the song on “Before The World Blows.”

“I had not heard his version,” Badu said. “The synergy between me and Al is chef’s kiss.”

The album arrived August 28 through her Control Freaq label and Young. It was her first studio album since 2010.

Their partnership grew out of a much older Hip-Hop record. Badu wanted to rap over Mobb Deep’s “The Realest,” which The Alchemist produced, and her longtime collaborator Cold Cris brought them together. Their first Los Angeles studio meeting led to “Next To You,” released in summer 2025.

At a listening party covered in Crack Magazine’s profile of the pair, The Alchemist described how he made space for Badu to build on his beats. He brought starting points to the sessions rather than treating each track as a finished piece she simply had to sing over.

“I was bringing in the raw elements, just enough to spark an idea, but I left the screws loose on purpose,” he said.

Her co-production work on the album included adding chords, drums and kalimba to the tracks. That freedom went beyond her vocals and into the music beneath them.

Badu took her time with the beats he first sent her. She told Apple Music she kept them for a while before the music drew her in and she felt ready to start.

The process also changed how they worked together.

The Alchemist said working with Badu taught him to stay calm and express his ideas with more care. She credited him with helping her relax and reconnect with the pleasure of making music.

“You’re not doing it for your moment, you’re not doing it to win anything, you’re doing it because you love what you do,” Badu said.