Erykah Badu & The Alchemist drop “Next To You,” flipping a classic 50 Cent beat into neo-soul magic.
In a world full of unpredictable sh*t, one of the wildest curveballs of the year is hands down a collaboration album between Erykah Badu and The Alchemist.
Yes, you read that right. Erykah Badu—the neo-soul queen—and The Alchemist—the king of dusty, hard-ass hip-hop loops—are coming together for a joint project titled Abi & Alan. Even crazier? This marks Erykah’s first full project in 15 years, and her first official single of the 2020s. Plot twist of the decade.
The first single, “Next To You,” dropped this past weekend—and if the beat sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Alchemist pulled it from the same track where 50 Cent once famously said, “if my record sells slow, I’ma show y’all my d**k.” Yep, that beat. Originally raw and menacing, it gets flipped completely here.
Instead of threats, we get soul. Badu uses the gritty instrumental to sing about building a connection through liquor and lost-in-the-moment romance. It’s got a weird magic to it—grimy, nostalgic, and soulful all at once. Honestly, it sounds rawer than some 7/11 hot dogs, but the chorus is sticky and the emotion cuts through.
Erykah Badu is the kind of crazy I’m attracted to.
RGM RATING
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
