When Abi Met Alan: “No I.D.” | Erykah Badu & The Alchemist ft. Westside Gunn | Phelt Phinds 081

It’s been 16 years since Erica Abi Wright has released an album. The wait is over.

Who is Ms Wright, you ask? That’s Erykah Badu.

The person she chose to make this new body of work with had me surprised and giddy.

The Alchemist (Alan Maman) has worked with a river of MCs – Freddie Gibbs, Earl Sweatshirt, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Action Bronson, Boldy James and J. Cole, to name just a handful. Erykah Badu wouldn’t even have been my 25th guess for who he’d work with next. But god, it makes mad sense.

The unlikely partnership began with one of The Alchemist’s hardest beats, Mobb Deep’s “The Realest” – a track that just happens to be one of Erykah’s favourite tunes.

From all reports, the moment they met, the studio chemistry was 10/10. And the resulting album is a testament to that.

After watching their extended interview on Apple Music with Ebro, I learned the duo have now taken on some fresh nicknames for the project. It’s Abi and Alan now.

They even road-tested the material across a handful of secret, no-phones-allowed shows in the US and Japan. Imagine whipping your phone out at one of these gigs. You’d get your head ripped off.

They made the LP over 18 months between their home cities of Dallas and Los Angeles. Somewhere in that year-and-a-half process, GRISELDA’s Westside Gunn pulled up to Badu’s house to record. The result is my pick of the litter – “No I.D.”

Badu shares that the evening involved a lot of female adult entertainers and thousands upon thousands of dollar bills. All there to create an atmosphere where Gunn felt cozy and could flourish.

Lurching out the gates with percussion that bites down hard and Westside’s array of iconic gunshot ad-libs  – “doo doo doo doo” – Alan brings in this flute-like tone that reminds me of that steam train horn you’d hear in old James Bond or Hitchcock films.

I’m also an avid reader of Eric Ambler’s espionage novels, and it’s this sound that often goes off in my head as I turn the pages. These are real page-turners; check them out. As it has so many times before, that sound adds intensity and, in a weird way, raises the stakes.

Lyrically, “No I.D.” has this boastful, cheeky energy about it as Abi requests beats from Mount Rushmore-type producers, including Dr Dre, DJ Premier, Ye, Pete Rock, J Dilla and Alchemist himself. The recurring line “I’m a need a beat ” is a catchy tool in the box.

Abi positions herself as their dream client, insinuating that whatever she gets from these legends, she’ll turn to gold.

Cleverly, “No I.D.” has a double meaning. No I.D. is a revered producer from Chicago, but the term “no ID” also means exactly that: no identification. Abi is essentially saying there are no ID checks, no credentials required; everyone already knows who the hell she is.

It isn’t until the final 80 seconds that we hear bars from Westside Gunn, and when they arrive, they come like a fierce left hook. Gunn has a unique way of announcing himself that makes it feel like he’s a plus-one at a wedding who’s just snatched the mic to share a few words.

“Ayo, the Lex’ wagon (Skrrt), click-clackin’,

Tiffany pearls with the VEERT pearls, mix matchin’,

Brains everywhere, got 9/11 dispatchin”

Partycrashin’, Gunn flexes his whips and jewellery, speaks on his family’s faith, the force of Desert Eagle ammo and threatens those who still owe him money. “True story (where the fuck my money at?)”; his words, not mine.

On Before The World Blows, Abi and Alan have reached super symbiosis. They speak directly to this at length in the Apple Music interview. At one point, Al likens it to cruising in a motorcycle sidecar with Abi’s hands on the throttle.  It’s simple – Abi brings the swoon and mischief; Al the grit and unmatched bed-making ability. Sixteen years away has done nothing to dull Badu’s edge. If anything, she’s returned sounding more curious and motivated than ever – and that might be the best thing about this surprise collab.

Stream “No I.D.” and the LP in full below.