Love of My Life & HipHop

Erykah Badu Launches “Abi & Alan Luv Iz Tour” with The Alchemist — A Hip-Hop Rooted, History-Making Album Premiere

Seattle, WA – August 8, 2025 — Tonight, Erykah Badu, one of music’s most visionary forces, and legendary hip-hop producer The Alchemist, kick off the Abi & Alan Luv Iz Tour in Seattle, Washington — a 10-city run that will wrap August 24 in Austin, Texas. This groundbreaking tour will serve as the exclusive live debut of their collaborative album Abi & Alan, giving fans the chance to experience the full project on stage weeks before its official release on August 29. Presented by Control FreaQ Records in partnership with EMPIRE, the tour features The Cannabinoids — RC Williams, A1, Rob Free, S1, and Jah Born — delivering a unique “digital-analog fusion” sound that blends live instrumentation with hip-hop production in a way only Badu could envision.

For Badu, this album and tour are more than music — they’re a return to her deepest hip-hop roots. Long before she became the reigning queen of neo-soul, Erykah was MC Apples, a teenage freestyler making waves on Dallas’ KNON radio and performing with her rap group “Erykah Free.” Her artistry and connection to the culture saw her sharing stages with hip-hop’s elite — A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and The Notorious B.I.G. — proving early on that her voice and presence were woven into the very fabric of the movement. Beyond the mic, she is also DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown, known for headlining events from the U.S. to the U.K., including a recent set at London’s Shoreditch Town Hall for SXSW London. Her understanding of hip-hop is lived, not borrowed — it’s part of her DNA.

With Abi & Alan, Badu and The Alchemist pull from hip-hop’s sonic history, reimagining beats from past projects and shaping them into something entirely new. But the way they’re delivering it is what’s turning heads. Instead of a traditional rollout, the album will be heard first — and only — at the live shows. This marks what is believed to be the first time in music history an artist has chosen to debut an entire project exclusively through live performances before any digital or physical release. “Studio recording is perfecting a moment, live recording is creating a moment,” says Badu — a philosophy at the heart of this unprecedented approach.

The Abi & Alan Luv Iz Tour not only sets a new standard for album premieres, but also reaffirms Badu’s place as a cultural innovator who understands that hip-hop is about the people, the moment, and the energy. “Rap is the people, hip-hop is the people, it’s the folks, it’s the tribe,” she told Billboard. Fans lucky enough to attend will be part of a living, breathing piece of music history — one that could change how artists release their work in the future.

TOUR DATES:

• Aug 8 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
• Aug 10 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up Aspen
• Aug 11 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
• Aug 13 – Minneapolis, MN – Fillmore Minneapolis
• Aug 15 – Toronto, ON – History
• Aug 17 – Silver Spring, MD – Fillmore Silver Spring
• Aug 19 – Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach
• Aug 20 – Orlando, FL – House Of Blues Orlando
• Aug 21 – Charlotte, NC – Fillmore Charlotte
• Aug 24 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater

TICKETS:

Tickets are available now at baduworldmarket.com, the official Abi & Alan website, and venue box offices. Fans can use the artist presale code “Abi122” while supplies last. With intimate venues and limited seating, these one-night-only performances are expected to sell out quickly.

Once the lights go up tonight in Seattle, it will be clear — Erykah Badu doesn’t just respect hip-hop, she embodies it. And with Abi & Alan, the world is about to witness just how far she can take it.

DJ Bobby Eupho

Dallas, TX

Bosstalk 101