New Music Friday, August 28 brings one of the busiest release schedules of the summer. Erykah Badu and The Alchemist deliver their long-awaited collaboration, producer Dahi assembles Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino on a major debut, and the Prince Estate opens a vault spanning nearly four decades. Rod Wave, E-40, Jay Worthy, Majid Jordan, Saul Williams and others also arrive with new projects. If you have only an hour for new music this weekend, the listening order below will help you spend it well.

Erykah Badu and The Alchemist deliver the week’s essential album

Erykah Badu and The Alchemist made Before the World Blows across Dallas and Los Angeles over approximately 18 months. The creative process shaped the album as much as the finished songs. Alchemist supplied the initial instrumentals, while Badu altered the arrangements, added kalimba, rewrote chords, adjusted drum patterns and executive produced the project.

That makes this more than a vocalist working over a familiar Alchemist production style. The album reflects an exchange between two producers, with Badu treating each beat as material to reshape. Her decisions are central to the record’s sound and structure.

The guest list is among the broadest of Badu’s career. Westside Gunn appears twice, alongside Earl Sweatshirt, Thundercat, Steve Lacy, DRAM, Kamasi Washington, Joi and DJ Creole Princess. The album contains 16 songs, followed by a closing note titled “one more note..before the world blows.” The project comes through Control FREAQ Records under license to Young Recordings.

Listeners have already heard two tracks. “Next 2 U” arrived last year, while “Witch Doctor” followed on August 13 with a video directed by and starring Badu. We covered that release in our R&B rundown for the week of August 21. Both songs emphasized atmosphere and texture, qualities that also appear in titles such as “Crossfade,” “Abracadabra” and “Black Box,” featuring Kamasi Washington.

The tracklist also includes a two-part sequence called “What The People Say (Apostle 1)” and “Hot BiBi (Apostle 2).” Those titles suggest an album designed to be heard as a complete environment rather than as a collection of isolated singles.

There is also a naming detail worth noting. Streaming services list the project as Before the World Blows, while press materials use the longer subtitle The Abi and Alan Experiment. The subtitle refers to the artists’ given names, Erica Abi Wright and Alan Maman. For searches and streaming, the shorter title is the most useful term.

Our assessment: this is the week’s most significant soul music release. Badu has spent much of the past 15 years focusing on mixtapes, features, live performances and reinvention rather than conventional studio albums. Before the World Blows shows that her distance from the album format was not a loss of interest. It was a search for the right creative partner.

Dahi makes a strong case for producer album of the year

Dahi may be the week’s most overlooked major release. The producer, known for work with Kendrick Lamar, Vince Staples and Drake, releases Black Boy (Alternative) on Friday. The 11-track album includes Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Vince Staples, Channel Tres, Ravyn Lenae, Baby Rose, Moses Sumney, Amber Mark, Fousheé, Obongjayar and Elmiene.

That lineup would make the project notable on its own. Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino appear on the same tracklist, while the rest of the guests give Dahi room to move between rap, alternative R&B and experimental pop. The lead single, “Running,” places Gambino on a rap-focused record, and “Find Me,” featuring Moses Sumney and Mez, established the project’s more expansive tone.

The album explores Black identity through the sounds Dahi absorbed outside hip hop, including rock and alternative music. Producer albums with this many high-profile guests can lose their identity and become disconnected compilations. The early singles suggest that Dahi avoids that problem by keeping the production, sequencing and themes at the center.

For listeners who want to test the album efficiently, start with “Running” and “Find Me,” then listen to the full project without shuffling. The production choices and transitions are likely to make more sense in sequence.

George Clinton passes the funk forward

Jay Worthy and George Clinton release Generation P on GDF Records through EMPIRE. The 12-track album is produced by Clinton with LNDN DRGS and features Snoop Dogg on “Knee Deep.” Additional guests include Larry June, Ty Dolla $ign, Curren$y, Ab-Soul, YG, The Game, Del the Funky Homosapien, Aceyalone, Kokane, Terrace Martin, 03 Greedo, Channel Tres and Leven Kali.

The rollout includes a playable 16-bit video game designed by Kyle Zimmer. The project draws on the visual language of older console games while extending the album’s West Coast funk and rap concept.

“It feels like a mix of my two favorite games, Super Mario and Streets of Rage. Mario being Nintendo, Streets of Rage being Sega.” Jay Worthy.

“I wanted the game to feel like something you grew up playing on a CRT, not a modern retro imitation.” Kyle Zimmer, designer.

Clinton’s influence has been embedded in West Coast rap for decades through samples, interpolations and musical references. Working directly on a new project with Jay Worthy creates a different kind of exchange. Generation P presents Clinton as an active collaborator rather than simply a source of material from the past.

Prince vault recordings span 1977 to 2016

Timeless collects 10 Prince unreleased vault recordings from across his career. The release arrives Friday through Legacy Recordings in partnership with the Prince Estate, and its timeline is the central attraction.

The album opens with “I Am You” from 1977, recorded before Prince released his debut album. The remaining selections include “Tick Tick Bang” from 1981, “Heaven” from 1985, “I Wonder” from 1989, “With This Tear” from 1991, “Stone” from 1995 and “Calabama” from 2003. “The Guilty Ones” comes from 2007, while “Bestest Friend” dates to 2012. The collection closes with a live version of “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore?” from 2016, the final year of Prince’s life.

Vault albums can feel more like archival research than new listening experiences. Timeless is organized as a career-spanning sequence, which gives the material a clearer narrative. The 1977 recording is an especially useful starting point for listeners interested in hearing how Prince’s sound developed before his commercial breakthrough.

The rest of the rap release schedule

This week’s new hip hop albums cover several generations and styles. Rod Wave returns with Don’t Look Down on Alamo, his first album since 2024’s Last Lap. The project is supported by videos for “Hustle” and “Piece Of Your Love,” with a North American tour scheduled for the fall.

In commercial terms, Rod Wave’s album is likely to be the week’s largest release. His established audience and streaming reach give Don’t Look Down an advantage over most of the projects arriving alongside it. Start with the two previewed singles, then move to the full album if you want the broader emotional arc.

E-40 takes the opposite approach to a short release. Turning My Money Over is a 40-track quadruple album released through Virgin Music in partnership with Heavy On The Grind. The lead single, “Sumn Ain’t Right,” featuring Juvenile, arrived August 1. E-40 also appears on the Big Sean song commonly known as “IDFWU,” which was certified Diamond this summer. At a time when many artists are shortening projects, E-40 continues to measure his output in full discs.

CZARFACE, the group formed by Inspectah Deck, 7L and Esoteric, takes an unusual turn with Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer. The 15-track album features Frankie Pulitzer, the rap identity of actor Tom Hardy. Busta Rhymes, Method Man, El-P and Kendra Morris also appear, while “Brothers Grimm” serves as the lead single. The concept is unconventional, but the guest list gives the project a credible foundation.

Saul Williams returns with Leap Life on Big Dada. The 14-track album includes Kamasi Washington, Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack, Carlos Niño, Moor Mother and Gonjasufi. Lancey Foux releases the 21-track THE TIME OF OUR LIVES through RCA, while Night Lovell presents MY BLOOD AS THE INK on G59.

Everlast also returns after an eight-year gap with Embers to Ashes, produced by Yelawolf. The album leans into the Whitey Ford blues side of his catalog rather than the rap-rock sound associated with House of Pain.

“The album is a collection of songs that revolve around my last decade, not necessarily autobiographical but inspired by the chaos, losses and a few wins.” Everlast.

Majid Jordan and Sy’rai lead the R&B releases

The week’s new R&B releases include a new album from Majid Jordan and a debut EP from Sy’rai. Majid Jordan’s Two Roads contains 15 tracks and marks the OVO Sound duo’s fifth album. “Cold” and “See You Again” introduced the project.

Majid Jordan have played a significant role in shaping the OVO Sound aesthetic, both through their own releases and through their production and songwriting work. Two Roads offers an opportunity to assess how that sound has developed across the duo’s career.

“Two Roads is the album we've wanted to create our entire careers; it's something incredibly dear to our hearts.” Majid Jordan.

Sy’rai, the 24-year-old daughter of Brandy, releases her debut EP Cold War through Hitmaker Music Group. The eight-track project includes the previously released songs “Late Night” and “Bullseye.” Its themes focus on the uncertainty and pressure of early adulthood.

“Where I am in my life right now, I feel like I am in a cold war. I'm battling against me, my relationships, some friendships. I'm just fighting what you fight, in your period of becoming a young adult.” Sy’rai.

Sy’rai also told Complex, “I’m 24. I’m not 12.” The comment underlines the challenge faced by artists who enter the public conversation through a famous parent. Cold War gives her a chance to establish an identity based on her own writing, perspective and sound.

Where to start with this week’s new music

Begin with Badu and The Alchemist. Listen to Before the World Blows from start to finish, since its sequencing and atmosphere are central to the experience. Follow it with Dahi’s Black Boy (Alternative), the project most likely to be underestimated now and appreciated more fully after repeated listens.

Next, sample Timeless by starting with the 1977 recording “I Am You.” Rod Wave’s Don’t Look Down is the obvious choice for listeners seeking the week’s largest contemporary rap release, while E-40’s album is best approached selectively because of its 40-song scale.

Last Friday’s schedule was top-heavy in a different way, and we reviewed it in our August 21 roundup. This week offers more variety across rap, soul, funk, R&B and archival pop. Among the August 2026 album releases covered here, it stands out as one of the month’s strongest release days.

These human curated music picks are based on listening and context rather than chart position alone. If you want one record to revisit after the weekend, make it Dahi’s. Its combination of production, guests and thematic focus gives it the strongest chance of lasting beyond release day.