Erykah Badu Preps "Nu AmErykah"

After a four year hiatus, afro-sporting soul siren, Erykah Badu, is set to release her fourth LP in the coming months entitled Nu AmErykah.

According to Billboard, the double-disc, which is set to hit shelves on February 26, had its final title announced this past Thursday (December 6) in front of a select group of fans inside of New York's Electric Lady Studios. The album will feature 18 new tracks that will be distributed over two separately sold discs and will be Badu's follow up to 2003's Worldwide Underground.

"I named this album 'Nu AmErykah' because I'm dealing with whatever is to come instead of what was," said Badu. "In taking on a project like this, I'm taking the responsibility to talk for my race and my planet. I'm sure the record company will make their money and they've given me the blessing of time."

Vowing to make this latest effort a success, Badu intends on treating this release differently than Worldwide Underground, an album that she admittedly "didn't feel like doing the whole promotional circuit for" because she had just given birth. The CD will also see her linking up with a host of widely known producers including 9th Wonder, who provided the backdrop for the record's lead single "Honey."

"I dug deep down into the bottom of my hip-hop coin purse to find some of the freshest scientific, mathematical absurd geniuses that I could connect with because I was feeling pretty twisted myself," Badu said in an interview to SOHH.

"The scientists I was dealing with was J Dilla, Madlib, Sa-Ra, 9th Wonder, Kareem Riggins [and] Rashad Smith to name a few," she added. "All of these people have a reputation for being visionaries and knowing them well, I felt 'Okay, now it's time to put together a project that not only takes us to another place, another dimension, but highlights these sights."

Badu also has the full backing of her recording home, Motown, who says they have been anticipating an album of this magnitude for quite some time.

"We've waited almost 10 years for this album to come," said Universal executive vice president and Motown president Sylvia Rhone. "She inspires, sets trends and does music that no one's done before. Male, female, black [and] white can listen to her and come away with something."

Nu AmErykah will hit stores on February 26 on Universal/Motown