2 Chainz has put Erykah Badu on a song built from Erykah Badu. “Situation,” released on November 13, 2026, features Badu alongside Big Sean and singer Aasher Saintt, and its beat samples “Next Lifetime,” the slow-burning single from Badu’s 1997 debut album Baduizm.
The Atlanta rapper’s official streaming page lists the track as his latest release, credited as “Situation (feat. Big Sean, Erykah Badu, & Aasher Saintt).” It came out through his Million Dollar Habits imprint and EMPIRE, according to the release details, and Statik Selektah produced it.
From six and a half minutes to two and a half
The two records could hardly be more different in shape. “Next Lifetime” runs 6 minutes 27 seconds on Baduizm, opening with Badu talking to a man she cannot be with before the ballad unfolds. “Situation” is reported to run 2 minutes 38 seconds, less than half the length of its source.
That compression is the point of a modern posse cut: three verses and a hook, with Aasher Saintt singing the chorus. The sample also bridges 29 years. “Next Lifetime” first came out as a UK single on June 2, 1997, and went to No. 1 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Adult R&B Songs charts. Its video, directed by Troy Smith, followed Badu through three “lifetimes” and included cameos from Pete Rock, Method Man and Andre 3000.
Badu’s first year as a recording artist has been on Badiyaa’s radar this week, too: we looked at how Erykah Badu recorded her double-platinum 1997 album Live while pregnant with her son Seven.
The fourth preview of Playaz Only Live Once
“Situation” is the newest single from Playaz Only Live Once, or P.O.L.O., an 18-song album produced entirely by Statik Selektah and due on December 4. The Spotify listing already carries a release countdown for that date.
Here is how the rollout has stacked up, using the track numbers reported for the album:
- “Pops”: released in April with Statik Selektah and placed as track 18.
- “Reign”: track 4, with Cash Cobain and Young Nudy.
- “A Week In Paris”: track 7, out at the end of October.
- “Situation”: track 8, with Big Sean, Badu and Aasher Saintt.
The pairing joins two long careers. Statik Selektah built his name on boom-bap production rooted in the genre’s classic sound, while 2 Chainz started his run in Atlanta as Tity Boi before reinventing himself as one of rap’s most recognizable personalities. He and Big Sean have shared records before, including YG’s 2018 hit “Big Bank.”
A black-and-white video
An official video arrived with the single. Shot in black and white, it keeps 2 Chainz at the center in a nighttime setting.
2 Chainz has been busy with veteran collaborators lately; earlier this month Badiyaa covered the Isley Brothers’ behind-the-scenes footage from their 2 Chainz video ‘The Plug’. He is also heading out on the road with Lil Wayne, whose recent run we followed in our story on Lil Wayne’s 20 Years of Carter Classics tour.
The album and the shows line up neatly. His Spotify page lists Lil Wayne with 2 Chainz at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, on December 4, the same day P.O.L.O. arrives, followed by Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia, on December 5 and Reading, Pennsylvania, on February 26.
Further reading
Image: demxx, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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