Elucid Announces New Album I Guess U Had to Be There

Elucid has revealed his next solo project. The Sebb Bash-produced I Guess U Had to Be There—out March 13 via Rhymesayers and Secretly Distribution—is the rapper’s first solo album since his 2024 effort REVELATOR. The announcement arrives with the video for opening track “First Light,” featuring Dallas-based experimental artist Mattie. Watch it below.

I Guess U Had to Be There also features contributions from Breezly Brewin, Estee Nack, Shabaka Hutchings, and Elucid’s Armand Hammer partner billy woods. Elucid will hit the road in 2026 for a brief solo tour before joining woods across North America and Europe in support of the duo’s 2025 album Mercy. Full dates are at the bottom.

Read Pitchfork’s review of Elucid’s 2024 album REVELATOR.

I Guess U Had To Be There:

01 First Light
02 Cantata
03 Hands n Feet (feat. Estee Nack)
04 Make Me Wise
05 Coonspeak
06 Equiano (feat. Shabaka Hutchings)
07 The Lorax (feat. billy woods)
08 Fainting Goats (feat. Breeze Brewin)
09 I Say Self
10 VisitationPlace
11 Alive Herbals
12 Parental Advisory

Elucid Tour 2026:

02-04 Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry^
02-05 Chicago, IL – Subterannean^
02-06 Detroit, MI – Loving Touch^
02-07 New York, NY – Nightclub 101^
02-10 East Hampton, NY – Daily Op^
03-10 Dublin, Ireland – Button Factory*
03-11 Glasgow, Scotland – SWG3*
03-12 Edinburgh, Scotland – La Belle Angele*
03-13 Manchester, England – Gorilla*
03-14 Leeds, England – Project House*
03-16 Cardiff, England – The Globe*
03-17 Bristol, England – Trinity Centre*
03-19 London, England – Scala*
03-21 Brussels, Belgium – Botanique*
03-23 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Tolhuistuin*
03-24 Oslo, Norway – John Dee*
03-25 Stockholm, Sweden – Bar Brooklyn*
03-26 Copenhagen, Denmark – Pumpehuset*
04-24 Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall*
04-25 Asheville, NC – Eulogy*
04-27 Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5*
04-28 Nashville, TN – The Blue Room*
05-01 Orlando, FL – The Abbey*
09-22 Portland, ME – Oxbow Blending & Bottling*
09-23 Somerville, MA – Cafe at the Somerville Armory*
09-25 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall Of Williamsburg*
09-27 Washington DC – Union Stage*
10-06 Montreal, QC – Théâtre Fairmount*
10-07 Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace*
10-09 Ferndale, MI – The Loving Touch*
10-10 Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall*
10-12 Cudahy, WI – X-Ray Arcade*
10-13 Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon*
10-14 Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line*
11-04 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom*
11-05 Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room*
11-06 Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room Highland Park*
11-08 San Francisco, CA – Bottom Of The Hill*
11-11 Seattle, WA – The Crocodile*
11-13 Denver, CO – Marquis Theater*

^ = w/ DJ Haram
*w/billy woods as Armand Hammer