As part of the magazine’s
Andre 3000
André 3000 Actually Tries To Write Raps ‘All The Time’ But Explained Why ‘It Feels Inauthentic’ Sometimes
André 3000 is keenly aware that fans have been desperate for an album from him since Outkast’s 2006 disbanding. The iconic rapper has addressed it several times, including in December 2019, when he told Rick Rubin that an album was “just not coming” because ” my focus is not there; my confidence is not there.” Really, André 3000 has appeared perhaps his most publicly confident when playing his flute to strangers, so it should come as no surprise that his long-awaited, newly announced solo album, New Blue Sun, is purely instrumental.
In a newly published GQ cover profile, André 3000 explained why New Blue Sun is not a rap album.
“I’ve worked with some of the newest, freshest, youngest, and old-school producers,” he told writer Zach Baron. “I get beats all the time. I try to write all the time. […] Even now people think, Oh, man, he’s just sitting on raps, or he’s just holding these raps hostage. I ain’t got no raps like that.”
He continued, “It actually feels…sometimes it feels inauthentic for me to rap because I don’t have anything to talk about in that way. I’m 48 years old. And not to say that age is a thing that dictates what you rap about, but in a way it does. And things that happen in my life, like, what are you talking about? ‘I got to go get a colonoscopy.’ What are you rapping about? ‘My eyesight is going bad.’ You can find cool ways to say it, but….”
Not-so-coincidentally, the opening track on New Blue Sun is titled “I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time.”
See the cover artwork and full tracklist below.
1. “I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time”
2. “The Slang Word P(*)ssy Rolls Off The Tongue With Far Better Ease Than The Proper Word Vagina. Do You Agree?”
3. “That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control … Sh¥t Was Wild”
4. “BuyPoloDisorder’s Daughter Wears A 3000
Button Down Embroidered”
5. “Ninety Three ‘Til Infinity And Beyoncé”
6. “Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Your Lord & Savior J.C. / Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, And John Wayne Gacy”
7. “Ants To You, Gods To Who?”
8. “Dreams Once Buried Beneath The Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens”
New Blue Sun is out 11/17 via Epic Records. Find more information here.
Will André 3000’s ‘New Blue Sun’ Album Be On Apple Music?
André 3000’s last album release of any kind was Outkast’s Idlewild in 2006, and that will finally change on Friday, November 17. Earlier this week, André 3000 (real name André Benjamin) confirmed his New Blue Sun project in an interview with NPR Music. The album is billed as an instrumental record.
“I’ve been interested in winds for a long time, so it was just a natural progression for me to go into flutes,” André 3000 said in a statement. “I just like messing with instruments, and I gravitated mostly toward wind.”
According to Sony’s pre-save link, New Blue Sun will be available on Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify.
Check out the artwork and tracklist below.
1. “I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time”
2. “The Slang Word P(*)ssy Rolls Off The Tongue With Far Better Ease Than The Proper Word Vagina. Do You Agree?”
3. “That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control … Sh¥t Was Wild”
4. “BuyPoloDisorder’s Daughter Wears A 3000 Button Down Embroidered”
5. “Ninety Three ‘Til Infinity And Beyoncé”
6. “Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Your Lord & Savior J.C. / Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, And John Wayne Gacy”
7. “Ants To You, Gods To Who?”
8. “Dreams Once Buried Beneath The Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens”
Will André 3000’s ‘New Blue Sun’ Album Be On Spotify?
Earlier this week, André 3000 announced that he’d be making his return with a brand new solo album titled New Blue Sun.
His album is set to drop this Friday, November 17 at midnight. For those who might be wondering, it also will likely be available to stream on Spotify, as it is listed being one of the options on the pre-save link from Sony.
It is also available for pre-order currently, but only as a digital download.
While Outkast fans might have been hoping for a rap record, he’s made it very clear that it won’t be what they expect. “I don’t want to troll people,” André said during a recent interview with NPR Music. “I don’t want people to think, ‘Oh, this André 3000 album is coming!’ And you play it and like, ‘Oh man, no verses.’ So even actually on the packaging, you’ll see it says, ‘Warning: no bars.’”
As for what the album will sound like, it has been described as “an entirely instrumental album centered around woodwinds; a celebratory piece of work in the form of a living, breathing, aural organism,” according to a statement. Basically, he won’t be giving any lyrics at all.
New Blue Sun is out 11/17 via Epic Records. Find more information here.
Andre 3000 Appreciates Jay-Z And Beyonce For Clearing A Song On “New Blue Sun”
Andre 3000 is making his return to his solo career. Albeit, it is an instrumental album that will feature his skills with various instruments. New Blue Sun drops tomorrow, November 17, and because it is not a rap album, a lot of fans were majorly disappointed. While it is unfortunate, to see Andre return after 17 years from his last album with Big Boi, Idlewild, it is still an exciting time for hip-hop. One of the G.O.A.Ts is back! Let us celebrate and be thankful!
The all-time great artist explained that he is still open to dropping a true hip-hop album. However, it needs to make sense for him to do it. “There’s this misconception that I just won’t do it. I think people feel like I’m sitting around on rap albums, or sitting around and I’m just not putting them out in that way. And no it’s not like that.” Hopefully, that happens one day. We already have some details, including the tracklist. It is safe to say the titles are insanely complex. Believe it or not, he needed clearance for one.
Read More: DaBaby Proclaims His “Jail” Verse Is Better Than Jay-Z’s
Andre 3000 Shows Love To Beyonce And Jay-Z
View this post on Instagram
According to HipHopDX, Andre revealed to NPR Music that “Ninety-Three ‘Til Infinity And Beyoncé,” required him to call Beyonce and Jay-Z. Fortunately, they were kind to let him use it and he was extremely thankful for it. He says it references one of his favorite groups growing up, Souls of Mischief. They had a song called “93 ’til Infinity.” He incorporated that along with Buzz Lightyear’s famous quote from Toy Story, “To infinity and beyond!” He wanted to include Beyonce, maybe to celebrate her and Jay’s long-lasting relationship. Andre shouted out Bey and Jay. “And thank you, Beyoncé, for letting me use the name!” “And thanks Jay!” The multi-talent continues, “I’m just happy they let me use it so thank y’all. I really appreciate that.”
What are your initial thoughts on Andre 3000 getting clearance from Jay-Z and Beyonce for a song on New Blue Sun? Do you think this will be the best track on the album? Has it sunken in yet that Andre will not be rapping on this LP? We would like to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your hottest takes in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest breaking news around Andre 3000, Beyonce, and Jay-Z. Furthermore, stick around for everything else going on around the music world.
Read More: Yung Miami Denies Shading Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat & Cardi B Collabs
The post Andre 3000 Appreciates Jay-Z And Beyonce For Clearing A Song On “New Blue Sun” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.
Lupe Fiasco Wants To Rap Over Andre 3000’s New Album
Earlier this week, Andre 3000 announced that he was dropping a new album very soon. The long-awaited solo project from Andre had fans immediately hyped, but he made sure to include an important caveat right away. He describes the album as having “no bars.” Instead of being a rap album the Outkast member is dropping an instrumental project made predominately of flute compositions. The album is called New Blue Sun and it’s dropping this Friday, November 15.
While plenty of people are excited for the project even though it isn’t a proper rap album, Lupe Fiasco seems to have the answers for fans looking for something more hip-hop flavored. Even though there’s no indication he has even heard the album yet, he’s promising to rap over it. “Gonna rap all over that 3stacks album and put it in the time capsule for future generations,” Lupe said in a tweet earlier today. In the comments, fans are pretty hyped for the prospect of hearing Lupe’s unique talent rapping over flute instrumentals. Check out his tweet and the fan reactions to it below.
Read More: Andre 3000 Explains His Stance On Dropping A Rap Album
Lupe Fiasco Says He’ll Write Raps For Andre 3000’s Instrumentals
Information about Andre’s new album has come quickly since its announcement. He shared the tracklist for the album which features some truly wild song titles. “I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A “Rap” Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time” the opening track is titled, poking fun at fan expectations for him to release a rap record.
Andrew also talked about who he’s played the album for already. Specifically he pointed out Tyler, The Creator and Frank Ocean as two people he’s played it for. Frank and Andre have worked together in the past with Andre making a legendary appearance on “Solo (Reprise)” From Ocean’s 2016 album Blonde. Would you listen to Lupe Fiasco rapping over the new Andre 3000 album? Let us know in the comment section below.
Read More: Andre 3000 Reveals He Was Invited To Play Flute At Virgil Abloh’s Funeral, Explains Why He Said “No”
[Via]
The post Lupe Fiasco Wants To Rap Over Andre 3000’s New Album appeared first on HotNewHipHop.
André 3000’s ‘New Blue Sun’: Everything To Know Including The Release Date, Tracklist, And More
André 3000 is finally releasing a solo album and it’s called New Blue Sun — but there’s a catch. André’s upcoming solo album, which marks his first album of any kind in 17 years, isn’t a rap record, but rather an instrumental record showcasing his flute stylings.
But nonetheless, fans are still excited to finally get new music from the Outkast alum.
“I’ve been interested in winds for a long time, so it was just a natural progression for me to go into flutes,” André said in a statement. “I just like messing with instruments and I gravitated mostly toward wind.”
We’ve put together a guide to New Blue Sun and what to expect from the record.
Release Date
New Blue Sun is out 11/17 via Epic. Find more information here.
Tracklist
1. “I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time”
2. “The Slang Word P(*)ssy Rolls Off The Tongue With Far Better Ease Than The Proper Word Vagina. Do You Agree?”
3. “That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control … Sh¥t Was Wild”
4. “BuyPoloDisorder’s Daughter Wears A 3000 Button Down Embroidered”
5. “Ninety Three ‘Til Infinity And Beyoncé”
6. “Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Your Lord & Savior J.C. / Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, And John Wayne Gacy”
7. “Ants To You, Gods To Who?”
8. “Dreams Once Buried Beneath The Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens”
Features
Due to the fact that New Blue Sun is an instrumental album, no vocal features have been announced, and it seems likely there won’t be any.
Artwork
You can see the New Blue Sun artwork below.
Singles
So far, no singles have been announced from New Blue Sun.
Tour
André 3000 has not yet announced a tour in support of New Blue Sun.
Andre 3000 Returns With Mind-Bending Debut Solo Album
After a 17-year hiatus, Andre 3000 is poised for a comeback with his debut solo album, New Blue Sun. The album departs from rap, focusing on the legendary OutKast member’s flute-playing skills and boasting eight tracks.
‘New Blue Sun’
Andre 3000 is making a comeback after 17 years with a debut solo album titled New Blue Sun.
Set for release on November 17, New Blue Sun was announced on Nov. 14 on Andre’s Instagram page. The album, however, will not be a rap album, but the artist/songwriter will play the flute and have eight tracks on it.
New Blue Sun will be co-produced by Andre 3000 and features the playing instrumentalists Nate Mercereau, Surya Botofasina, Deantoni Parks, Diego Gaeta, Matthewdavid, V.C.R., Diego Gaeta, Jesse Peterson, and Mia Doi Todd.
Andre 3000 Gets Candid About The Upcoming Album
In a recent interview with NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast, Andre 3000 shared his inspiration and fascination with wind instruments:
“I’ve been interested in winds for a long time, so it was just a natural progression for me to go into flutes,” André says. “I just like messing with instruments and I gravitated mostly toward wind.”
Exploring this passion, he embraces the flute on New Blue Sun, utilizing various wind instruments such as a digital wind instrument, a Maya flute, and others made of wood and bamboo.
While New Blue Sun deviates from rap, Andre 3000 reassures fans that he hasn’t abandoned the genre. He expressed his desire to eventually release a rap album but emphasized the importance of finding an interesting and appealing way to articulate his thoughts at this career stage:
“There’s this misconception that I just won’t do it,” André says of releasing a rap record. “I think people feel like I’m sitting around on rap albums, or sitting around and I’m just not putting them out in that way. And no it’s not like that.” He continues: “In my mind, I really would like to make a rap album. So maybe that happens one day, but I got to find a way to say what I want to say in an interesting way that’s appealing to me at this age.
Andre Plays ‘New Blue Sun’ For Frank Ocean & Tyler, The Creator
Andre 3000 also shared that he recently played the album for Tyler, The Creator and Frank Ocean at Tyler’s house and wanted to see how a younger audience feels about an older rapper making a non-rap album.
“I wanted to see how a younger audience would perceive it… I reached out to Tyler [the Creator] for him to check it out and I went to his house. “Frank [Ocean] just happened to drop by [too]…,” Andre 3000 said.
Andre 3000 also mentioned that Tyler was inspired by it and Frank liked several of the songs. Users on Twitter (X) reacted to the news of Andre 3000’s new album.
One user named @goodlife_al commented “This sh*it about to be weird as hell but I’ma still listen,” and one other user named @encrypted_bml commented “ I have a feeling this is about to be Fire. Andree don’t put out crap music.”
Other users felt differently as @ewalknotewok commented, “People have been waiting for almost 2 decades for a new 3 stacks album and ole boy is putting out a flute record, no verses. Elite level trolling.”
Andre Back On The Map
Andre 3000 has not released music since he and his OutKast partner, Big Boi released their album, Idlewild, in 2006. The Atlanta artist will look to have his seventh overall album go platinum, with the other six being all with OutKast.
In addition, Andre’s announcement of a new album was hinted at by Atlanta rapper and friend of Andre, Killer Mike. In June 2023, Killer Mike said Andre 3000 had an album in the works but later revealed that he was joking about him having a new album.
‘Blockbusta’
Another rap legend is preparing to make a splash in the realm of upcoming album releases. Busta Rhymes recently announced that his album, Blockbusta, will be released on November 24. Production on the album will come from Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, and Pharrell Williams.
The post Andre 3000 Returns With Mind-Bending Debut Solo Album appeared first on SOHH.com.
Andre 3000 Says He Played His New Album for Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean to Test a Younger Audience
Andre 3000 pulled up to NPR to speak with Rodney Carmichael about his forthcoming album. One of the interesting pieces from the interview is he gave an exclusive listen to Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean.
I wanted to see how a younger audience would perceive it. I live in Cali now, so I reached out to Tyler for him to check it out and I went to his house.
So we’re sitting there and Frank [Ocean] just happened to drop by. So it’s us three sitting there listening to these three songs and I just kind of wanted to get an opinion. And it was just good for me to hear with somebody else. Because sometimes you can be in your own thing and think it’s a certain thing and you just want to have some outside… not that it really matters, because once you believe in it enough — I mean, I take criticism all the time, but it’s not like, ‘Hey, do you like it or not?’ It’s ‘How can we help it?’ So at that point, I felt like we had something because we had a nice day just enjoying it in a way. And I started just playing it for friends and playing it for artists and playing it for people I respect or people who I felt would get it.
– Andre 3000 on playing his new album for Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean
You can read about the feedback he received from the two legends here.
On Tuesday morning, Andre 3000 announced a solo album. You read that right: Andre 3000 is preparing to deliver a solo album. Hitting Instagram, the Outkast legend announced New Blue Sun for release this Friday (Nov. 17).
Additional details are short. However, NPR Podcast has unearthed a tracklist, which you can see below.
TRACKLIST FOR ANDRÉ 3000’s NEW ALBUM ‘NEW BLUE SUN’
I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A “Rap” Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) November 14, 2023
The post Andre 3000 Says He Played His New Album for Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean to Test a Younger Audience first appeared on The Source.
The post Andre 3000 Says He Played His New Album for Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean to Test a Younger Audience appeared first on The Source.
André 3000 Reveals First Solo Album, ‘New Blue Sun’ Features No Bars
In an exclusive interview with NPR Music’s Rodney Carmichael published this morning, musician André 3000 announced his debut solo album New Blue Sun, which the former member of OutKast will release this Friday, Nov. 17th!
In a conversation that explores this new album — its art includes a label warning that the album contains “no bars” — André reveals the mind-opening journey that led him to his current instrument of choice, the flute, and how it has allowed him to push his one-of-a-kind creative energy into new places.
It’s the first full-length André has released in 17 years, since OutKast’s sixth studio album Idlewild. And it’s part of an artistic evolution that has taken him from MC to multi-hyphenate icon.
“I didn’t know I’d be rapping,” he tells NPR. “I didn’t know I’d start producing. I didn’t know I’d start singing. I didn’t know my style would go a certain way. I didn’t know I’d put a wig on. Like, I didn’t know none of this. So, I’m on the ride with y’all.”
While the element of surprise has always been a strength of Andre’s repertoire, he acknowledges fans may be caught off guard by his latest departure. So he tackles the elephant in the room with the first song title: “I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time.”
“I don’t want to troll people. I don’t want people to think, Oh, this André 3000 album is coming! And you play it and like, ‘Oh man, no verses.’ So even actually on the packaging, you’ll see it says, ‘Warning: no bars.’ It’s letting you know what it is off the top.”
Though his feelings for rap haven’t diminished, he says it’s simply not where he is creatively.
“I love rap music because it was a part of my youth. So I would love to be out here with everybody rapping, because it’s almost like fun and being on the playground. I would love to be out here playing with everybody, but it’s just not happening for me. This is the realest thing that’s coming right now. Not to say that I would never do it again, but those are not the things that are coming right now. And I have to present what’s given to me at the time.”
In this hour-plus conversation with Carmichael, André is equally transparent and tangible, whether laughing about Tyler, the Creator’s funny response to his music, detailing the wild ayahuasca trip that had him purring like a panther in Hawaii or sharing the reason why he gets so many requests to play flute at funerals now.
Read selected quotes below. You can hear the entire interview and read an edited transcript of the conversation at NPR.org
Highlights from the interview:
Rodney Carmichael: I don’t know if fans always remember to take into account when we make these selfish demands for more music from artists that we love. In the last decade, you’ve lost both your mom and your dad and, more recently, your stepdad — who I know you’ve said was really an anchoring person in your life. That’s a lot of grief for anybody to hold, especially back to back. How did managing all of that changed you or impacted you as a person?
André 3000: Yes, it’s a lot … in the order that it happened. But it’s life too, man. The worst thing about it is you don’t expect it. It wasn’t anything that I could prepare for. But yeah, I’m happy to know that my parents and my stepfather are in their next phase of what’s happening, you know. At the time, it felt a lot. It was a lot. It was really, really heavy for me, but you get through it and you keep living. They exchange energy with you, so you kind of feel a boost in your back at the same time as if, you know, when they pass, they give it to you. So I can say, death makes you think about living. Death makes you push, you know.
***
[on the story behind the song titled “That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control. Shit Was Wild.”]
Rodney Carmichael: Now, I ain’t gonna lie, this sounds like a straight-up ayahuasca trip or something like that.
André 3000: I was actually in Hawaii and it was my second night of the first time I’d ever taken ayahuasca. We did it like a three-night kind of phase. The first night was inviting and beautiful and the most powerful love and connection with all things I’ve ever felt in my life. The second night was different and everybody knows that aya will do you that way. The second night my stomach was hurting, my mouth contorted like a panther and I actually turned into a panther. And I was doing like, GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. That kind of thing.
It was doing this thing called toning. Toning is another way of purging. And toning is where you make these vibrational noises that you can’t control. It started playing me like an instrument.
Thoughts?
The post André 3000 Reveals First Solo Album, ‘New Blue Sun’ Features No Bars first appeared on The Source.
The post André 3000 Reveals First Solo Album, ‘New Blue Sun’ Features No Bars appeared first on The Source.