Andre 3000 has responded to LL Cool J’s criticism of his new album after the hip-hop legend took issue with his decision to transition into making ambient instrumental music. “Listen, he is amazing. His bars are all the way up. Not the flute, B. Not the flute,” LL Cool J had said during an appearance on LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The Shop. “Let’s not lie to ourselves. I don’t wanna hear him do the flute. You wanna hear me do a violin album?” Appearing on the latest episode of the show himself, Andre defended his latest album, New Blue Sun.
“To me, I feel like if it’s in you — ’cause I got homies my age and older than me that still rap — so if it’s in you, you should rap until you die. You should perform until you die,” he said. “But what I’m saying is, what it takes for me to do it, I’m always looking for the next. I’m not trying to uphold a thing that I’ve done before. Of course, I have things to say now, but if I can’t say them in a fresh, innovative way, if I feel like I’m just hanging onto the same flow that I used to do, it’s not enough for me. So I can’t talk for another rapper about what they doing. I just say, ‘Man, go for it. If it’s in you.’”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 02: André 3000 performs at Blue Note Jazz Club on February 02, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images for ABA)
Andre dropped New Blue Sun back in November of last year after going 17 years without releasing a new project of his own. It received mixed responses from fans as Andre shifted away from hip-hop with the album. During an interview with GQ afterward, he admitted that he didn’t feel like he had anything interesting to rap about at his age.
Andre 3000 Sits Down With LeBron James, Sexyy Red, & More
Check out Andre’s latest comments on his musical direction on HotNewHipHop. Be on the lookout for further updates on Andre 3000 on HotNewHipHop.
Big Boi shared a video and picture of himself meeting up with his Outkast partner, Andre 3000, on Instagram, Saturday night. In doing so, he joked about the rapper’s flute skills following the release of his first solo album, New Blue Sun. The project sees Andre venture away from hip-hop and into ambient music.
“Antwan & Andre Flutie Hoooooo,” Big Boi captioned the post with a UFO emoji. Fans were thrilled to see them together again. “Why does it feel so good seeing them together,” one asked. Another fan wrote: “It’s crazy that in 1995 they told the whole world on stage that the ‘south got something to say’ and they where dismissed.. now they are literal Hip Hop Icons and the south has killed the game as far as quality music and bangers.. manifestation is real.”
ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 10: Big Boi and Andre 3000 of OutKast Perform at OneFest at Lakewood. Amphitheatre on September 10, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage)
The meet-up sparks the obvious question as to whether Big Boi and Andre 3000 will ever work on new music together again as Outkast. Andre addressed that question during an interview with CBS Mornings back in December. “No, to be honest,” he said at the time when asked whether Big Boi has pressed him to team up again. “No but I think because he knows who I am and knows what gets me going, knows what inspires me, knows when I’m excited about something. So I think in that sense, he’s never pushed that issue. But I’m sure like, I want another Outkast album. Yeah, like in my mind – but see, that’s the thing. That’s the human side. I want an OutKast album a long time ago. And honestly for me as an individual, it would be gratifying to me to put out a solo rap situation. But not for nobody else at this point. It’s for me because I actually like the challenge of, ‘How could I make this part of my life interesting and rhyme in words?’ You know what I mean? Like how can I do that? So yeah, it’s still a challenge. So I think hopefully with will and intent, something will happen.”
Last month, Andre 3000 surprised the hip-hop world. He returned with his long-awaited debut solo album New Blue Sun. But to the disappointment of some fans, there was no hip-hop whatsoever to be found on the project. When he announced the record he promised “no bars” and he delivered on that promise. The resulting album is a long instrumental album dabbling in ambient jazz and prominently featuring Andre playing the flute.
Andre 3000 has always been an influential rapper, particularly to those from Atlanta and that appears to still be the case. In a new video former Migos rapper Quavo shared to Instagram, he shows some interest of his own in playing the flute. In the clip, he’s in a market where he notices someone playing the flute and is particularly impressed by their performance. He says to somebody behind the camera that he wants a flute himself. That’s a far cry from expecting a new flute album from the rapper anytime soon. But it’s an early sign that he could be interested in expanding his musical horizons. Check out the full video below.
Buying a flute is hardly the only thing Quavo had done during his recent visit to Japan. Video made the rounds online of the rapper spotting a fan wearing a Takeoff shirt. When he pointed out how much he liked it the fan immediately took it off and gave it to him without much hesitation. He also took the time to hone in on some of his self-defense skills with a karate lesson.
Earlier this year, Quavo shared his new album Rocket Power. The project served as a tribute to his fellow former Migos rapper Takeoff, who was tragically murdered last year. The project even featured two posthumous verses from Takeoff. He appeared on the songs “Patty Cake” and “Back Where It Begins” which also featured Future. The album was led off by another Future collab, the hit song “Back Where It Begins.” What do you think of Quavo potentially learning how to play the flute after Andre 3000’s new album? Let us know in the comment section below.
During a recent interview with CBS Mornings, Andre 3000 opened up about the process of creating his instrumental album, New Blue Sun. While he’s spent a fair chunk of time perfecting his flute skills, the hitmaker revealed that he’s not even sure what notes he’s playing. Regardless, he hasn’t let that get in the way of his experimentation with new sounds.
“I’ve gotten so used to it I kinda have a muscle memory of holding [the flute],” he explained, revealing that he feels lost without the instrument nowadays. “When I’m walking with people that’s what they say, ‘I feel like I’m in my movie.’” Though he isn’t a trained musician, the Atlanta native manages to stumble upon greatness as he plays, enjoying how new the whole process feels to him.
“I don’t even know what notes I’m playing so every move for me is new,” he says. “Which is kinda cr*zy but it feels great to do it. Because when you find things you’re like, ‘Oh!’” Andre 3000 went on to describe how hip hop has paved the way for his passion for finding new and interesting sounds. “It’s like a reward for searching,” he explained. “I think that’s a Hip Hop thing, to be honest. Because Hip Hop you immediately take something in and put it back out.”
Last month, the artist revealed that he chose not to include any bars on the instrumental project because he was having trouble finding things to rap about. “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,” he shared. What do you think of Andre 3000 revealing that he’s not actually sure what notes he’s playing on the flute? Are you a fan of his new album, New Blue Sun? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
In a new interview with Citizen Magazine, Andre 3000 got to talk about his new album. During this conversation, he explained his vision and how the album actually had a different name at first. Everything Is Too Loud was the original title. In the end, however, the artist felt like it didn’t suit his vision properly. Overall, he saw it as more of a negative title than a positive one.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 28: Rapper Andre 3000 of Outkast performs onstage during the BET Experience at L.A. Live on June 28, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paul R. Giunta/FilmMagic)
“We’re the loudest that we’ve ever been,” André explained in the interview. “At one point, the album was called Everything Is Too Loud. But then I just felt like that’s a negative title. You know? I didn’t want to put negative energy out. So I was like, ‘What’s a positive way to say the same thing?’ So New Blue Sun is introducing a new kind of volume, you know? It’s looking past the complaint and trying to figure out, well, what can we do about it?”
This new album has gotten quite a bit of critical acclaim. Furthermore, it has created a debate on longevity in hip-hop and whether older artists still have things to talk about. Needless to say, the album is stirring up conversation. Let us know your thoughts on the album, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for updates from around the music world. We will always keep you informed on your favorite artists.
Andre 3000’s new jazz, new age, ambient, and flute-heavy behemoth New Blue Sun is here- his first solo album ever. What’s more is that, even though this isn’t a hip-hop album, his press run for it with NPR and GQ actually yielded some pretty interesting discussions and reflections from him on the genre. Even though 3 Stacks isn’t putting out rap music of his own, he’s definitely still tapped into what’s going on right now. In fact, he’s much more in the know than you might think, so much so that he might’ve contributed to one of the biggest rap hits of the 2010s decade.
Moreover, during what seems to be Future’s birthday celebration, Metro Boomin played their collab “Mask Off.” Before letting it drop, though, he had the following bombshell claim- or, most likely, a very timely and funny joke- to say to the crowd. “Yo, I’m letting you know Andre 3000 played the flute on this motherf***er!” the producer said with a smile. Though the chances of this being true are very slim, and it seems like a light-hearted and respectful jest, the Outkast member did say he has secret performance credits on other artist’s songs. So, who knows; Metro might just be flexing on us.
“I’ve actually played some wind things that I’ve put out in the world,” Andre 3000 told GQ. “I called myself another name under different artists that are out there that, you know, I was just kinda testing it out in a way. From known artists, and they’ve been cool about keeping it secret.” Perhaps Metro Boomin finally broke that rule, but don’t get your hopes up: he knows exactly how people will hear a flute nowadays and think of the legendary MC.
Meanwhile, the St. Louis native still has his collaborative album with Future in the cards, which he’s been very excited about teasing. Maybe this is where Andre Benjamin will reconnect with his Dungeon Family colleague, and actually contribute a flute to a Metro beat. Jokes aside, it’s good to know that the HEROES & VILLAINS mastermind is up to date with the memes. For more news and the latest updates on Andre 3000 and Metro Boomin, stay up to date on HNHH.
Almost two decades since OutKast’s last album, Andre 3000 is finally gracing fans with his solo debut offering, titled New Blue Sun. It’s almost unbelievable that the world hasn’t gotten a project from the acclaimed rapper all these years. He’s remained in the mix with a handful of features but, admittedly, fans had lost hope on the release of a solo project. However, with this recent development, many are understandably beside themselves with excitement.
Earlier in the year, André appeared on “Scientists & Engineers” with Killer Mike, who hinted at Andre 3000’s solo album before walking back on his claims. Over time, these sparse appearances are all listeners have come to expect from him. As a result, the announcement of the release of New Blue Sun took us all by surprise. Set to drop very soon, here’s what we know about the album that has already garnered praise from Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean.
As aforementioned, New Blue Sun is technically Andre 3000’s debut album. Up until very recently, he had intentionally kept fans in the dark about the release of new music. Moreover, for reasons best known to him, he chose to keep a tight leash on his creative process. Surprisingly, one of the only reliable bits of information about the album before its announcement came from Killer Mike. In an interview on Sway in the Morning in June 2023, Mike mentioned an upcoming André 3000 album. Given André’s time away from the spotlight, some fans were initially skeptical about the authenticity of this claim. However, it turned out to be very true. On November 14, 2023, André 3000 announced that his solo debut album, New Blue Sun, would soon be released.
What To Expect On New Blue Sun
Andre “3000” Benjamin 12591_RD_224.JPG during Andre “3000” Benjamin And Cartoon Network Present “Class of 3000” Premiere Event at The Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. (Photo by Rick Diamond/WireImage)
After coming down from the high of the album’s announcement, there’s an important detail for fans to confront. If you’re looking to hear Andre rapping like the rent’s due, you may be disappointed with his solo offering. The 87-minute sonic experience will be devoid of bars, according to the “Hey Ya” rapper. In an exclusive interview with NPR, he shared that “it’s not a rap album, though.” “I don’t want to troll people,” he continued. “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.’”
According to NPR, André does not sing on the album either. It is a completely instrumental body of work that sees André playing a lot of flutes. An excerpt from the piece states, “No bars, no beats, no sub-bass. André doesn’t sing on this joint, either. What he does do is play flute, and plenty of it — contrabass flute, Mayan flutes, bamboo flutes — along with other digital wind instruments.”
New Blue Sun: Tracklist and Guest Features
The tracklist for New Blue Sun is quite unorthodox. Each song title contains complete sentences and mentions everyone from Jeffrey Dahmer to Ghandi. Meanwhile, he hasn’t confirmed any features on the project. Here is the tracklist for André’s upcoming debut album:
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”
As announced on November 14, 2023, New Blue Sun will be released on Friday, November 17, 2023. While it is André 3000’s first project in years, we certainly hope it won’t be his last. Fans of the rapper are eager for him to follow it up with another project soon. Hopefully, they won’t wait another 17 years for the next one.
Andre 3000 made a huge announcement yesterday, and fans are still reeling from it. The legendary artist will be coming through with an instrumental album called New Blue Sun. Overall, this is a project that will consist of the rapper playing the flute. Although many wanted a rap album from him, it seems like this will not be in the cards. Instead, he is making the kind of album that he wanted to do. It spoke to him in the moment, and you have to love him taking a huge risk.
In an interview with Rodney Carmichael of NPR, Andre 3000 got to speak on a plethora of topics surrounding the album. Moreover, he even spoke on some of the things that have happened to him over the past couple of years. For instance, he noted that Virgil Abloh’s family wanted him to play flute at his funeral. However, Andre felt like he would be a distraction. Not to mention, he didn’t know Virgil that well and didn’t think it would be appropriate.
i talked to Andre 3000 about why he gets so many requests to play flute at funerals, a wild ayahuasca trip that had him purring like a panther and the release of his debut solo album New Blue Sun coming this Friday. https://t.co/vHBEcuJyZ4
“When Virgil [Abloh] passed, his family asked would I play at the funeral and I denied it, but only because I felt like I would be a distraction,” Andee 3000 explained. “I don’t know, I just felt like it would have taken away from the moment and I only knew Virgil through texts and a few conversations. So I couldn’t pretend like I knew him that well. I was honored that the family asked me to play at the funeral, but I couldn’t. And so when I told Guillermo, he was like, ‘Yeah, sometimes you have to look at it now as a responsibility to play. They asked you to play for a reason.’”
Turning down something like that can be tough, but given his reasoning, it makes a whole lot of sense. We’re sure Virgil’s family understood completely. Let us know what you think of this story, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the music world. We will always keep you informed.
Lizzo is well known for many things about pop music fans. One of those is her dedication to playing the flute. She’s played the instrument on a number of her own songs including her 2022 mega-hit “About Damn Time.” Earlier this year she became one of the newest guest stars on The Simpsons. For her original episode, she wrote an entire original song which also featured her flute performances. She brought out her trademark instrument during yet another on-stage appearance over the weekend, one you probably wouldn’t expect.
LIzzo joined popular 90’s alt-rock band Incubus on stage during a recent concert in Los Angeles. The show was part of a series of performances celebrating the upcoming anniversary of the band’s 2001 album Morning View. The album contains some of the band’s biggest and most well-known tracks like “Wish You Were Here” and “Are You In?.” During the show, they surprised the crowd by bringing out the “Truth Hurts” singer to sing and play flute on the track “Aqueous Transmission.” Afterwards, they took to Instagram to praise the singer and thank her for joining them on stage. Check out the video of the performance below.
Public appearances by the singer have been few and far between recently. The whole world was shocked to find Lizzo facing both workplace harassment and sexual harassment lawsuits from her former dancers early this year. While many big stars including Beyonce, SZA, and Grimes came to the singer’s defense, she has still largely stayed out of the public eye.
Since the original lawsuit broke many other accusations have emerged some of which have become their own lawsuits. Despite the controversy Lizzo recently received a humanitarian award from the Black Music Action Collective at their annual gala. She accepted the award on stage next to some of her remaining dancers. What do you think of Lizzo making an on stage appearance with Incubus? Let us know in the comment section below.
Andre 3000 is certainly one of the most legendary artists in all of hip-hop. Overall, the Outkast rapper is known for having one of the best flows ever. Moreover, he has tons of legendary verses, albums, and songs. Although he has never released a true solo project, his fans still hold out hope. At this point, however, Andre only releases a few features here and there. Moreover, it has to be a truly special artist for him to do it. For instance, we only really hear him alongside the likes of Travis Scott, Kanye West, and maybe a few others.
If you have been keeping up with Andre 3000 over the past few years, then you know how reclusive he can be. However, when he is spotted by fans, he is always seen with some kind of instrument. He brings a massive flute with him everywhere he goes, and he will just freestyle. Overall, this brings a lot of joy to those around him. Even if they have no idea who he is, they are always amused by the music he brings to his environment. Recently, Three Stacks was spotted yet again, this time in Japan.
The original clip was posted to TikTok and then reposted by the NFR Podcast, shoutout to Montreal. As you can, Andre 3000 had his patented flute with him. He seemed fairly happy to be recognized as he walked through the streets, playing his instrument. When you think about it, this feels like a very peaceful existence. Playing nice instruments and brightening up people’s days is definitely a life worth living. While he may not be dropping songs anymore, he continues to have fun and be a free spirit. You can’t help but love that.
It will be interesting to see where Andre 3000 is spotted next. There are plenty of unique places he could pop out. Furthermore, it’s probably quite the encounter whenever you see such a legendary artist just going about life so casually. Let us know your favorite Andre 3000 song, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news from around the music world.
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