André 3000 Shared Three Unreleased ‘New Blue Sun’ Records, Along With The ‘Moving Day’ Short Film

Although André 3000 teased that he’s working on new music for 2025, his exploration into instrumental works aren’t over. Today (November 22), André 3000 shared three unreleased tracks (“Moving Day,” “Day Moving,” and “Tunnels of Egypt”) from his New Blue Sun vault.

Last week, the musician’s followers stumbled across “Moving Day,” by way of his album’s one-year anniversary short film. The Dexter Navy-directed visual (also named Moving Day) provided supported with a behind-the-scenes look at his Grammy-nominated debut album’s creation.

As you might have expected, none of the records feature a rap verse from André 3000. For the disgruntled fans that can work their way past that, there is a deeply intrinsic story weaved into each note. Similar to what did make New Blue Sun, each record is more than a “flute track.”

“Moving Day” and “Day Moving” serves as complementary tracks. Both are loosely arranged to contrast the other’s instrumental peaks and valley. While New Blue Sun was classified as experimental, it is hard to ignore the free jazz influence heard throughout “Moving Day” and “Day Moving.”

As the title suggests, “Tunnels of Egypt” sonically pulls from Middle Eastern and North African music influences. With supporting stringed instruments and vibrating membranes, “Tunnels of Egypt” is as breezy as a desert night and equally enchanting.

Listen to André 3000’s new track “Moving Day” above. You can check out the records “Day Moving” and “Tunnels of Egypt” below.

André 3000 Is Planning On New Music In 2025, With ‘New Ways To Distribute And Express’

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The 2025 Grammy nominations were announced earlier this month, and André 3000’s instrumental album New Blue Sun scored a big nod in the Album Of The Year category. It remains to be seen if the project will secure the win, but in the meantime, André is busy preparing some new material to launch in 2025.

In an interview at Camp Flog Gnaw, André was asked what his 2025 plans look like, and he responded, “New music, for sure. New ways to distribute and express. I don’t want to pinpoint what it is, but I just want to express more. Put it like that.”

Meanwhile, in a recent interview with Touré (as Billboard notes), Andre was asked if he has new material in the works, and he said, “At this point, I’m just trying to keep the momentum. There’s such a thing as creative momentum. The next stuff is very interesting, too. We’re almost a third — or halfway — into it. […] I don’t know when it will be ready. Who knows.”

Along with that, André also just shared an 11-minute documentary about the making of New Blue Sun, viewable here. He shared the video on November 17, which was the one-year anniversary of the album’s release.

Andre 3000 Says His ‘New Blue Sun’ Album Doesn’t Count Towards His Contract With Epic Records

Andre 3000 Reveals He Auditioned for 'Fast & Furious' Film

Andre 3000 Reveals He Auditioned for 'Fast & Furious' Film

André 3000 recently revealed a surprising detail about his long-awaited debut solo album, New Blue Sun. Despite its critical acclaim and a nomination for Album of the Year at the 2025 Grammys, the project doesn’t count toward fulfilling his contract with Epic Records. In an interview with journalist Touré, the OutKast icon shared his initial confusion and eventual understanding of this contractual stipulation.

“They congratulated me on the process, they congratulated me on what the work was, but contractually, it’s very interesting. My label will not count this album against my contract — this is as a solo artist,” André said, referencing his unconventional flute-based project.

After consulting his lawyer, André learned that the stipulation dates back to the 1970s, when some artists tried to fulfill their record deals by submitting low-effort or unconventional material. Labels countered this by requiring new works to align with the artist’s previous output.

“I didn’t understand it at first and we tried to find ways around it,” he admitted. “But my attorney explained it in this way: it was invented in the ’70s maybe, when artists were trying to get out of their deals so they were just pretty much turning in anything. It says, ‘The next recording has to be 90 percent like the recording before it.’”

He added, “It stops you from turning in 10 tracks of handclaps and saying, ‘This is my album.’ And I get it! But Sylvia [Rhone] and the team have been so supportive. They know I’m not turning in a handclap album — they get it. But as a business, this is the stance they took.”

Despite the setback, André isn’t rushing to leave Epic Records. He remains focused on creating music and has confirmed that he’s already working on another album. While keeping details under wraps, he shared that the new project is well underway.

“Oh, for sure,” he said when asked about a follow-up to New Blue Sun. “At this point, I’m just trying to keep the momentum. There’s such a thing as creative momentum. The next stuff is very interesting, too. We’re almost a third — or halfway — into it.” However, he noted there’s no set release date. “I don’t know when it will be ready. Who knows.”

For now, fans can continue to celebrate André 3000’s latest artistic evolution while eagerly awaiting the next chapter in his legendary career.

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André 3000 Explained Why The ‘New Blue Sun’ Album Does Not Count Towards His Solo Record Contract

André 3000 AMC Networks 2020 TCA Press Tour (1024x437)
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André 3000’s long-awaited debut solo album took fans by shock. Due to it being an instrumental project, New Blue Sun wasn’t quite what they’d imagine. Still, it managed to secure an Album Of The Year nomination for the 2025 Grammys.

During a recent interview, André 3000 revealed another surprising fact about the project. While chatting with Touré on his podcast, The Touré Show, André 3000 claimed that his New Blue Sun album will not be credited towards his solo record deal obligations.

“They congratulated me on the process, they congratulated me on what the work was, but contractually, it’s very interesting,” he said. “My label will not count this album against my contract — this is as a solo artist. I didn’t understand it at first, and we tried to find ways around it, but I understand it in a way, too.”

André 3000 went on to explain why his label (Epic) won’t consider it. “In the ’70s artists were trying to get out of their deals so they were just pretty much turning in anything,” he said. “And so you have to have some type of legal stipulation that stops you from doing that…It stops you from turning in 10 tracks of handclaps and saying, ‘This is my album.’ And I get it! But Sylvia and the team, they’ve been so supportive. They know I’m not turning in an a handclap back — they get it. But as a business, this is the stance that they took.”

To listen to The Touré Show‘s full episode featuring André 3000, click here.

André 3000 Is ‘Surprised’ That He Secured An Album Of The Year Grammy Nomination For ‘New Blue Sun’

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Yesterday (November 8), the 2025 Grammy Awards full nomination list was revealed. While many of the nominations came as no surprise, the Album Of The Year category shocked many music lovers. The biggest jaw-dropper came from Andre 3000’s long-awaited debut album (which happens to be an instrumental project), New Blue Sun nod.

During an interview with Variety, André 3000 shared his reaction to the nominations. “I felt that we tried to campaign to see if we could get into the alternative jazz or ambient category,” he said. “So this morning, when the album of the year category popped up, I was really, really surprised because I didn’t think that that many people even knew about it. So I’m just happy that the votes came in that way and that people were paying attention, more than anything.”

The nomination certainly shocked fans. While Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Chappell Roan’s The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, Charli XCX’s Brat, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard And Soft, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department were considered shoo-ins; André 3000’s New Blue Sun and Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 4 are this year’s dark horses.

The 2025 Grammy Awards are scheduled to take place on February 2, 2025. Only then will viewers learn which musician takes home the coveted gramophone trophy.

Andre 3000 Picks Up AOTY Grammy Nod For “New Blue Sun”

Andre 3000 and his flute will compete against the biggest names in music for the coveted “Album of the Year” title at the 2025 Grammy Awards. A Grammy nomination for the legend’s solo debut, New Blue Sun, was announced on Friday (Nov. 8) at the Recording Academy’s nomination ceremony in Los Angeles. Others announced in the Album of the Year category include Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, and Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft.

The seven-time Grammy winner released his debut album in November 2023. 19 years in the making, the Jazz-driven album features no bars by arguably one of the greatest lyricist ever. Among the eight songs are “”I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time” and “The Slang Word P(*)ssy Rolls Off the Tongue with Far Better Ease Than the Proper Word Vagina. Do You Agree?” The album peaked at #34 on Billboard 200 and supported by a nationwide tour.

Read more: Andre 3000 Compares Himself To Lil B While Describing “New Blue Sun” As “Punk Jazz”

Gotta Put “Grammy Nominated” In Front Of 3 Stacks’s Experimental Album Now

Andre put down the flute and returned to hip hop in October with the release of an interesting 26-minute rap song. Then, he dropped “Something is Happen” with an all-star cast on October 26. Since 2004, Andre 3000 has kept his rhymes sharp with guest appearances on music by Frank Ocean, Beyonce, Drake, and more. Andre, Benjamin Andre to be exact, and his team have not shared a statement regarding the nomination at this time. 

A win would mark Andre’s second in the category after securing the Grammy in 2004 as Outkast with their double album Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below. The album included massive hits “Hey Ya,” “Roses,” and “The Way You Move.” Will Andre’s new album when a Grammy? Will the nomination provide the legend inspiration to rap again? What do you think about Big Boi rapping over Andre’s flute? Share your thoughts in the comments section below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.

Read more: Andre 3000 Finally Uses His Voice On Massive 26-Minute Single, But It’s Not What You Think

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André 3000 Was ‘Surprised’ That Outkast Fans Didn’t Like ‘New Blue Sun,’ But ‘Understands’

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André 3000 shocked the world when he announced that his first solo album in nearly 20 years would be the flute-focused New Blue Sun. But, as it turns out, he was pretty surprised himself when it came to the reaction to the project from listeners. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune (via HipHopDX), Three Stacks noted how “funny” it was to him that Outkast fans were so upset that he didn’t rap on his new album.

“It’s kind of funny: The backlash is actually not from the rap community, or the jazz and spiritual jazz community,” he said. “There’s actually more support — surprising support — from both sides. I think it’s more [OutKast] fans, which I understand. I always try to put myself in their shoes: If my favorite rapper said, ‘I’m not rapping’ and I like it, I like it. But if I don’t, I move on. I think some people take it as blasphemy or something.”

He also explained why he didn’t just release the project under a different name to dodge the expectations that would come with a “new André 3000 album.”

“In retrospect, I’ve asked myself, ‘Would I have been better off releasing it under a new name?’” he admitted. “But I’m glad I didn’t. The ridicule that I get from it is the thing I did not expect. If I’m a fan of anybody, I’m not waiting 17 years for this great rap album to come out. I’m thinking, ‘Well, that ship has sailed.’ I felt like the name ‘André 3000’ showed the bigger story — the journey from where I was to now. I kept it so that wouldn’t get lost.”

Andre 3000 Compares Himself To Lil B While Describing “New Blue Sun” As “Punk Jazz”

Andre 3000 compared his music to that of Lil B during an interview with the Recording Academy published on Wednesday. After mentioning Sun Ra and the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the legendary Outkast rapper explained how his latest foray into instrumental music is similar to Lil B, who he described as having a “punk way of rapping.”

“A long line of historical bands like Sun Ra, the Chicago Art Ensemble. Even rapper Lil B,” he told the outlet. “I was joking to myself: I was like, I’m almost the Lil B of this type of music. Lil B is, they call it based rap. My son actually turned me on to Lil B. Because a lot of what he’s doing is made up or improv or really reactionary. It’s not this studied, perfect thing. Because I came up in the ‘90s, we came up with Nas and Wu-Tang and some of the [people] considered the best rappers around. It was about clarity. It was more of a studied kind of thing.”

Read More: Andre 3000 Reveals Why Drake And Kendrick Lamar Battle Made Him Sad

Andre 3000 Performs In Norway

OSLO, NORWAY – AUGUST 08: Andre 3000 performs on stage at the Øyafestivalen on August 08, 2024 in Oslo, Norway. (Photo by Per Ole Hagen/Redferns)

He continued: “A person like Lil B is not studied at all. But the way the kids respond to him, it’s because of that. It’s kind of like a punk way of rapping, and I like it. [And what I’m doing is] almost like punk jazz or punk spiritual jazz. It’s pure feeling.” Andre put out his debut solo album, New Blue Sun, last year, ending his 17-year hiatus from music. In doing so, he moved away from hip-hop and into ambient jazz.

Elsewhere in his discussion with the Recording Academy, Andre spoke about performing the flute live, the evolution of his artistic expression, and more. Be on the lookout for further updates on Andre 3000 and Lil B on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Andre 3000 Addresses Backlash To His Controversial Comments On Aging In Hip-Hop

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André 3000 Film ‘Listening To The Sun’ Is An Intimate Experience For His New Album

Earlier this year, André 3000 surprised longtime listeners by announcing that his new album, New Blue Sun, would be full of flute tunes instead of raps. In spite of this, the instrumental album also upset expectations in a good way, making Billboard history and turning him into a jazz legend as well as a rap one.

The new album just begs for an intimate listening session — and that’s exactly what his André’s companion film, Listening To The Sun, is. To star the 90-minute film, André introduces the album, lights a candle, and lets the mood move him as the album plays. “I hope you enjoy the ride as much as we did,” he says. “What you hear is what we did as it was happening.” The film, directed by Terence Nance, isn’t terribly complex, but the soundtrack takes care of that.

Although New Blue Sun was well-received in general, though, André’s comments about rapping after 40 while promoting it certainly ruffled a few feathers. Lil Wayne called André’s thoughts “depressing,” while LL Cool J shot down the idea that there are no new ideas after 40. Still, most fans seem to be holding out hope that André will rediscover his inspiration, after his most recent rap verse, on Killer Mike’s “Scientists & Engineers,” not only scratched their longstanding itch for new André 3000 wordplay, but also helped Mike sweep the Grammys’ rap categories.

You can watch André’s film, Listening To The Sun, above.

Andre 3000 Addresses Backlash To His Controversial Comments On Aging In Hip-Hop

Andre 3000 has spoken out on the backlash to his explanation for not continuing to make hip-hop music as he gets older. Speaking with Crack Magazine for a new cover story, the legendary Outkast rapper discussed his controversial comments on aging in hip-hop. “I’ve heard some rappers reply to what I’ve said about age, and I have to ask, ‘What are you rapping about?’” he began.

“Some are the best braggadocious rappers in the world, and we love them for that — but it’s so much easier to do that for the rest of your life. I don’t necessarily rap like that. Our formulas are different. He doesn’t know what it takes for me to do what I do. I don’t know what it takes for him to say the same thing over and over again and still keep it creative. But I love him for doing it.”

Read More: Andre 3000 Delivers Sobering Update On Potential Outkast Reunion Album

Andre 3000 Performs During Syd For Solen In Denmark

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – AUGUST 9: Andre 3000 with the band New Blue Sun performs on stage during Syd For Solen on August 9, 2024, in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by Matt Jelonek/Getty Images)

Andre originally shared the take during an interview with GQ from last year after the release of his instrumental album, New Blue Sun. “I’m 48 years old,” he said when asked why he isn’t rapping. “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.’”

Andre 3000 Appears On Cover Of “Crack Magazine”

 
 
 
 
 
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Elsewhere in the interview, Andre discussed the feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar and why it makes him sad. Be on the lookout for further updates on Andre 3000 on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Andre 3000 Reveals Why Drake And Kendrick Lamar Battle Made Him Sad

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