Outkast Archives - Page 2 of 11

Killer Mike Sticks Up For Lil Yachty In Controversial ATL Fashion Debate

August 1, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Lil Yachty really set the internet on fire. The rapper made several public appearances during the last few days of July, each time making a statement that incited debate. He got pushback for defending Drake in the Kendrick Lamar battle. He was chastised for leaking a song he couldn’t get a sample cleared for. The most notable Yachty, controversy, though, stemmed from his comments about fashion. He claimed that Atlanta sets the fashion trends in hip-hop, which led to lots of criticism from rappers living in the rest of the country. One of the few rappers who seemingly agreed with Lil Boat was Killer Mike.

Killer Mike hopped on Twitter on August 1 to set the record straight. He referred to the Yachty debate as “lame,” but did provide examples of Atlanta setting trends. He pointed to his Dungeon family mentor, Big Boi, in particular. “I have Zero Interest in this lame ass debate,” he wrote. “BUT Big Boi Started the Throw Back Jersey Trend with that cold a*s Houston Astros Jersey.” He then noted that Ye, despite his Chitown roots, gave proper credit to the Outkast rapper. Ye’s impact on hip-hop fashion goes without saying, but Killer Mike said it regardless. “Kanye (Atlanta Born) set the record straight on that, God Bless Him,” he wrote. “Honorable Mention the ‘Flip Flop’s and Sox’ look was Some sh*t from the Dungeon Family.”

Killer Mike Claims ATL Has Influenced All Pop Culture

I have Zero Interest in this lame ass debate BUT, Big Boi Started the Throw Back Jersey Trend with that cold ass Houston Astro’s Jersey. Kanye (Atlanta Born) set the record straight on that, God Bless Him. Honorable Mention the “Flip Flop’s and Sox” look was Some shit from the… https://t.co/6VhlvS5zIO pic.twitter.com/sEaWnCoaa9

— Killer Mike (@KillerMike) July 31, 2024

Mike included a photo of Big Boi rocking the aforementioned Astros jersey as proof. A Twitter user went the opposite direction and claimed that Phife Dog actually started the throwback jersey trend. Killer Mike respectfully disagreed. “[Phife] was a sports fan and inspired us all,” he wrote back. “With that said, the Throw back Era is Something Big Boi who is also like us a Tribe Fan Started in 98 with that Black Ice Vid Houston Jersey. Long Live Tribe and Kast.” The rapper continued to go back and forth with fans about the specificity of throwbacks, and the relevance of sports merchandise within the genre.

Killer Mike and Lil Yachty are about as far apart as artists can be. That said, the former has also repped Atlanta in his music and art. During a 2023 appearance on the Hip-Hop Made podcast, Mike claimed that the ATL has influenced every element of popular culture for decades. “When they say Atlanta influences everything it’s true,” he declared. “If you’re talking about Black culture in America, you talking about ATL, Georgia, and I’m not just talking about the last 25 years… I don’t think you can talk any Black culture — Rock n’ Roll, Blues, and Gospel — without talking about Atlanta.” Yachty may have ditched the internet due to the East Coast backlash, but he’d be pleased to know Killer Mike is in his corner.

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Andre 3000 Explains Why The Flute Is More Rewarding Than Rapping

July 16, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Andre 3000 has never liked conventions. He was breaking stylistic and sonic boundaries at every turn as part of Outkast. As a solo artist, he’s broken even more ground. Andre will stop appear on a rap song and deliver a devastating sixteen, but rapping doesn’t excite him like it used to. The artist prefers to play the jazz flute, as evidenced by his album New Blue Sun. Fans and rapping peers may want him to do what made him famous, but Andre 3000 is more concerned with following his muse.

The artist talked about his transformation from rapper to flute player during his recent appearance on HBO’s The Shop. He freely admitted that he was not an exceptional flute player. He went as far as to say that he doesn’t know what he’s doing when he’s on stage. The lack of awareness, and mastery, however, is part of the appeal. “I don’t know what notes I’m playing, to be completely honest,” he told the hosts. “I’m not trying to pretend like I know what I’m doing, in a way. I actually don’t know what I’m doing and that’s part of the art.”

Andre 3000 Enjoys Being A Novice In A New Genre

Andre 3000 also addressed the his controversial statement about not wanting to rap over 40 years old. He told The Shop hosts that he supports people who continue to rap, but simply feels that he does not have the passion he once did. “I got homies my age and older than me that still rap,” he admitted. “So if it’s in you, you should rap until you die… But what I’m saying is, what it takes for me to do it, I’m always looking for the next.” The Outkast artist stated, very clearly, that he does not intended to do what’s expected of him simply because it’s expected.

Those lamenting the lack of Andre 3000 bars in the future needn’t throw in the towel, though. Three Stacks made it clear that he is open to rapping again, but it will need to be under circumstances that inspire him. “I can’t say [things] 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,” he explained. “So I can’t talk for another rapper about what they doing. I just say, ‘Man, go for it. If it’s in you.’”

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Andre 3000 Claims He Doesn’t Remember His Iconic Source Awards Speech

July 13, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Andre 3000 dropped several gems during his recent appearance on The Shop. He discussed taking hatred from others and using it to fuel creativity. He also talked about his experiments with jazz, and how it’s freed him up to do whatever he wants. The most fascinating revelation, though, was when the show’s other guest, Sexyy Red, asked about his iconic speech at the 1995 Source Awards. Andre 3000 reflected on the speech, before admitting that he doesn’t really remember what he said.

Sexyy Red was born in 1998, so she inquired about the intention of the speech during their Shop talk. Andre 3000 told the younger rapper that his memory of being onstage was hazy. “I don’t even remember the whole thing,” he admitted. What he did remember, however, was the sense of frustration he felt in the years leading up to the Source Awards. “N**gas hating on the South at that point,” he said. “I remember being really angry and driven because we’ve been creating this music, man. We’ve been in the Dungeon. And we just felt like, ‘Y’all don’t get it.’”

Andre 3000 Recalls Being Extremely Nervous On Stage

The reason why Andre 3000 struggles to remember his speech was because he was extremely nervous while giving it. “It was not planned,” he admitted. “It looked brave, but I was nervous as a motherf*cker. I was just angry, man.” Three Stacks, who was one half of Outkast at the time, felt that the South was not being afforded the same respect that New York was. Further adding to the frustration was the fact that both Andre and Big Boi were fans of the NY sound. “We love New York,” he said. “We grew up on all New York music, man. I just felt like, I don’t know, it just came out. And I just said that.”

Andre 3000’s speech has since been lionized by fans. It’s a classic moment in both Source and Southern hip-hop history. It was so prominent, in fact, that Outkast used audio from the speech on their 1998 song “Chonkyfire.” The phrase that Andre 3000 uttered towards the end of his speech has become a rallying cry of sorts for the entire South. They had something to say, and so did Three Stacks. Even if he doesn’t remember it clearly.

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Andre 3000 Credits Jazz With Restoring His Passion For Music

July 11, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Everybody wants Andre 3000 to rap. Fans want it, other rappers want it, this writer wants it. The problem is, Andre 3000 doesn’t. The Outkast icon decided to release his first solo album in 2023, and many were shocked to find that it was a collection of flute instrumentals. In an effort to quell the confusion (maybe a better word would be frustration), Three Stacks has gone on an extensive press tour. He even stopped by HBO’s The Shop to discuss his genre pivot. Hear him tell it, it’s the most important thing he’s done.

Andre 3000 told Shop hosts LeBron James and Maverick Carter that he does not claim to be an expert when it comes to jazz. He’s a fan, but he concedes that he’s far behind the musicians who have spent their lives studying the genre. “I don’t take myself that serious,” he explained. “Jazz is a studied music so I kinda just try to humanize [it].” The musician alluded to the song titles that he chose for the album. He admitted that he chose silly titles in an effort to remove the seriousness from the music. “It’s so elitist in ways,” he noted. “A lot of jazz cats went to school… I don’t want people to think I’m trying to be a jazz musician.”

Andre 3000 Enjoys Being Freed From Songwriting

André 3000 on making jazz music:

“I don’t know what I’m doing and that’s part of the art…This is the most free I’ve ever been.” pic.twitter.com/12XQiuMuwT

— Joey (@gothamhiphop) July 11, 2024

Three Stacks then coined the term “sonic displayist,” which would have been a killer album title, frankly. “I don’t know what notes I’m playing to be completely honest,” he told the room. “I don’t know what I’m doing and that’s part of the art.” Andre 3000 compared the process of making jazz to rapping, and went on to admit that he’s never felt more free as an artist. “This is most free I’ve ever been,” he admitted. The biggest difference, from Andre’s perspective, is the way in which he’s able to let the music, rather than the lyrics, guide him.

Andre 3000 considers himself a songwriter over a freestyler, which means his Outkast verses were always words first, music second. By removing words, the artist is able to follow his muse anywhere he sees fit. This means that every performance is different. “We really don’t know where we gon’ go,” he explained. “And it’s kinda like you have to feel it out. It’s really an exploratory thing, man.” As much as fans want to hear him rap, it’s difficult to deny Three Stacks’ passion.

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Andre 3000 Claims Pimp C Hated His “Int’l Players Anthem” Verse

July 9, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Andre 3000 has too many classic verses to count. That being said, his turn on “Int’l Players Anthem” might be one of his most celebrated. It’s quotable, eccentric, and it all plays out before the drums to the main instrumental kick in. It distinguishes Andre’s verse from the other rappers on the song, aka Big Boi and UGK. As beloved as the verse and the song is today, though, Pimp C was not happy when he first heard it. The things that make it unique are the very things that rubbed the UGK rapper the wrong way.

Andre 3000 shared this anecdote during his recent appearance on The Shop. He recounted the making of the song, and his unorthodox choice to remove the drums from his verse. He sent the verse back with just the sample, and Pimp C was livid. “Pimp was so mad at me,” Andre 3000 recalled. “Because they sent the beat and I wrote my verse, put my words down and I took the beat out for me to rap.” Pimp C wasn’t disappointed with the bars, but he felt like the song had been changed without his permission. “Pimp was like, ‘Fuck this muthaf*cka, man! This n**ga done goddamn took my beat out,” Andre said. “Who the f*ck he think he is?!’ He was really mad at the choice that I had made to take the beat [out].”

Andre 3000 Claimed Pimp C Disliked The Beat Change

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A post shared by The Shop (@theshopun)

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed. Andre 3000 told The Shop hosts that others made the case for keeping the verse the way it is. “I don’t know if it was Bun [B] or somebody,” the rapper called. “They were like, ‘Nah, but you don’t understand, when that beat drop, though, it sets it off.’ So it’s almost like a set-up. So it worked, and once he got that, he was like, ‘Okay, okay.’” The gamble paid off. “Int’l Players Anthem” peaked at number 70 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was UGK’s first and only entry on the charts, and remains their most successful single.

While The Shop episode marks the first time Andre 3000 has shared the Pimp C story, a similar anecdote was shared by A&R Jeff Sledge during a 2016 appearance on the A Waste of Time podcast. The change in Sledge’s version was that it was him, not Bun B, who urged Pimp C to keep Andre’s verse without the beat. “Let’s rock it like that,” the A&R recalls saying. “Because when Andre doing acapella and then when the beat drops, that’s when your verse drops. And then your verse is gonna lift the record up because now the beat is rocking and your verse is kicking.” Whoever made the call, we’re thankful.

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Andre 3000 Reveals Smart Reason Why He Has An Instagram Account

June 18, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Andre 3000 is not a social media savvy person. He doesn’t aspire to be. He doesn’t engage with fans through posts, and he’s never even had a Facebook profile under his name. The rapper does, however, have an Instagram account. It’s an odd exception to make, especially given Andre’s resistance to public attention has seemingly grown with age. You’d think he was a Myspace, Facebook kind of guy, not the IG kind. That being said, the rapper had a specific reason for getting an Instagram account.

Andre 3000 recently attended the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France. The acclaimed actor sat for a conversation with Meta’s Alvin Bowles, and admitted that claimed his IG account in order to prevent other people from impersonating him. “I’ve never had a Facebook account,” he told the panel crowd. “I only have Instagram to prevent people from stealing my name, but I’ve never posted anything.” Three Stack’s reasoning checks out, but he lied about never posting anything. He’s actually made two posts in the last year alone. The first was a link to his solo album, New Blue Sun, and the second was a video of him at the dentist. We’re also confused by the latter. “Summer teeth cleaning reminder,” the caption reads.

Andre 3000 Has Only Posted Twice On Instagram

Andre 3000’s allergy towards social media makes sense given his desire for privacy. He was one of the defining pop stars of the 2000s, yet he rejected the spotlight when Outkast unofficially split in 2006. He talked about the desire for privacy, and his reluctance to mess it up with a new album, during a chat with The Bitter Southerner. “I had to ask myself, Man, do you want to be noticed again,” he admitted. “You know, if you haven’t done anything in a while, people kind of… It fizzles out. And I had to decide that I wanted to talk about the music more than I wanted to not be noticed, I guess.”

Three Stacks hasn’t gone completely MIA of course. He blessed fans with guest verses throughout the 2010s, but the urge to rap isn’t what it used to be. The Outkast superstar isn’t sitting on a classic album of rhymes, as he told GQ in February. “Even now, people think, ‘Oh, man, he’s just sitting on raps, or he’s just holding these raps hostage,” he explained. “I ain’t got no raps like that.” What he does, have, though, is a sense of musical fulfillment. Regardless of what LL Cool J says, Andre 3000 is happy to be making experimental flute music. Just don’t expect to see him talking about it on Instagram.

[via]

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André 3000 Essential Songs

May 31, 2024 by newhiphopnews

André 3000 tracks played an important role in the 1990s and helped Southern hip-hop move further into the limelight. Born André Lauren Benjamin, André 3000rose to prominence as one-half of the hip-hop duo OutKast. His partner in music was Antwan “Big Boi” Patton. The Southern hip-hop group originated in Atlanta, Georgia, and rose to national prominence off the strength of their first single “Player’s Ball.” Sean “Diddy” Combs, who filmed a music video, created part of the buzz around the song. He subsequently invited the group to open for The Notorious B.I.G. in New York.

After releasing a series of six critically and commercially successful albums across 15 years, OutKast went on an (almost) indefinite hiatus. During their run, the group released many iconic tracks. Each one built upon and spotlighted the Atlanta rapper’s status as a songwriter and rapper. This article hones in on seven essential André 3000 songs. Let’s jump in now.

“Hey Ya” (2004)

“Hey Ya” is quite possibly the most famous OutKast song of all time. The song was released as one of the two lead singles for 2004’s double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. The track was extremely popular, reaching No. 1 in six countries and becoming the first iTunes song to reach one million downloads. André 3000 performed and wrote the track, with writing help from various session musicians over a multi-year period. Since its release, the song has appeared in numerous “best of” song lists.

“Da Art Of Storytellin’ (Pt. 1)” (1999)

The third single off of OutKast’s third album Aquemini, “Da Art of Storytellin’ (Pt. 1)” a variety of publications have ranked the track as one of OutKast’s best. Confusingly, the song was released on the same day as Slick Rick’s album The Art of Storytelling — and Slick Rick is also featured on the single version of the song. In the track, André 3000 skillfully builds up and humanizes an unexpected figure: a pregnant drug user. André raps about their heart-to-heart conversation on a curb: “Talkin bout what we gon be when we grow up / I said what you wanna be and she said, ‘Alive.’” The subject matter and unusual approach easily make it one of the best André 3000 songs.

“Crumblin ‘Erb” (1994)

Although “Crumblin ‘Erb” wasn’t a single on OutKast’s 1994 debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, it might be the record’s hidden gem. When that album first dropped, The Source called this track “a slanky cathartic groove…for anyone who has ever had the hapless feeling of watching your peoples try extinction on for size.” Here we find André 3000 tackling the subjects of selfishness and violence in the South with a reluctant nonchalance. All that aside, this track’s catchy chorus alone lifts it up as one of the group’s best.

“Dracula’s Wedding” (2004)

André 3000 takes on the unexpected role of Dracula in this 2004 track. He’s preparing for his wedding, and his bride-to-be is the singer-songwriter and chef Kelis. The song is notable for displaying the speaker’s anxiety over being married, despite the woman being “all [he] ever wanted.” This comes after centuries of the vampire terrorizing endless amounts of people. Fans were excited when a comic-style music video for the song dropped at random last October, nearly 20 years after its initial release. The sheer imagination and strange humor on the track make it a classic André 3000 track.

“The Whole World” (2001)

“The Whole World” was one of four new OutKast tracks to appear on 2001’s compilation album, Big Boi and Dre Present… OutKast. The rest of the album collected songs from their first four full-lengths. The music video is notable for its high-production recreation of a circus. André 3000 appears as a magician with Día de los Muertos-style facepaint. The song won a Grammy for Best Rap Song Performance by a Duo or Group. It also featured a memorable verse from Killer Mike.

“Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)” (2007)

This song by UGK has OutKast as a feature. It was recorded around the same time that OutKast was putting together their final album Idlewild. The first verse is delivered by André 3000, and the music video centers around his fictional wedding. While certain aspects of the wedding are outlandish – like André donning a red kilt – the sentiment of his verse is palpable. The verse catalogues the rapper’s experiences as he moves on from a life of flings and casual relationships and decides to enter into a lifelong commitment.

“Roses” (2004)

No list of André 3000 songs is complete with the addition of “Roses.” This track also came out on 2004’s double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. It’s essentially a diss song, though it doesn’t target a single person – rather, superficial women in general. The iconic chorus is impossible to forget: “I know you’d like to think your s*** don’t stank, but / Lean a little bit closer, see / Roses really smell like boo-boo-ooh….” The track peaked at number one on both the US Hot Rap Songs and Australian Urban charts.

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Andre 3000 Plays Carinet At Atlanta Jazz Festival And Fans Are Perplexed

May 28, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Andre 3000 has delighted fans for decades. As one of hip-hop’s true eccentrics, Three Stacks is one of the rare artists who’s boundary-pushing has been met with critical acclaim and commercial success. He knows how to make experimentalism sound good. His latest endeavor, however, has really put this ability to the test. Andre recently performed a set at the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and instead of rapping or singing, he continued his woodwind odyssey and performed a clarinet solo. Fans were… unsure of how to react.

Andre 3000 performed at the festival on May 27, which also happened to be his 49th birthday. The Outkast star was backed by the same musical ensemble he worked with on his solo album, New Blue Moon. There was some light banter with the crowd, but for the most part, Stacks was focused on his clarinet playing. Outlets have posted video footage of the rapper’s performance and claimed he was playing a flute, but it is, in fact, the same instrument Squidward plays on Spongebob Squarepants.

Andre 3000 Improvised Most Of His Concert Set

André 3000 Plays The Flute At The Atlanta Jazz Festival pic.twitter.com/4L7BwURY5G

— Shawn K The King  (@SKTheKingYT) May 28, 2024

The footage of the performance is a little awkward. People in the audience seem unsure of how to react to Andre 3000’s playing. Several of them are looking around, and the silence amidst the rapper’s clarinet solo furthers the awkwardness. To be fair, Andre 3K has been on the windwood wave for a while now. He prefaced his performance by explaining that he doesn’t have a musical roadmap in mind, and will simply go wherever his playing will take him. “Everything we’re doing — the same way that New Blue Sun was made with me and my brothers,” he explained. “We’re completely making everything up as we go along. We never know what the night is gonna sound like.”

Andre 3000 knows that fans want him to rap again, but he told Bitter Southerner that he simply doesn’t have it in him anymore. He’s more fascinated with improvisational, instrumental music, and he feels as though he needs to follow his muse. “The thing is, I can only give what I’m feeling,” he explained to the outlet. “If there’s not any discovery, it doesn’t feel real to me. I’ve never considered myself the best producer or the best singer or the best rapper or any of those separate categories. But one thing I do have confidence in is my feeling.” How can you knock that?

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Happy 49th Birthday To Outkast’s Own Andre 3000!

May 27, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Rapper/actor and member of the legendary Hip-Hop duo Outkast, Mr. Andre 3000 turns 49 today!

Andre Benjamin is known for his eclectic style and flows, from his start with the Dungeon Family to his movie roles in films like Idlewild and Jimi: All Is by My Side. He has become a household name as a solo artist as well as part of a legendary group and he continues to evolve with the times. Happy Birthday Mr. 3000 from TheSource.com!

The post Happy 49th Birthday To Outkast’s Own Andre 3000! first appeared on The Source.

The post Happy 49th Birthday To Outkast’s Own Andre 3000! appeared first on The Source.

Andre 3000 Delivers Sobering Update On Potential Outkast Reunion Album

May 16, 2024 by newhiphopnews

In his new conversation with legendary poet Hanif Abdurraqib for The Bitter Southerner, Andre 3000 once again shared his thoughts on an age-old (well, at least since 2006) question: will Outkast come through with another album? 3 Stacks and Big Boi have arguably the most decorated catalog in hip-hop history, and while they are still great friends, it’s been a long time since they’ve put out music together. In Andre’s case, he’s even yet to drop a hip-hop-oriented solo album. Through his most recent remarks on the subject, he expressed that while he doesn’t think that the reunion is impossible, it would also be a bit of a backtrack considering how his relationship with Sir Lucious Left Foot has evolved over the years, from friends to musicians and beyond.

“People ask, ‘So, will there be another Outkast album?’” Andre 3000 shared. “I really can’t say, man. I do realize that our chemistries have changed. We’re different people. We’re totally different people. Not to say that we won’t be able to make any kind of music, but I think, yeah, people have to realize, like, even in relationships, man… chemistry should change after a while. And I think people think there’s this one thing that has to stay a way, but we are ever-changing, man.

Andre 3000 & Big Boi Performing As Outkast At One MusicFest 2016

Andre 3000 New Outkast Album Interview Hip Hop News — ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 10: Big Boi and Andre 3000 of Outkast perform at One MusicFest at Lakewood Amphitheatre on September 10, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage/Getty Images)

“You know, people always ask about me and Big Boi,” Andre 3000 continued. “We cool, man. That’s my homie forever. We were friends before doing music.” If anyone doubted the bond between the ATLiens creatives, remarks on Big Boi’s reaction to New Blue Sun quickly dispelled them. They have crossed paths a lot over the years, whether it’s for get-togethers, reunions, or other events. Outkast is alive and well, not just in their catalog of music’s enduring influence and acclaim, but in terms of that Dungeon Family spirit that both MCs continue to embody in unique ways.

Meanwhile, speaking of the Dungeon Family, that whole collective is still mourning the loss of Rico Wade, the great bridge of not just Southern rap, but rap in general. Perhaps this grief and the 20-year anniversary of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik will provide some other form of reflection, celebration, or tribute… just not a new Outkast album. It seems like Andre 3000 and Big Boi won’t meet up again in the booth, or at least, in the exact same capacity as their previous work. While we accepted that reality a long time ago, that wouldn’t make it any less hype if they change their minds one day.

[via]

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