Dear Andre 3000,
I always had a feeling that this day would come. I saw it coming ever since you
and Big Boi dropped the ATLiens album. At The Source Awards back in 1995 when
you told the unruly New York crowd “I’m tired of closed minded people”. When you
had on the military jacket and a turban. I knew that the path that Outkast was
blazing would one day be difficult to continue in the same capacity.
Dre, I’ve become more and more disappointed but somewhat understanding of the
recent quotes I’ve read regarding your disenchantment with hip hop. Of course,
only you can decide what’s best for you and your career and I respect that. But
there’s something that you have to understand, you’re not the only one that’s
mad at hip-hop right now. There are fans all over the world that miss the
passion and fun that once came with hip-hop. As a fan of Outkast, I’ve purchased
every Outkast album and even the “Player’s Ball” single when it first came out.
Outkast made me want to come to Atlanta to go to college. Simply stated Dre…HIP
HOP NEEDS YOU! We need albums like Aquemini and Stankonia. I was at the
Stankonia concert when it came to the Atlanta Fox Theatre and I was amazed at
the mixture of fans Outkast has. I’m not just talking about white kids at a
black concert. I mean there were older white men and women, thugs, fine girls,
afro-centric types, rock dudes, white-collar dudes, etc. ALL AT
AN OUTKAST SHOW…
I don’t now if you’re serious about not touring to support the new Outkast album
but that s### floored me. Out of all the hip-hop acts that I’ve seen perform,
Outkast has one of the best live performances, period. Do you know that people
lose there minds when you throw on the old Atlanta Braves Jacket and jeans and
tear into songs from “Southernplayalistic…”? Remember how ya’ll rock it at the
Fox Theatre when you guys were on the Lauren Hill Tour? Dawg, you have to know
what Outkast means to hip-hop? I think it was XXL magazine that pose the
question on whether Outkast was the greatest group of all time. I think you’re
right up there with Run-DMC and EPMD.
If you wanna pursue acting, go ahead and act my n####. If you want to play
guitar, play it. Whatever you want to do, do it my n####, your fans understand.
But don’t take the Player and the Poet away from us. We look forward to seeing
what new sound and songs you’ll come up with. Every time ya’ll drop a new CD
there’s nervous confidence that you’ll pull it off again. We can’t wait to see
what your next outfit will look like (By the way the new look is hot). We can’t
wait to hear what new nickname Big Boi will call himself. The world is still
saying “So Fresh and So Clean Clean” because of you guys. Dre, believe me
there’s nothing in hip-hop that is as special as Outkast right now.
Oh yeah, what about the A-town? The ATL is popular because of Outkast in some
respects. Yeah folks new about Atlanta before 1993 but you guys painted the
picture of what true ATLiens were about. Flip flops and socks, Hootie Hoo,
Cadillac’s, and so on. Remember when people were bootlegging the Stankonia album
before it came out? N##### was bumping that “Mrs. Jackson” all over Atlanta and
that s### wasn’t even out yet. Can’t you see Dre, n##### don’t get excited over
music like that anymore. Not unless it’s Jay-z, Eminem (50 cent too), or the
muthaf**king Outkast. That buzz over a certain artists is rare these days.
Dre, you have a gift shawty. There are a lot of people, including other rappers
that consider you to be one of the best MC’s in the game. N##### to this day are
still trippin’ off of your last verse on “Elevators”. Southern MC’s are getting
their much-needed respect because of Face, Cee-lo, and you. So, instead of
bowing out why don’t you show these n##### how to put out a classic solo joint?
Then you and Big Boi come back out with another banger. What about making a CD
with about 30 or 40 songs on it? Just take the game to another level because
that’s what the game needs right now.
Now if you want to sing…I’ll even accept that but you got to understand that
even though “The Love Below” is good, you’re better at rhyming. You singing,
with all due respect, is like me trying to qualify for the 100 yard dash in the
Olympics. No matter how much I want to do it, speed is just not the skill that I
was blessed with. If you’re uninspired with hip-hop, then inspire us. If you’re
bored then continue to entertain us.
Lastly, my n#### Big Boi has been holding the group down for a minute. He’s been
so understanding of your growth, as far as I can tell from his actions and
statements. I think he knows that no matter how much success you two could have
separately, you guys will always be better as a group. Plus, Big Boi is spitting
so hard on the mic right now, that n#### has to be in his prime. This is the
point in your careers where Outkast could be making the best hip-hop records
ever heard. I read where Big Boi said he would even go out on tour by himself to
push the album. C’mon Dre, don’t leave Big Boi out there like that. Bottom line,
Dre don’t stop rapping. Please find a way to want to rap again. Please find
balance in all things you’d like to explore in your career. And please let that
balance include hip-hop.
For comments email J. Hill at offthedomecolumn@yahoo.com. J. Hill is the
Co-Publisher of Criticalmag.com. All opinions
expressed in the “Off the Dome” column are the sole opinions of J. Hill.
We don’s agree with J.Hill on some of this, so let AllHipHop.com know what YOU think. Email us at editorial@allhiphop.com.
