André 3000 shook up the internet earlier this month when he announced he was releasing an experimental jazz album—with ZERO rapping. And while the project, titled New Blue Sun, can’t be considered a huge commercial success, it still managed to outsell several popular rappers in its first week. According to Billboard, New Blue Sun moved 23,783 total album-equivalent units in its opening week, landing at No. 34. That’s more than Lil Durk’s Nightmare in the Trenches, which moved 10,853 units to hobble on the chart at No. 114.
And that’s just the beginning. 2023 has been dismal in terms of rap album sales—only four have hit the No. 1 spot—Travis Scott’s UTOPIA, Lil Uzi Vert’s The Pink Tape, Rod Wave’s Nostalgia and Drake’s For All The Dogs. Last week, Kodak Black’s latest, When I Was Dead, sold just 14,067 units to wind up at No. 74, while Larry June’s The Night Shift moved just under 11,000 to debut at No. 112. Trippie Redd’s Saint Michael fared even worse with 8,892 units to hit No. 161. Aesop Rock’s Integrated Tech Solutions, meanwhile, ended up at No. 169 with 8,801 units moved in its inaugural week.
Needless to say, it appears Hip-Hop fans are more curious about the enigmatic Outkast MC’s instrumental work than most rap these days.
24k on a flute album is wild….#andre3000 pic.twitter.com/Z3E5lloHKQ
— GO HEAD…..SAY IT THEN!! (@iAmJeffSledge) November 27, 2023
André 3000, keenly aware of the pushback he’d receive delivering a bar-less album, named the first song of the project: “I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time.” He explained why he opted to release an all instrumental album in an interview with GQ, saying, “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… 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.”
Outkast fans at least heard a few bars from Three Stacks this year on Killer Mike’s “Scientists & Engineers” featuring Future and Eryn Allen Kane, which lives on the Michael album. Killer Mike was recently nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best Rap Album for Michael, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for “Scientists & Engineers.”
Check it out below.
