Fans of Outkast member André 3000 woke up to a big surprise. According to NPR, André 3000’s debut solo studio LP, New Blue Sun, will arrive on Friday (November 17). The outlet reports the upcoming release will be an 87-minute project with no rapping.
Apparently, the Atlanta-bred MC used multiple flutes for his latest body of work. NPR Music’s Rodney Carmichael spoke to the musician/actor about his first album in 17 years.
“I’m a writer, and not necessarily a pen and pad writer, but I construct and architect verses in a way,” André 3000 stated. “That’s what I’ve been doing all my life. So I look at it in that way, and if I’m not satisfied with what it is I just don’t put it out.”
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
— Rodney Carmichael (@rodneyology) November 14, 2023
André 3000 Earned Two More Grammy Nominations This Year
As one-half of the groundbreaking southern duo of Outkast with Big Boi, André 3000 helped craft the classic albums Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, ATLiens, Aquemini and Stankonia.
In 2003, Big Boi and André 3000 created the double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Their fifth LP became just the second Hip-Hop album to win the Grammy Award for Album Of The Year. They also put out Idlewild, the final Outkast album, in 2006.
“I really want people to hear it. I really want to share it,” André told Rodney Carmichael about New Blue Sun. “That’s my only gauge. I have to like it as a person, as an artist myself, because if I don’t like it I can’t expect nobody else to like it. I can’t pretend in that way. That’s always been hard for me.”
André 3000 scored two nominations for the upcoming 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024. The 7-time Grammy winner is up for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song as a guest on Killer Mike’s “Scientists & Engineers” along with Future and Eryn Allen Kane.