André 3000 has announced the release of his long-awaited debut album, New blue sunWhich will arrive on November 17th.
First off, rapper OutKast warns fans that the album is not a rap record. The cover artwork says so, as it includes a sticker warning that the album contains “No Tapes.” Instead, according to NPR Music, New blue sun is an 87-minute collection of minimalist, experimental music featuring Andre 3000 playing a variety of flutes and other wind instruments. There are no bars, no beats, no vocals.
“I don’t want to troll people. I don’t want people to think this André 3000 album is coming! And you play it and say, ‘Man, there are no verses,'” André 3000 said in an interview with NPR. “So, even actually on the packaging , you’ll see it say, “Warning: No bars.” It lets you know what’s off the top.
“I love rap because it was a part of my youth. So I would love to be here with everyone rapping, because it’s like having fun and being on the field. I would love to be here and play with everyone, but that doesn’t happen for me.” “That’s the real thing.” He will come now. I don’t mean I’ll never do it again, but those aren’t the things that will happen now. I must give what was given to me at that time.
To date, André 3000 has never released a solo album; It was the closest he came Love below From OutKast’s 2003 double LP Speakerbox/Love Below. Since the duo’s last album in 2006 Idlewildhis musical output was limited to sporadic guest verses as he instead focused mostly on acting.
However, in recent years, Andre 3000 has gravitated towards the flute and has often been seen playing the instrument in public.
“I’ve been playing the flute for years. It got to the point where it became Instagram-worthy, where people would sneak up and film me playing — in space, in front of an audience,” Andre 3000 explained to NPR. “I would walk for hours just walking . I like to walk. So I would walk and play for hours. I’ve done this for years and it’s getting to the point where I want to get involved. And so the entry New blue sunIt was like trying to figure out, okay, how do I share it? And I had all these ideas and all these influences about the way I wanted it to sound. I think moving to Venice definitely helped introduce me to the people I would be playing with.
Since there are no lyrics or verses on the album, André 3000 relies on the song titles to “provide as much thought or information as possible.” For example, the opening song is titled “I Swear I Really Wanted to Make a Rap Album but That’s the Way the Wind Blown on Me This Time.” Another track is called “That Night in Hawaii When I Turned into a Tiger and Started Making Low-Register Purring Notes That I Couldn’t Control…It Was Wild.”
“I went through a phase where I really liked these long titles,” Andre explained. “I was trying to find joy and I think when people think of flutes they think of cymbals and bells or meditation or these kind of ethereal sounds. They forget that we’re human too.”
You can listen to André 3000’s full interview with NPR Music is here.
Earlier this year, André 3000 contributed a rap to the song “Scientists & Engineers” from Killer Mike’s latest album.
New blue sun Artwork:
New Blue Son Song list:
01. I swear I really wanted to make a rap album but that’s the way the wind blew at me this time
02. The colloquial word p
ssy rolls off the tongue much better than the appropriate word for vagina. do you agree?
03. That night in Hawaii when she turned into a tiger and started making low-register purring notes that I couldn’t control…it was wild
04. BuyPoloDisorder’s daughter wears a 3000™ embroidered button-up shirt
05. Ninety-Three til Infinity and Beyoncé
06. Gandhi, The Dalai Lama, Your Lord and Savior JC/Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy
07. Ants to you, oh gods, to whom?
08. Dreams that were buried under the dungeon floor slowly sprout into never-ending gardens
“Lifelong beer expert. General travel enthusiast. Social media buff. Zombie maven. Communicator.”