THE CULTURE GYRE 

11/14/2023

BY: IAN SHERRY

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     Wow, this must be important for me to bypass the Gretel Hanlyn concert review, Rolling Stones review, and Grammy-talk. Correct.

     Well, we’ve been wishing  for new music, and our wishes appear to be coming true.. André 3000 is releasing his first album in 17 years this Friday, November 17. After all this time, naturally, there’s a twist. It’s all flute.

     The third greatest rapper of all time, by my most current assessment, was ½ of the greatest hip-hop duo of all time. As Outkast, he and his partner Big Boi put out some of the most influential music in Southern Rap, hip-hop, and countless other lanes of contemporary music. From their Southern slice of life Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, to their critically acclaimed Aquemini, or their prototypical smash-hit Stankonia to their ultimate two-part masterpiece Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, Outkast amassed one of the greatest discographies of all time. That, however, is where we run into our first and only problem with André 3000: as a solo artist, he doesn’t have a single album.

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     Following the breakup of Outkast in 2007, André retreated from the spotlight. He seems to have enjoyed  it so much that he has effectively  stayed out of the recording business ever since. His low-profile trajectory reminds me of another talented artist whose time spent off the grid created high levels of anticipation around his return: Frank Ocean. He  also released several fantastic albums, captivated a musically and culturally inclined audience, and then disappeared - only to give occasional features. The biggest difference between the two however, is we’ve gotten glimpses into André’s mind. His featured verses, although infrequent, are very insightful, and when coupled  with his rare interviews, we can begin to create a picture of where he stands.

     André 3000 stepped away 17 years ago, trapped in a state of creative block. He tried to work through it by exploring other mediums, and has continued to do so while struggling with family deaths and mounting public pressure to do something, anything. In recent years especially, the dialogue surrounding his musical inactivity has shifted to retrospective. Less ‘I wish he would’ and more ‘I wish he would have’. Yet he summarized his position best when he explained that hip-hop is a young medium that relies on new swagger and fresh ideas.

     The point of emphasis there? New and fresh. André 3000 is aesthetically one of the coolest people alive. In his prime he rocked a dumb wig and now he wears strange hats, but in the eyes of his fans it all works perfectly. But gazing back into that emerging picture of his mind’s eye, I find it  plausible that he truly believes he isn’t hip. And to be hip, after all, is engrained in the very name of his chosen genre. If  he lacks that, he can’t function within it. It’s a reasonable stance that he’s taken, and although his fans' frustrations with him often leak through their caring attitudes, he’s stood on it. 

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     André 3000 left the scene while grappling with creative difficulties and the inability to produce,, and while he’s taken time to work through his challenges in different ways, including  taking better care of himself, he hasn’t been able to get back to his lofty stature as an actively elite figure in hip hop. That’s fine, especially given our experience with talented, tenured artists forcing creativity  with horrible results: Eminem’s Music To Be Murdered By, The Game’s DRILLMATIC Heart vs. Mind, Kanye West’s Donda 2, all of Kid Cudi’s 2023 singles, and I could go on.

     As I briefly mentioned, André 3000’s features still roll out occasionally, and they’re always top tier. This standard keeps continued  pressure on him to produce new music. He has proven time and time again that he’s still capable, thrusting him into a greater state of current relevancy than he seems to realize.. While he may view himself more like a Lauryn Hill, his fans see him as closer to a Nicki Minaj. Lauryn Hill fans respect and support her decision to focus on her personal life, while Nicki Minaj fans have been waiting semi-patiently for the return of their messiah from motherhood since her last album in 2018, pouncing on every single and driving it to the top of the charts to lure her back out. With respect to the latter, you don’t see André 3000’s name on a tracklist without major conversation  and praise to follow. Case in point: Killer Mike’s “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS” is Grammy-nominated this year, and guess who it features?

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     So please allow me to  summarize my stance. I whole-heartedly believe that André 3000 is a capable rapper, but what about his true  ability to make music? The reason I’m unsure? Because  he’s not sure either. And until he’s sure, I wouldn’t want him to force anything unnatural.

     So when I woke up this morning and saw he had an album coming out, I was a bit concerned. Then I found out it was a flute album, and I wasn’t surprised - in fact I was a bit relieved. I’m hoping this will give us a view into the creative space he’s embodying. If he seems to be thriving creatively in a musical space, of course I’ll want more. And I’ll continue to  want to hear him on the mic. But, for now, this is perfect. I’ll listen, and I’ll read reviews. Some will rave about it, saying it’s the best (probably only) flute they’ve ever heard. Others will rip it to shreds saying he has no business experimenting with it, like they did his occasional guitar performances

     As a person with zero experience listening to or interest in the flute, I don’t plan to review it. I wouldn’t be qualified. Despite, or maybe in light of this being my all-time favorite rapper’s solo debut, I can’t bring myself to opine on something I’m not capable of properly critiquing. I’ll listen to it, form an opinion, and move forward. And I hope André continues to move forward as well.