OutKast star André 3000 announced that he will release his debut solo album, New Blue Sun, on November 17.
The musician composed one-half of perhaps the most successful rap duo of all time with OutKast and, here at For The Win, he was recently named one of the best rappers to ever live.
But once the duo decided to split in 2007, he didn’t go on to have a prolific solo career like Big Boi, his longtime OutKast partner. Instead, he offered occasional guest features, even winning a Grammy award for his appearance on “Come Home” with Anderson. Paak in 2020.
Now 17 years after releasing his final album with OutKast, André 3000 announced that he will finally release his first solo LP. It is not, however, what many fans were potentially expecting (via NPR):
“One thing it is not, however, is a rap record: No bars, no beats, no sub-bass. André doesn’t sing on this joint, either. What he does do is play flute, and plenty of it — contrabass flute, Mayan flutes, bamboo flutes — along with other digital wind instruments.”
It’s not particularly shocking to learn that André 3000 is ditching the microphone for the woodwind instrument considering how often fans have spotted him playing the flute in public.
He even contributed four songs on the flute to the soundtrack for the Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All At Once.
His upcoming album, however, is far more ambitious. New Blue Sun is an 87-minute-long, experimental project co-produced by percussionist Carlos Niño.
Song titles on the eight-track record include “I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time” and “Dreams Once Buried Beneath The Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens” so that may give you a sense of the vibe.
