André 3000 has responded to the criticism surrounding his album New Blue Sun, noting that most of the negative feedback has come from OutKast fans rather than Hip Hop or jazz communities. Last year, fans were surprised when the rapper’s highly anticipated solo debut turned out to be an instrumental project centered on woodwind instruments.
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune ahead of a recent tour stop, André 3000 shared an interesting observation about the backlash. “It’s kind of funny: The backlash is actually not from the rap community, or the jazz and spiritual jazz community. There’s actually more support — surprising support — from both sides,” he explained.
He pointed out that it’s primarily OutKast fans who have voiced disappointment. “I think it’s more [OutKast] fans, which I understand. I always try to put myself in their shoes: If my favorite rapper said, ‘I’m not rapping’ and I like it, I like it. But if I don’t, I move on. I think some people take it as blasphemy or something.”
André 3000 also admitted he didn’t expect the level of ridicule he received for moving away from rap. Reflecting on whether he should have used a different name for the project, he said: “In retrospect, I’ve asked myself, Would I have been better off releasing it under a new name? But I’m glad I didn’t. The ridicule that I get from it is the thing I did not expect.”
He added that keeping his name on the project was intentional: “I felt like the name ‘André 3000’ showed the bigger story — the journey from where I was to now. I kept it so that wouldn’t get lost.”
The shift to playing the flute was also unplanned, as André explained during a Los Angeles performance earlier this year. “’How you just gon’ be rapping and then just get on stage playing flutes?’ Like, I didn’t plan to be the flute guy. It just kinda, like, happened,” he said, reflecting on the unexpected twists in his musical journey.
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