André 3000 provided fans with classic hits as one-half of the rap duo Outkast and has featured on tracks with artists like Frank Ocean, Beyoncé, Drake and more. Now, the rapper and singer plans to drop his debut solo album on Friday, and it’s surprisingly different from his past projects.
On Tuesday, the 48-year-old revealed in an interview with NPR Music that his upcoming album, New Blue Sun, would be a compilation of instrumental songs without vocals. Instead, the Atlanta native plays a myriad of flutes.
André said the album’s packaging warns fans of the type of music they will listen to before purchasing or streaming it.
“I don’t want to troll people. I don’t want people to think, ‘Oh, this André 3000 album is coming!’ And you play it and like, ‘Oh man, no verses,'” he said. “So even actually on the packaging, you’ll see it says, ‘Warning: no bars.’ It’s letting you know what it is off the top.”
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The album has unique song titles, including the opening track, “I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time.”
During the interview, the “Hey Ya!” artist revealed he had taken the time to create this album because he wanted to find songs worth sharing with his fanbase, per Fox 5 Atlanta.
“That’s why ‘New Blue Sun’ was something that I realized, whoa, I really want people to hear it. I really want to share it. 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,” he explained.
As a profound flutist, André still considers hip-hop his first love and holds the genre dear to his heart.
“I love rap music because it was a part of my youth. So I would love to be out here with everybody rapping, because it’s almost like fun and being on the playground. I would love to be out here playing with everybody, but it’s just not happening for me,” he said. “This is the realest thing that’s coming right now. Not to say that I would never do it again, but those are not the things that are coming right now. And I have to present what’s given to me at the time.”
Here’s the complete tracklist for New Blue Sun:
- I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A “Rap” Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time
- The Slang Word P(*)ssy Rolls Off The Tongue With Far Better Ease Than The Proper Word Vagina . Do You Agree?
- That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control … Sh¥t Was Wild
- BuyPoloDisorder’s Daughter Wears A 3000™ Button Down Embroidered
- Ninety Three ‘Til Infinity And Beyoncé
- Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Your Lord & Savior J.C. / Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, And John Wayne Gacy
- Ants To You, Gods To Who ?
- Dreams Once Buried Beneath The Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens
