André 3000 is these days closely associated with the flute, an instrument he’s often spotted with in public, and the Hip Hop icon has now shared a dilemma he faced because of it.
On Tuesday (November 14), NPR published an interview with the OutKast legend in which he discussed his upcoming album as well as the woodwind instrument that is central to its sound.
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Over the conversation, Dre also talked about all the attention he receives for not being as present in the music domain like he used to and the unique opportunities that come his way as a result of his current niche.
“When Virgil [Abloh] passed, his family asked would I play at the funeral and I denied it, but only because I felt like I would be a distraction,” he said. “I don’t know, I just felt like it would have taken away from the moment and I only knew Virgil through texts and a few conversations. So I couldn’t pretend like I knew him that well.
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“I was honored that the family asked me to play at the funeral, but I couldn’t. And so when I told [flute maker] Guillermo, he was like, ‘Yeah, sometimes you have to look at it now as a responsibility to play. They asked you to play for a reason.’”
He added: “When my mom passed, I had this urge to play. But I wasn’t even playing flute back then. I think I was more on guitar at that point. And I just didn’t. I don’t think I could go through with it.
“But yeah, there’s something about it … playing at funerals. I think New Orleans has it best. Like, I think the way we do funerals, I think it’s really antiquated and sad. I think we need to party more.”
The elusive Southern legend made a surprise return to social media this week to reveal that his new project, New Blue Sun, will drop on Friday (November 17).
It will serve as Three Stacks’ first official solo album, although he did release a disc of his own material on OutKast’s Grammy-winning 2003 double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
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In the aforementioned interview, André 3000 shared that New Blue Sun is not a rap record. In fact, it doesn’t even feature any vocals from him. Instead, it’s “a stunning 87-minute mind-bender, minimalist and experimental, tribal and transcendent” that finds the reclusive rap icon showcasing his talents on a range of flutes.
There are no guest appearances from fellow Hip Hop heavyweights either, though jazz musicians such as Carlos Niño, Surya Botofasina and Nate Mercereau have contributed to the tracklist.
