André 3000‘s new album will feature raps after all, thanks to Lupe Fiasco.
The legendary OutKast lyricist stunned fans this week by announcing his long-awaited solo album New Blue Sun, which drops on Friday (November 17).
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Despite his status as one of the most gifted rappers of all time — who, judging by his series of show-stealing guest verses, has still got it — the project features zero rapping or singing.
Instead, it’s described as a “stunning” and “experimental” instrumental record that showcases 3 Stacks’ skills on the flute, the instrument he’s often seen playing during rare (and random) public appearances.
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The news has been met with mixed reactions from rap heads who have been waiting almost two decades for a full-length solo offering from André Benjamin, and were hoping for the kind of dazzling displays of lyrical dexterity he’s famous for.
But fans’ disappointment might be tempered by the plans of fellow rhyme virtuoso, Lupe Fiasco.
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“Gonna rap all over that 3stacks album and put it in the time capsule for future generations,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday (November 14).
His post was accompanied by a video of a dance troupe performing an elaborate routine to Michael Jackson‘s “Billie Jean,” a hint at the lyrical acrobatics to come.
Whether Lupe will decide to ever share that time capsule, of course, is another question — as some of his followers were quick to address.
“Man we might not live long enough for a capsule u gotta feed the streets,” one person replied, while another wrote: “I hope we can hear these songs one day anyway. I will never stop looking for the time capsule lol.”
The Chicago native is no stranger to applying his pen to eclectic sonic canvases. Outside of the Kanye West, Neptunes and Soundtrakk beats that have graced his studio albums, Lupe has rapped over music from Robert Glasper (“Valleys”), Radiohead (“The National Anthem”) and John Coltrane (“Life, Death & Love From San Francisco”).
Unlike André 3000, Lupe Fiasco hasn’t made plans to release a new album anytime soon, but he has kept his loyal fanbase fed this year with several loosies, including “SentRock,”“Roc-A-Fella Y’all” and “Channel No. 3.”
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His last full-length project, Drill Music In Zion, arrived last year and was named one of the best rap albums of the year by HipHopDX.
