André 3000 wants LL Cool J to know he appreciates his sentiments but has moved on from rap. On Friday (July 12), André appeared on The Shop with LeBron James to discuss Outkast’s journey. During the conversation, André 3000 addressed why he’s left rap behind. He stated, “If it’s in you, you should rap until you die,” but that ideology no longer serves him. He explained, “I’m always looking for the next. I’m not trying to uphold a thing I’ve done before.” For him, the love of the art form will always be there, but it’s “no longer enough” for him.
Outkast, consisting of André 3000 and Big Boi, exploded onto the scene with their 1994 debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. They helped popularize Southern rap culture, pulling from genres like funk, jazz, and techno. André 3000’s speech at the 1995 Source Awards encapsulated the eventual reign of Southern hip hop: “The South got something to say.”
LL Cool J’s Critique of André 3000’s Album
Prior to André’s interview, LL Cool J voiced his disappointment on The Shop. He said, “He’s amazing, all right? His bars are all the way up. Not the flute, B. Not the flute.” The legendary MC joked it’s like him trying to play the violin. “You wanna hear me do a violin? You might not wanna hear me do sh*t, but do you wanna hear me do a violin?” he asked before the crew burst out laughing.
LL Cool J urged André 3000 to return to rap, saying, “I wanna hear him get with Big Boi. I want them to make an Outkast [album] or [for him] to do a solo album. Every time he does a verse, it’s enough material for an album! He’s so gifted. So it’s like, ‘Come on, B. Not the flute.’ That man needs to know the truth.”
During his own appearance on the YouTube series, André 3000 issued a measured response. He said, “To me, I feel like if it’s in you—’cause I got homies my age and older that still rap—so if it’s in you, you should rap until you die. You should perform until you die.” He added, “What it takes for me to do it, I’m always looking for the next. I’m not trying to uphold a thing I’ve done before.”
André 3000 has been vocal about his hesitancy to rap. In an interview with GQ, he admitted he doesn’t feel like he has anything interesting to rap about now that he’s approaching 50. “People think, ‘Oh, man, he’s just sitting on raps or holding these raps hostage.’ I’m like, ‘I ain’t got no raps like that,’” he clarified. “It actually sometimes feels inauthentic for me to rap because I don’t have anything to talk about in that way.”
For André, the flute has become a crucial outlet for creative expression. He told NPR, “This is the realest thing that’s coming right now. Not to say that I would never [rap] again, but the [song] title, you know, ‘I Really Wanted To Make A Rap Album, But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time’ because this album is about wind and breathing.”