No flows, no words, no vocals, no lyrics. After 17 years of not working on any massive projects after his time with the Outkast group, many either just wondered or gave up on the idea of Andre 3000 dropping a solo album.
That was until suddenly, on November 14th, an announcement was made on the release of his first album ever, titled New Blue Sun.
Many couldn’t tell what was more shocking; the fact it was his first album or… no lyrics? Just 87 minutes worth of him playing the flute and collaborating with different instruments for backing. The fact that Andre was dropping anything at all served as hype alone, and he delivered on that.
The product released was an immersive one, to say the least. We are taken on a journey through Andre experimenting with the flute, along with a newer take on his production. The album could be described as a new experience for both the artist and listener.
As more tracks cycle and play, the listener can hear distinct and drastic quality changes as it progresses. Andre was becoming better as he worked on more tracks for the album. For those listening, it serves as a new and engaging one. Hearing an artist attempt to experiment or completely change their sound will always bring intrigue and attention to their music. Andre successfully did that while maintaining his core fanbase.
Despite hip-hop legends Lil Wayne and Nas dropping their respective albums, Andre 3000 managed to outsell them both, within the following weeks. This is not to say the former mentioned albums are bad, but rather this type of phenomenon needs to be studied. That, or there is something more simple that needs to be mentioned and done more; experimentation.
Hip-hop overall has been in a weird state lately, with no marginal changes in style or trends since the Soundcloud era (2016-19). The anticipation for Ande’s album to drop may be the reason why it has generated more talks and attention toward it, but it may be due to another stylistic shift in music or genre. Personally, listening to this album has brought attention to this once more.
To put it simply, hip-hop has begun to look more stale lately. Andre’s moving outside his comfort zone has expanded not only his talents but also his listeners’ taste in music. As much as people wanted to see him rap again, this was a satisfying album to listen to. It would be nice to hear him on more projects in the future no matter if it’s rap or instrumentals. Either way, his music will always push boundaries.
