André 3000 has released a new 26-minute song featuring something of a hidden rap verse from the OutKast legend.
3 Stacks contributed a song called “Something Is Happening and I may Not Fully Understand but I’m Happy to Stand for the Understanding” to a new compilation album called Transa: Select, which was released in support of transgender awareness and also features tracks from the likes of Sade and Sam Smith.
At nearly half an hour in length, the meandering, meditative track is almost entirely instrumental and wouldn’t sound out of place on André’s debut solo album New Blue Sun.
Where it differs from the material on that project, though, is that the rap icon’s vocals can be heard near the end of the track, but what he is saying is not inaudible and appear to be played in reverse.
Those looking for a buried backmasked message will be disappointed as a user on Reddit isolated and studied the vocal section and reported that André is “just speaking nonsense words.”
It was also reported that the ATLien had performed similar vocals at recent live shows but fans in attendance could not understand what he was saying.
André 3000 recently reflected on the divisive response to New Blue Sun, which is an entirely instrumental project based around woodwind instruments.
Speaking to the Chicago Tribune earlier this month, he said: “It’s kind of funny: The backlash is actually not from the rap community, or the jazz and spiritual jazz community. There’s actually more support — surprising support — from both sides.”
He added: “I think it’s more [OutKast] fans, which I understand. I always try to put myself in their shoes: If my favorite rapper said, ‘I’m not rapping’ and I like it, I like it. But if I don’t, I move on. I think some people take it as blasphemy or something.”
3 Stacks also admitted that he did not anticipate the amount of “ridicule” he would receive for choosing to focus on playing the flute instead of rapping.
“In retrospect, I’ve asked myself, Would I have been better off releasing it under a new name? But I’m glad I didn’t,” he added. “The ridicule that I get from it is the thing I did not expect.
“If I’m a fan of anybody, I’m not waiting 17 years for this great rap album to come out. I’m thinking, ‘Well, that ship has sailed.’”
Great artist….but this Still cant cover up the fact that this dude cant carry a solo album with bars.
Not interested. The pretentiousness of this guy lost me. Making songs and albums with 15-word titles, secret hidden verses that you have to find and play in reverse…bro, either RAP or get off the mic. Dude just wants to be a drag queen and doesn’t want to admit it publicly. Just get it over with.
Once a beloved artist known for his raw authenticity and soulful melodies, he now finds himself trapped in the very fame that catapulted him to stardom. As accolades piled up and expectations soared, his creative instincts dulled, overshadowed by the relentless pressure to reinvent himself. The artist now consumed by the industry’s demands, losing sight of the passion that once fueled his music. In this gilded cage, he struggles to remember why he was celebrated in the first place, caught between the allure of perfection and the essence of genuine expression.
All the consumers gonna hate. Guess what? Andre didn’t make music for you to like…it just happened that you did. So quit whining, quit complaining, and stop telling him he should cater to your basic taste. You love him because he took you somewhere new, and because you’re not an artist, you just want him to keep recreating that space. Artists are constantly learning, evolving, testing themselves and their ‘truths.’ For the few artists who, in a brief flash, bring you lemmings into their world, you get a moment of wonder and then expect it to last forever. Please, just go listen to a Will Smith playlist, book a Carnival cruise, and STFU!
‘He didn’t make music for you to like’ ? What??? Well then why is it public? Hey, nobody is saying he can’t make whatever kind of music he wants privately. He can sit in his house and play a zither if he wants. But when you charge money for your music, and put it out for public consumption, on a RECORD LABEL, then YES, it’s supposed to be made with the intent of people liking it. An artist can ‘tell his truth’ and all these other little buzzwords and phrases that absolve people of any responsibility nowadays, but also your ‘truth’ can sound BAD, like his flute garbage, and when it’s distributed for public consumption then guess what? The public has the right to opine on whether or not the music is of high quality. Peace.
Fair enough. My point being, feels like people don’t respect pushing boundaries. He is not a corporation that you’re a shareholder of. He has every right to explore his artistry in the public eye. Just because his new music doesn’t meet your (and most of the public’s) expectation of him as the André of yesteryear, it doesn’t make it unworthy of being shared or purchased. If record labels stuck to what worked, we’d all be listening to Opera and Parlor music. There are plenty of people who would gladly pay to dive deeper into the nuance of his artistic evolution. If you don’t like it, all good. Nobody is forcing you to buy it.
Well said, and I respect your opinion. I greatly respect artistic evolution and freedom. Honestly, when I heard about the flute album, I was mildly interested in what it would sound like, and I listened to it. After listening, boy was I glad I didn’t spend money on it, and I felt bad for people who did, because it was a troll job. I mean, he doesn’t KNOW HOW to play the flute. This isn’t like The Beastie Boys making rock music after having learned how to properly play guitars and drums. Andre is just messing around like a 4th grader on his school issued recorder. It actually felt disrespectful to the REAL musicians and engineers on that album. It was a desperate attempt for Andre to either make money, or stay relevant in the public eye, both of which are reliant upon PAYING listeners who felt like they got duped after buying a record they’ll never listen to again. It’s like buying tickets to a comedy show and the comedian doesn’t tell one joke, he just ‘tells his truth’. Fans have the right to BOO the performance. Peace..
This ninja. Sheesh. Oh heavenly Father why u even bother, watching ova Me, growing up a lil G, My MAMA thought I’d grow 2 bee, a lawyer or a doctor, but I felt like coming harder, packed a shank up in my sock during kiddie garden! 1 of hardest versus eva DOE
This shit is very different, it is in the direction where the music should be creatively, some Kool Keith type shit! The headache microwave, 25 minute albums nowadays are destroying your brains folks
Is it at all possible to evolve respectfully as an artist? Are you always pigeon held to the demands and standards of the audience? Ah hem, so called rap or music lovers – you are not a lover of music. You are a lover of a commercial concept that only offers a glimpse into the mind and artist vision. Go deeper – As a lover of music I get in moods where I don’t want your words, I just want the music itself – in enters my appreciation for my culture’s creation JAZZ. Grow up. I repeat Grow Up. If you’re looking for a genie to spew the same rhymes and beats to make you feel validated or feel all the feels your just a consumer.
Is it at all possible to evolve respectfully as an artist? Are you always pigeon held to the demands and standards of the audience? Ah hem, so called rap or music lovers – you are not a lover of music. You are a lover of a commercial concept that only offers a glimpse into the mind and artist’s vision. Go deeper – As a lover of music I get in moods where I don’t want your words, I just want the music itself – in enters my appreciation for my culture’s creation JAZZ. Grow up. I repeat Grow Up. If you’re looking for a genie to spew the same rhymes and beats to make you feel validated or feel all the feels you’re just a consumer.
Is it at all possible to evolve respectfully as an artist? Are you always pigeon held to the demands and standards of the audience? Ah hem, so called rap or music lovers – you are not a lover of music. You are a lover of a commercial concept that only offers a glimpse into the mind and artist’s vision. Go deeper – As a lover of music I get in moods where I don’t want your words, I just want the music itself – in enters my appreciation for my culture’s creation JAZZ. Grow up. I repeat Grow Up. If you’re looking for a genie to spew the same rhymes and beats to make you feel validated or feel all the feels you’re just a consumer.