André 3000 has been relatively quiet on the rap front for the past few years, but he hasn't given up on the idea of making another OutKast album with his longtime partner Big Boi. In a candid interview with CBS Mornings, the legendary MC revealed his "human side" wants to reunite with his fellow ATLiens, but he also admitted he faces some challenges as a 48-year-old rapper.
In the extended version of the interview, which was posted online on Friday (December 8), 3 Stacks was asked if Big Boi ever pressured him to get back in the studio and record a follow-up to their last album, Idlewild, which came out in 2006.
"No, to be honest," he said. "No but I think because he knows who I am and knows what gets me going, knows what inspires me, knows when I'm excited about something. So I think in that sense, he's never pushed that issue. But I'm sure like, I want another OutKast album. Yeah, like in my mind – but see, that's the thing. That's the human side. I want an OutKast album a long time ago."
He continued: "And honestly for me as an individual, it would be gratifying to me to put out a solo rap situation. But not for nobody else at this point. It's for me because I actually like the challenge of, 'How could I make this part of my life interesting and rhyme in words?' You know what I mean? Like how can I do that? So yeah, it's still a challenge. So I think hopefully with will and intent, something will happen."
You can watch the full conversation below:
André 3000 also explained why he hasn't been rapping much lately, saying he doesn't have anything to talk about that would resonate with the current rap audience. He said he still gets beats from various producers and tries to write all the time, but he doesn't feel authentic or inspired.
"I've worked with some of the newest, freshest, youngest, and old-school producers. I get beats all the time. I try to write all the time," he told GQ in a separate interview. "Even now people think, 'Oh, man, he's just sitting on raps,' or, 'He's just holding these raps hostage.' I ain't got no raps like that. It actually feels…sometimes it feels inauthentic for me to rap because I don't have anything to talk about in that way."
He added: "I'm 48 years old. And not to say that age is a thing that dictates what you rap about, but in a way it does. And things that happen in my life, like, what are you talking about? 'I got to go get a colonoscopy.' What are you rapping about? 'My eyesight is going bad.'"
Instead of rapping, André 3000 has been focusing on his new album, New Blue Sun, which is a non-rapping project that features him playing various wind instruments and digital sounds. He said the album is a reflection of his current state of mind and his connection to nature and breathing.
"I would love to be out here playing with everybody, but it's just not happening for me. This is the realest thing that's coming right now. Not to say that I would never do it again, but those are not the things that are coming right now. And I have to present what's given to me at the time," he told NPR.
"So the title, 'I Really Wanted To Make A Rap Album, But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time' [is] because this album is about wind and breathing. In that way, it is true. It is literally blowing me this way and I'm blowing flutes and I'm blowing digital instruments."
New Blue Sun is expected to be released in early 2023. André 3000 said he hopes the album will inspire people to appreciate the simple things in life and find their own creative outlets.
"I hope people can just listen to it and just enjoy it for what it is," he said. "And maybe it'll spark something in them to do something that they've always wanted to do, or maybe they'll just sit back and just breathe for a minute."
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