Believe it or not, André 3000 has announced a new album, New Blue Sun, which will not feature any lyrics whatsoever.
In recent years, every sighting of André 3000 involves him playing his flute and just vibing out while minding his business. Seeing him with an instrument has been enough to keep us hopeful for new music from the ATLien. Earlier today (Nov. 14), André took to Instagram to announce he will finally release his first album in 17 years. 3 Stacks revealed his album New Blue Sun will arrive Friday, Nov. 17.
However, there are a few important details you should know about the new project. According to NPR, the project is a mind-bending “minimalist, experimental, tribal and transcendent” 87 minutes inside the mind of André Benjamin. Additionally, the record will not have any bars, bass or beats. What it will have is André 3000 playing his flute, every last one of them.
If you’re wondering how we got here 3k admits he tried to make that rap album y’all wanted. Believe it or not, that is actually the title of the first of 8 songs on the album.
André 3000 New Blue Sun Tracklist:
1. “I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A “Rap” Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time”
2. “The Slang Word P*ssy Rolls Off The Tongue With Far Better Ease Than The Proper Word Va*ina . Do You Agree?”
3. “That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control … Sh*t Was Wild”
4. “BuyPoloDisorder’s Daughter Wears A 3000™ Button Down Embroidered”
5. “Ninety Three ‘Til Infinity And Beyoncé”
6. “Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Your Lord & Savior J.C. / Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, And John Wayne Gacy”
7. “Ants To You, Gods To Who ?”
8. “Dreams Once Buried Beneath The Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens”
While everyone wanted a new rap album from 3 stacks this is about as good as it will get and for good reason. Back in 2019 he joined Rick Rubin on his Broken Record podcast and explained where he was with creating music, according to Rap-Up.
“I haven’t been making much music, man,” said the 44-year-old rapper. “My focus is not there, my confidence is not there.”
While he “tinkers” in the studio, he hasn’t found the inspiration. “I haven’t been motivated to do a serious project,” he added. “I’d like to, but it’s just not coming. In my own self, I’m tryna figure out where do I sit. I don’t even know what I am and maybe I’m nothing. Maybe I’m not supposed to be anything.”
Even if it’s not what anyone expected, at the end of the day André 3000 is still an artist blessing us with his new art. It will be worth streaming, and who knows, he might be what inspires the next direction in hip-hop.