Outkast rapper Andre 3000 releasing new album -- of woodwinds / Photo: © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
-
Manchester United rallies past Roma as PSG dominates in Champions League
-
Enel to Install Solar Panels at Niterói Waste Management Facility
-
Qatar prime minister advances mediation through diplomatic calls
-
Qatar sees tentative opening for renewed regional diplomacy
-
Greenland parliament approves security agreement with United States
-
Qatar Tourism joins Pacific Asia Travel Association at London travel market
-
Qatar envoy meets incoming UN General Assembly president
-
Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Seat in Historic Election
-
Trump Signals Willingness to Work With Democrats After Midterm Defeat
-
Qatar media bodies discuss support for humanitarian initiatives
-
Galloway accuser could not foresee publishing-sector fallout, lawyer argues
-
No. 22 UCLA defeats No. 5 Arizona 84-75 despite Kharchenkov's 38 points
-
New York City Center revives In the Heights as a timely community story
-
Vessel operator seeks witnesses after Vancouver grounding
-
Godzilla Minus Zero shifts focus toward postwar human drama
-
US Air Force deploys F-16 fighters to remote Aleutian base for readiness drill
-
Mehbooba Mufti urges dialogue and renewed Central Asia links for Kashmir
-
Bezos grant helps Seattle nonprofit move thousands of families toward housing
-
Seacliff Healthcare Seeks Specialist GP in Thirroul
-
Shrini Srivastava joins crew of Varanasi-Delhi Vande Bharat Sleeper service
-
US stocks fall before midterm Election Day as technology shares weaken
-
Nearly Half of Australian Workers Overqualified, Survey Finds
-
BLS Polymers makes strong market debut at ₹248 per share
Outkast rapper Andre 3000 releasing new album -- of woodwinds
For nearly two decades fans of Outkast -- the rap duo that ruled the early 2000s with hits including "Hey Ya!" -- have prayed for a solo album from member Andre 3000.
On Friday they will get their wish -- but the eccentric artist won't utter a word on it.
In an announcement on Tuesday, Andre 3000 said he would release "New Blue Sun," which he described as "an entirely instrumental album centered around woodwinds."
For years, the Grammy-winning 48-year-old -- who last released an album in 2006 with Outkast -- has been spotted worldwide with his flutes, creating a sort of "Where's Waldo" game for fans.
"I've been interested in winds for a long time, so it was just a natural progression for me to go into flutes," Andre said in the announcement. "I just like messing with instruments and I gravitated mostly toward wind."
Born and raised Andre Lauren Benjamin in Atlanta, Georgia, a nexus of US rap, the artist made a name for himself alongside musical partner Big Boi as part of Outkast, whose hits also included "Ms. Jackson," "The Way You Move" and "So Fresh, So Clean."
But Andre receded from the public eye after achieving global success, surfacing for occasional features on songs including those by Beyonce and Kanye West.
In 2014, he reunited with Big Boi to play a string of festival shows, and in 2018, he released two songs on SoundCloud that were focused on the bass clarinet.
He cites influences including Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane and Brian Eno as inspiration for his new body of work.
"In my mind, I really would like to make a rap album," he said in his announcement.
"So maybe that happens one day, but I got to find a way to say what I want to say in an interesting way that's appealing to me at this age."
The first of the eight tracks on "New Blue Sun" is entitled "I Swear, I really Wanted to Make a 'Rap' Album But This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time."
It is 12 minutes long.
"I don't want to troll people," Andre said in a new interview with radio broadcaster NPR. "I don't want people to think, 'Oh, this Andre 3000 album is coming!' And you play it and like, 'Oh man, no verses.'"
"So even actually on the packaging, you’ll see it says, 'Warning: no bars.'"
W.Huber--VB
