Imagine thinking that an iconic rapper would release an album with zero vocals. Nobody would have thought about it. Twenty years later, seven-time Grammy Award winner Andre 3000 would be the first to do so. It is weird to change from being one of the most flamboyant rappers to an artist making space-like, futuristic melodies. What is even more bizarre is being a rapper and releasing an album without words, while somehow drawing three Grammy nominations for Best Alternative Jazz Album, Best Instrumental Composition, and even crazier, Album of the Year.
In June 2019, Antonia Cerejido posted a tweet with a picture of Andre playing his flute in an Airport. She said, “I saw a man walking around my terminal playing a flute for 40 minutes and was losing my mind because I thought it was André 3000. And then it WAS André 3000!!!” This was Andre’s first public appearance playing his flute. Over time, people would record or take pictures of Andre making random appearances while walking and playing his flute in public.
Technically, this is Andre’s first solo album after years of making classics with OutKast. The last time he rapped in a song was in Kanye West’s Donda, where he was featured in “Life of the Party.” In an interview with Rick Rubin on The Broken Record podcast, Andre said, “I haven’t been making much music man. My focus is not there. My confidence is not there. I tinker… I tinker a lot,” he said. “Like I would just go to my piano and just sit my iPhone down and record what I’m doing. Move my fingers around. I haven’t been motivated enough to do a serious project. I’d like to… but it’s just not coming.” This interview was from 4 years ago. It was not until last year that Andre would finally release “New Blue Sun.”
The album’s total running time is 87 minutes. As a disclaimer, the album may be boring. Although there are only 8 songs, they are mostly more than ten minutes long, so expect the album to be slow. It is one of those albums that is an acquired taste, as it is experimental.
Andre’s first instrumental is titled, “I Swear, I Wanted to Make A Rap Album But This is The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time.” From the title, there’s a feeling that Andre may have had some regrets about making this album but let them go, since he does not care for the common listener anymore. However, the song is very subtle and ethereal. It also has a multitude of instruments being used, ranging from Andre’s flute to tambourines and cymbals.
“I Swear” serves as an introduction for listeners and lays the foundation for the rest of the album’s tracks.
Andre sheds a bewildering light in the third track, “That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control … **** Was Wild.” He begins with rhythmic drums and plays the flute like a panther waiting for an opportune moment. The drums then continue in the background while purring sounds are being recorded. This continues until the third minute of the track when the rhythm of the drums begins to pick up the tempo and Andre plays his flute in an unsettling manner. The track then finishes and Andre returns to a normal state when he lets out a little exhalation.
The song is interesting because Andre plays as if he is the panther. His producers also chime in by playing other instruments supporting the track’s namesake. The track then focuses on the idea of being a panther so much that it sounds as if it is about the panther Bagheera from Rudyard Kiping’s famous novel, “The Jungle Book.”
Andre ends the album with the track, “Dreams Once Buried Beneath The Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens.” It is a whopping 17 minutes and 11 seconds long and is pretty slow, but picks up right at the nine-minute mark. The track continues at the same tempo and picks up again towards the end. With this track ending the album, it shows Andre’s extraordinary musical vision and his life’s journey since his departure from OutKast.
“New Blue Sun” showed Andre’s distance from the rap genre. Inferring from the first track’s title, Andre still longs to be part of the genre but wants to experiment with something he has been trying for the last few years.
All in all, the album can be good or bad since it is an acquired taste. As most of the tracks are over ten minutes, the album requires a patient ear since it is instrumental. I liked the album. All of the tracks invoke some sort of emotion or feeling just from the instrumentals. The album also shows Andre’s genius without the use of beats or bars. To conclude, “New Blue Sun” deserves its Grammy nods for Andre’s choice to experiment.
