After Outkast’s last album release in 2006, Andre “3000” Benjamin, the Grammy-winning artist, has sporadically unveiled a few tracks and made memorable guest appearances on songs by various artists like Beyonce, Drake, and Frank Ocean. However, fans have been eagerly anticipating his debut solo album.
In a surprising announcement early Tuesday morning, the artist revealed that the long-awaited solo album is set to release on Friday. Titled “New Blue Sun,” the album takes an unexpected turn as it is described as “an entirely instrumental album centered around woodwinds; a celebratory piece of work in the form of a living, breathing, aural organism.”
In the announcement, Andre characterizes the work as “therapeutic” and addresses the common misconception about his reluctance to release a rap album. He clarifies, “There’s this misconception that I just won’t do it. I think people feel like I’m sitting around on rap albums, or sitting around and I’m just not putting them out in that way. And no it’s not like that.”
The 48-year-old artist expresses his desire to create a rap album, stating, “In my mind, I really would like to make a rap album. 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.”
