Outkast fans did not need the promise of new music to be filled with happiness when Big Boi and André 3000 reunited backstage in Atlanta on Saturday (March 2). Three Stacks was in town for a stop on his “New Blue Sun Tour” at Center Stage Theater.
Big shared multiple posts of him “live and direct” with his Aquemini brother posing for flicks and sharing a laugh on social media. “You talking ‘bout you ain’t plan on playing the flute,” quipped the Speakerboxxx emcee as his partner in rap smilingly responded, “I didn’t plan on that s**t.” André is currently on the road promoting his new project, New Blue Sun, which dropped in November 2023. The multi-city trek kicked off on Jan. 29 in Brooklyn and concludes on March 9 after a three-night stint at Los Angeles’ Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever.
The 87-minute record is his first solo effort and marks his first LP since Outkast's 2006 Idlewild. Fans were shocked twofold, the first reason being the release of a full-length project and the second being that not a single track featured André rapping. Instead, listeners were taken on a sonically immersive ride through various flutes the musician has picked up over the years.
“I discovered [the] flute and I started playing it over and over again for years, and I felt like it would be great to share it, so it kinda came in a natural way,” he explained in January on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Still, those who know him as being among the most influential lyricists in the game cannot help but wonder if he’ll ever return to his Hip Hop origins. The short answer is maybe, but only time will tell.
"I would love to make a rap album. I just think it’d be an awesome challenge to do a fire a** album at 48 years old. That’s probably one of the hardest things to do! I would love to do that,” he said last month in a Highsnobiety cover story. His most recent foray back into rap is the “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS” track on Killer Mike’s Best Rap Album-winning LP, MICHAEL.