André 3000 just shook up the entire music industry.
In an exclusive interview with NPR Music’s Rodney Carmichael, the iconic rapper announced that his debut solo album New Blue Sun will debut on Friday, November 17.
“I love rap music because it was a part of my youth,” the Atlanta native said in the interview. “So I would love to be out here with everybody rapping, because it’s almost like fun and being on the playground. I would love to be out here playing with everybody, but it’s just not happening for me. This is the realest thing that’s coming right now.”
During this in-depth conversation, André and Carmichael delved into this upcoming project, which is his first full-length album in 17 years. 3000 also explained that New Blue Sun isn’t the release that fans may be expecting from him.
“I don’t want to troll people,” he said. “I don’t want people to think, Oh, this André 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.’ It’s letting you know what it is off the top.”
The album will include a label warning that the LP contains “no bars.” In speaking to Carmichael, André also touched on the experimental journey that led him to his current instrument of choice, the flute, and how it has allowed him to push his one-of-a-kind creative energy into new places.
“I didn’t know I’d be rapping,” he told NPR. “I didn’t know I’d start producing. I didn’t know I’d start singing. I didn’t know my style would go a certain way. I didn’t know I’d put a wig on. Like, I didn’t know none of this. So, I’m on the ride with y’all.”
Today’s announcement comes just a few days after André 3000 was nominated for two Grammy awards for his verse on Killer Mike’s “Engineers & Scientists.” The hypnotic track of the MICHAEL album is nominated for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.