André 3000 Shares the Real Reason That OutKast Hasn’t Reunited
OutKast’s “Idlewild” soundtrack might’ve been the last time we heard the Atlanta duo on a proper album.
André 3000, who went solo and released the jazz album “New Blue Sun” last year, spoke to "Rolling Stone" in a new feature published last week and shared his uncertainty that he and Big Boi will reunite for another OutKast album.
“I’ll say maybe 10, 15 years ago, in my mind, I thought an OutKast album would happen,” he told the publication. “I don’t know the future, but I can say that we’re further away from it than we’ve ever been. I think it’s a chemistry thing. We have to be wanting to do it. It’s hard for me to make a rap, period, you know? And sometimes I’m in the belief of “Let things be.””
The 49-year-old explained that being in the duo was “a great time in life” and that the “chemistry” between him and Big Boi “was at a certain place that was undeniable.”
“And I think the audience sometimes believes that something has to last forever, and I don’t think that,” he continued. “Any kind of art form, I think that’s probably the opposite. It probably should not last forever. It’s not like a product. In the end, we did give a product, but what made that product was a certain time in both of our lives.”
“It’s not like we’re Coca-Cola, where it’s this formula that you can always press a button and it’ll happen. I think the audience feels that way. But the audience never knows what it takes to make what they’re getting. I can’t blame them for that.”
André also explained that it’s doubtful that an OutKast farewell tour will happen, as the duo last reconnected for festival performances in 2014, including Coachella. “And I knew when I was, like, 25, that at a certain age I wouldn’t want to be onstage doing those songs,” he elaborated. “They required a certain energy. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of looking back. I’m just not. I’m grateful for everything that’s happened, but it was a time. To me, that’s what it is. That was a great time, and I wish y’all were there.”
OutKast released six albums, including their 2003 double album “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below,” which won Album of the Year and Best Rap Album at the 2004 Grammys.
Similar to not having a desire to continue his OutKast streak, André previously explained not feeling motivated to rap, thus making an instrumental album. “New Blue Sun” is Grammy-nominated for Album of the Year, Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Instrumental Composition for track “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a 'Rap' Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time.”