In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, legendary rapper André 3000 opened up about the possibility of creating a solo rap album. While he has long been hesitant about releasing a full-length rap project, the OutKast icon admitted that spending time with fellow rap stars Kendrick Lamar and Drake could potentially motivate him to take on that challenge.
"I think what would help me make a rap album is being around rappers," 3 Stacks explained. "When I moved to California, I wasn't writing. I've talked to Kendrick [Lamar]. We talked, listened to beats. Same with Drake."
He went on to express admiration for the prolific output of these two modern hip-hop titans, noting: "They do four, five songs a day, and I'm like, 'What?' I don't even go to the studio like that. I haven't touched my drum machine in ages."
While André 3000 said he's never directly expressed this sentiment to Kendrick or Drake, he was inspired by their work ethic and the "infectious" energy of being in the studio constantly creating new music.
"I never expressed this to them, but I was so inspired because of their output. Like, when you're in a groove it can be infectious — as opposed to approaching it in a casual way, which, that's where I am now," he explained.
Despite his long-standing hesitation, André admitted that he would "love to make a rap album" as an "awesome challenge" at this stage of his career. He acknowledged that crafting a "fire-ass" rap album at 48 years old would likely be one of the hardest things he could do, but the prospect still excites him.
Fans have eagerly awaited new solo material from the innovative MC since his last full-length project, the ambient instrumental album New Blue Sun, which was released in 2023. With the potential inspiration of Kendrick and Drake, perhaps André 3000's long-desired return to rap could finally come to fruition.
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