Listen to André 3000’s new album New Blue Sun
The former Outkast rapper’s first new album in 17 years is a collection of woodwind compositions.
André 3000. Photo by Kai Regan.
André 3000 has released his long-awaited new solo album New Blue Sun. Announced earlier this week, the project is a collection of woodwind flute compositions from the former Outkast rapper.
New Blue Sun is co-produced by 3000 and Carlos Niño. The album's backing musicians are Nate Mercereau (guitar, samples), Surya Botofasina (keyboards), and Carlos Niño (percussion), along with additional appearances from Diego Gaeta, Matthewdavid, V.C.R, Diego Gaeta, Jesse Peterson, Deantoni Parks, and Mia Doi Todd.
3000's last full-length album of rapping was 2006's Idlewild with Outkast. Since then he's been highly sought-after for feature verses, appearing on songs by Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, Drake, A Tribe Called Quest, Travis Scott, Future, and many more. His most recent appearance on a rap song came on Killer Mike's 2023 track "Scientists & Engineers" from his album Michael. Also featuring Future and Eryn Allen Kane, the song is nominated for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
His decision to release a non-rap album despite nearly two decades of fan demand was a matter of practicality, 3000 said in a GQ video cover story. "I try to write all the time,” he said. "Even now people think, 'Oh, man, he’s just sitting on raps,' or 'he’s just holding these raps hostage.' I ain’t got no raps like that... Sometimes it feels inauthentic for me to rap because I don’t have anything to talk about in that way. I’m 48 years old. And not to say that age is a thing that dictates what you rap about, but in a way it does."
Creating an album of woodwind flute compositions wasn't a huge leap for 3000, who has been gone viral over the past few years for playing a flute in public. “I've been interested in winds for a long time, so it was just a natural progression for me to go into flutes... I just like messing with instruments and I gravitated mostly toward wind.”
New Blue Sun is technically his second solo album after 2004's The Love Below, one-half of the double Outkast album; the project recently became the best-selling rap album of all time. See the tracklist and cover art for New Blue Sun below, followed by Apple Music and Spotify streams of the project.
New Blue Sun cover art and tracklist
1. I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A “Rap” Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time
2. The Slang Word P(*)ssy Rolls Off The Tongue With Far Better Ease Than The Proper Word Vagina . Do You Agree?
3. That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control … Sh¥t Was Wild
4. BuyPoloDisorder’s Daughter Wears A 3000™ Button Down Embroidered
5. Ninety Three ‘Til Infinity And Beyoncé
6. Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Your Lord & Savior J.C. / Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, And John Wayne Gacy
7. Ants To You, Gods To Who ?
8. Dreams Once Buried Beneath The Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens
