André 3000 has broken his media silence this week to promo the upcoming Jimi Hendrix biopic, Jimi: All Is By My Side. Following an appearance on Ellen on Wednesday, André graces the cover of Billboard today, where he talked in detail about the film and shined light on his seven year hiatus. He also opened up about the possibility of new music from OutKast and revealed that as of right now there are no plans for a new project from him and Big Boi, and that they don't even have one new song together.
He’s got no plans for another movie or a solo album — never mind new Outkast music. And just to be clear, here’s how he explains that last one: “There are no plans to do [an Outkast album]. It’s not like some people think: ‘They’re about to drop this album!’ We don’t have, like, one song. There’s no trickery or nothing like that.”
The good news though? André didn't shut out the possibility of new solo music from him in the near future, and said that Big Boi is currently working on his own new solo music.
“I know Big Boi’s [working on his]; I haven’t even started on [mine],” says Benjamin, then adds, sounding his common refrain: “I’ve got to find something I’m excited about.” For the record, he’s not done with rapping: “To be clear, there’s no retirement.” And he’s not in conflict with Big Boi: “It’s kind of like growing up in a house with your brother, people expecting y’all to live in the same room and have bunk beds forever,” says Benjamin. “And people try to read into it and say people are beefing. But it’s nothing like that, man. Big Boi will always be my brother and a really important part of my life.”
In addition to the interview with Billboard, André also recently sat down with NPR's "Microphone Check" program for a nearly 30-minute discussion. During the conversation, which can be heard below, 3 Stacks talked about Southern hip-hop, recently working with Aretha Franklin, and much more. The OutKast reunion tour wraps up this weekend in Atlanta for the #ATLast show, which will also feature Future, Childish Gambino, Kid Cudi, and more.
