André 3000, currently fresh off the release of his first-ever solo album New Blue Sun, is “very aware” of how he’s often discussed on social media and beyond.
In a recent interview with Donovan X. Ramsey for Citizen magazine, 3 Stacks addressed such jokes—all of which are centered around different eras of the artist’s ongoing journey—while noting that he and his friends have also been joking about it all for decades now.
“I’m very aware, and me and my homies joke about it all the time,” André said. “We have been joking since 1994 about it. I talked to one of my best friends Swift, and he’s like, ‘Man, you know n***as in Atlanta think you crazy walking around with that fucking flute.’ We laugh about it, you know?”
Speaking more generally on how one’s persona is typically built, noting that it’s both the work of the general public and the artists themselves, André referenced Erykah Badu, with whom he shares a child.
"They put a thing on you, but we’re all just growing beings," he said, adding that he understands why this happens. Closing out the topic, André told Citizen he’s “not oblivious,” nor is he “nuts” like some might say, jokingly or otherwise.
“I’m not crazy—maybe a little crazy, but I understand everything that’s happening,” he said. “And I Iaugh at it.”
New Blue Sun, released through Epic Records in November, is an instrumental album spanning eight tracks and encompassing the contributions of a truly impressive group of musicians.
The album's 12-minute opener, “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a 'Rap' Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time,” swiftly made Billboard charts history by becoming the longest song to ever hit the Hot 100. The record was previously held by Tool’s 2019 single “Fear Inoculum.”
To commemorate the album's release, 3 Stacks linked with Cactus Plant Flea Market for a special collection complementing his lineup of physical format options, including a 3LP vinyl record.
