2016 has gifted us with a welcome number of guest features from André 3000. It has yet to result in any new solo material, but André hasn't disappointed with his verses. He's one of the most gifted poets of our time, and one of its nimblest rappers, too. Of course, his work with Big Boi in Outkast is well-loved and widely appreciated, and while we still hope that they get together and make new music, solo André 3000 has an incredible catalog of guest features.
This list does not include any tracks André 3000 appeared on as part of Outkast (so no "Int'l Players Anthem," which surely has one of the best opening verses ever), but it still could have been much longer (apologies to Beyoncé's "Party," Jay Z's "30 Something" remix, and the others that didn't make the cut).
These are the 10 best André 3000 guest verses. Let us know what your favorites are.
10. Travis Scott - "the ends"
Year: 2016
That's how you start an album. Travis Scott's Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight was one of this year's most anticipated releases—fans had pored and picked over prospective tracklists, but Travis still managed to shock us all by pulling in André 3000 for the opening track.
Travis' guest goes dark: during André's Atlanta childhood, a serial murderer named Wayne Williams would lure his victims by claiming to work in the music industry. It's a memory that has previously haunted André on "Aquemini," but he gets even more specific on "the ends," rapping, "Bodies, bodies, bodies sprinkled around / We runnin' through the sprinkler lookin' around / Killer would show up with boxes of pizza / And said he had a label recruitin' people."
9. Chris Brown - "Deuces (Remix)"
Year: 2010
Superstars: if you want someone to rap circles around you, just get André 3000 on the remix. Chris Brown got a gang of heavy hitters to remix "Deuces," including verses from Drake, T.I., Kanye West, Rick Ross, and Fabolous, but none of them came close to André's closing verse.
He switches flows, warns you to get your mind out of the gutter, and even references his legendary opening verse on UGK's "Int'l Players Anthem" (It starts: "So, I typed a text to a girl I used to see") with the opening bars on this remix ("The farewell email from a female").
It may not have the sharp political commentary or fast-paced bars that he flexes on other verses on this list, but his "Deuces (Remix)" verse is a master class in how to stay creative when rapping about a subject (breakups) that's been covered a million times before.
8. Devin the Dude - "What A Job"
Year: 2007
The concept of "What A Job" is pretty simple: it's about being a professional rapper. On the first two verses, Devin The Dude and Snoop Dogg both share some wisdom and stick to the script, but André has the final say, and he showcases his unique ability to make even the simple feel profound.
He starts by breaking down a couple negatives of rapping for a living, dismissing some of the stereotypical motivations (money, women) before getting into the story. It's a story that illustrates so much of what we respect about André: mainly, that he makes music for the love and for the fans. His verse is so detailed and specific that by the end of it, you have to wonder if it's a true story, and that somewhere in the world there's an Outkast fan who inspired one of André's best features. If that's the case, this verse is the ultimate example of making music for the fans. If it's not, then damn—André is a gifted storyteller.
7. Young Jeezy - "I Do"
Year: 2012
Young Jeezy’s TM:103 Hustlerz Ambition was the last of his Thug Motivation series, and arguably the best. The album is heavy with features from Future, Snoop Dog, 2 Chainz, and of course, André 3000.
On “I Do,” Jeezy and Jay-Z make a metaphor of their relationship with the streets and the hustle before 3000 comes in with a verse that really is about love, women, and even marriage. He brings a melodic delivery to the soulful M16-produced beat, and injects some humor into the song's final verse.
6. $ilk Money - "Decemba"
Year: 2016
This was without a doubt the most surprising verse on this list, and technically it's not even an André 3000 verse—the rapper goes by his government name Andre Benjamin on this remix, but it has no effect whatsoever on the outcome. He still gets his bars off—and not just his bars.
This is one of André's more violent verses, a tale of forbidden love that ends in a hail of bullets, mid-coitus. Stick around for the sequel, too—for the outro, André imagines a movie set years after his verse ends.
5. T.I. - "Sorry"
Year: 2012
These two legendary Atlanta rappers are in rare form on “Sorry,” a track on T.I’s Trouble Man album. T.I. unloads during the first two verses, but André steals the show, a fact T.I. readily admitted when talking about the song. André's verse requires repeated listening—there's a lot to take in, including an apology to Big Boi, a breakdown of his relationship with Erykah Badu (and their son), and some heartbreaking ruminations on fame.
"This that shit that'll make you call your mama..."
4. Erykah Badu - "Hello"
Year: 2015
The last track on Erykah Badu's But You Cain't Use My Phone mixtape was a gift for fans of both artists—Badu and André have remained friendly (and good parents) since parting ways romantically, but musical collaborations have been scarce. This made it all worth the wait. Bird song and some gentle vibraphones set the scene before André begins a two-tiered assault on smartphones and relationships.
"Okay, challenge," he begins. "Leave your phone unlocked and right side up / Walk out the room without throwin' your bitch off balance." He launches into staccato harmonies next, a burst of jazz-rap with a lyrical oxymoron: "I don't know," André exclaims, even though that's clearly not true. He comes back after a verse from Badu, and the two close the song out with another Easter egg for their day ones: the outro's "squirrel" is in reference to their nicknames for one another.
3. Frank Ocean - "Pink Matter"
Year: 2012
The anticipation for Frank Ocean’s Blonde had a lot to do with his first album, Channel Orange. “Pink Matter” was one of the standouts on the 2012 release, thanks in no small part to André 3000's cooing, murmured verse.
It's yet another example of André's versatility—he's able to spout off brags over huge hip-hop production, or he can rap about memory and butter knives over spare slap bass and distant strings.
2. Rick Ross - "Sixteen"
Year: 2012
Sometimes sixteen bars just isn't enough. Sometimes you need four full minutes to say everything that's on your mind, which is exactly what André did on this truly epic feature. The verse is incredible, the hook is immortal, the bridge is funky, and even his wailing ad-libs are the stuff of genius. Rick Ross does his thing on the song's first half, but his smartest decision was leaving the rest to André.
1. Frank Ocean - "Solo (Reprise)"
Year: 2016
Four years after "Pink Matter," André and Frank Ocean linked up again for a decidedly different song. "Solo (Reprise)" has some of André's most unique and left-field flows, starting with that opening war cry. His is the only voice that appears on the track, a whirlwind of prescience and takedowns accompanied by deep, often dissonant piano chords.
André reportedly wrote the verse back in 2014, but his lyrics are so on point for 2016 that he was accused of calling out artists like Drake for their use of ghostwriters.
