André 3000 shocked the world when he announced that his first solo album in nearly 20 years would be the flute-focused New Blue Sun. But, as it turns out, he was pretty surprised himself when it came to the reaction to the project from listeners. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune (via HipHopDX), Three Stacks noted how “funny” it was to him that Outkast fans were so upset that he didn’t rap on his new album.
“It’s kind of funny: The backlash is actually not from the rap community, or the jazz and spiritual jazz community,” he said. “There’s actually more support — surprising support — from both sides. I think it’s more [OutKast] fans, which I understand. I always try to put myself in their shoes: If my favorite rapper said, ‘I’m not rapping’ and I like it, I like it. But if I don’t, I move on. I think some people take it as blasphemy or something.”
He also explained why he didn’t just release the project under a different name to dodge the expectations that would come with a “new André 3000 album.”
“In retrospect, I’ve asked myself, ‘Would I have been better off releasing it under a new name?’” he admitted. “But I’m glad I didn’t. The ridicule that I get from it is the thing I did not expect. If I’m a fan of anybody, I’m not waiting 17 years for this great rap album to come out. I’m thinking, ‘Well, that ship has sailed.’ I felt like the name ‘André 3000’ showed the bigger story — the journey from where I was to now. I kept it so that wouldn’t get lost.”