André
3000
caused
a
stir
in
the
news
this
month
after
announcing
a
new
solo
project
that
leans
into
the
Outkast
rapper’s
musical
interests
of
late.
I
know
that
some
of
tired
of
the
discourse
around
3
Stacks
and
his
current
decision
to
move
on
from
rapping,
but
he
made
an
excellent
point
in
explaining
why
he
put
down
the
microphone.
In
a
recent
GQ
profile,
André
3000
mentioned
that
at
the
age
of
48
along
with
his
current
state
of
being,
rapping
isn’t
a
priority
for
him
as
it
once
was.
3000
also
added
that
the
content
he’s
hearing
doesn’t
reflect
the
concerns
of
those
approaching
middle
age,
and
he
isn’t
entirely
wrong
about
that.
Although
some
took
his
words
as
a
jab
toward
some
of
his
veteran
peers,
the
artist
born
André
Lauren
Benjamin
believes
that
Hip-Hop
artists
near
or
around
his
age
should
rap
about
the
reality
of
where
they
are
and
not
the
fanciful
parts
of
life
that
most
listeners
will
never
obtain.
Sadly,
the
knee-jerk
reaction
to
3000’s
statement
will
render
some
to
think
he’s
dumping
on
older
Hip-Hop
acts
or
calling
into
question
their
maturity.
Recently,
Joe
Budden
caught
the
ire
of
Drake
over
his
For
All
The
Dogs
album
due
to
the
content
seeming
to
be
aimed
towards
a
younger
demographic,
certainly
younger
than
the
37-year-old
Canadian
superstar.
Like
most
discussions
around
Hip-Hop,
which
I
try
to
avoid
because
most
people
have
the
communication
skills
of
an
agitated
wasp,
people
didn’t
hear
what
3000,
or
Budden,
for
that
matter,
tried
to
convey.
Even
stranger
to
witness
was
the
entitlement
of
fans
demanding
Stacks
get
back
to
rapping,
even
with
his
Outkast
brother
Big
Boi
fully
supporting
his
partner’s
new
direction.
In
the
same
GQ
conversation
I
referenced
above,
Stacks
didn’t
rule
out
rapping;
he
just
wants
to
be
inspired
to
do
it
on
his
terms.
That
said,
if
he
never
raps
again,
good
for
him.
He
doesn’t
need
to.
And
when
he
does,
it’s
going
to
be
a
body
of
work
that
won’t
lack
substance
and
will
wow
us
like
all
the
spare
verses
he’s
done
over
the
last
decade.
People
are
saying
online
that
André
3000
saying
he
has
nothing
to
rap
about
at
48
seems
like
a
cop-out
and
I
get
what
some
are
saying
considering
how
good
of
a
lyricist
he
is.
But
if
you’ve
moved
on
from
something
that
once
served
you,
it
was
probably
for
the
better
good.
My
only
countering
point
to
those
disappointed
in
3000
not
rapping
—
even
though
he’d
probably
body
the
“Grown
Man
Rap”
lane
—
is
to
go
listen
to
Little
Brother’s
2019
album,
May
The
Lord
Watch,
or
Phonte’s
2018
solo
album,
No
News
Is
Good
News,
and
Rapper
Big
Pooh’s
2022
solo
album,
To
Dream
In
Color,
which
I
named
as
one
of
my
favorite
albums
of
last
year.
I
recently
caught
wind
of
a
rapper
out
of
Detroit
by
the
name
of
Paradime,
an
artist
who
was
new
to
me
but
epitomized
what
I
meant
when
it
comes
to
the
term
“Grown
Man
Rap.”
It’s
a
phrase
I
don’t
really
enjoy,
hence
the
quotes,
but
it’s
clear
what
I’m
trying
to
convey.
The
rule
that
Hip-Hop
is
a
young
man’s
game
is
changing
as
veterans
are
rapping
longer
and
still
great
at
their
crafts.
Speaking
of
greats,
Joell
Ortiz,
who
shares
the
same
Mello
Music
Group
label
as
the
aforementioned
Paradime,
routinely
shows
his
writing
range
as
a
man
in
his
early
40s.
Ortiz,
if
anyone
is
unaware,
will
also
bar
your
face
off
so
it’s
not
just
old
man
on
the
porch
raps
going
on
these
days
with
the
vets.
Hip-Hop
as
a
whole
has
so
many
artists
making
“mature”
(again,
lack
of
a
better
term
here)
music
you
can
play
in
front
of
your
friends
and
not
be
accused
of
trying
to
keep
up
with
the
youngsters.
Acts
like
Solemn
Brigham,
Oddisee,
Atmosphere,
Homeboy
Sandman,
Rapsody,
Sa-Roc,
McKinley
Dixon,
Che
Noir,
Skyzoo,
Homeboy
Sandman,
J-Live,
Open
Mike
Eagle,
and
even
grittier
rappers
like
Conway
The
Machine
can
reach
into
those
chambers
to
deliver
poignant
bars
to
the
people.
And
that
was
just
off
the
top
of
my
head
because
I’m
sure
there
are
dozens
of
other
rappers
who
have
this
said
ability.
Hip-Hop
is
what
you
make
it
and
what
you
need
from
it.
And,
for
what
it’s
worth,
André
3000
doesn’t
need
to
be
seen
as
an
elite
rapper
anymore.
Like
any
of
us,
he
is
just
a
person
trying
to
figure
out
his
life
and
artistry
without
compromising
his
integrity
or
his
purpose.
Check
out
André
3000’s
solo
project,
New
Blue
Sun,
at
your
preferred
digital
outlets.
—
Photo:
Emma
McIntyre
/
Getty
