From a review, in the NYT, of "Dreams Once Buried Beneath the Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens" by André 3000.
He was a member of the duo Outkast and "one of the most innovative rappers ever," but Outkast has not put out a recording in almost 20 years, and this new album has no rapping or even any words at all. It's purely instrumental, and the instruments are, it says here, "a digital wind instrument, a Maya flute and others of wood and bamboo."
At that last link, there's a quote from André saying that when he was 25, he thought, "I don’t want to be a 40-year-old rapper" and he still agreed with that. That quote is from 2014. He's also quoted saying now, "In my mind, I really would like to make a rap album. So maybe that happens one day, but I got to find a way to say what I want to say in an interesting way that’s appealing to me at this age." He's 48.
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20 comments:
“Absence, the highest form of presence.” ~ James Joyce
I believe Joyce was referring to God.
who?
is this some guy from back in the 90's?
One of my favorite Jewish artists (!) is a king of extreme and he's now doing music for adult cartoons, which is a legit way to stay loud and cranky and above criticism - if a Maya flute doesn't appeal, just yet.
I heard Andre's new work yesterday and was underwhelmed, though it echoes a few musical thoughts I've had, and I (definitely) hear him on the age thing. While I'm glad he hasn't become a male Madonna and humiliated himself, how recording artists on "the cutting edge" mature with dignity is on everyone's mind if they keep working. (It's less of a concern for pure Jazz artists, with their propensity for suits, etc.) For inspiration, I look to groups like The Coasters, who's later work kept everyone guessing just how long it would be before Rap fully arrived.
I recall that Big Boi was livid that Andre dropped out at the height of their popularity. He killed both of their careers.
He played one of my favorite characters in one of my favorite movies too. He was Dabu in Be Cool, the 2005 sequel to Get Shorty starring John Travolta and an unbelievable amount of top performers. Vince Vaughn and Dwayne Johnson give excellent performances. Ditto Cedric the Entertainer, Harvey Keitel and others. Just watch it. Andre 3000 is billed as Andre Benjamin his given name. And Uma Thurman dancing with Travolta again.
Both those guys from Outkast were excellent performers. Nice to see Andre working on innovative music.
Hey Ya is one of the greatest songs of the 21st century, and I don't mind the song, but it sounds like hold music, right?
I guess we all get old and find easy listening is the way to go.
Guess I'm not surprised, you could hear him and Big Boi diverging so much in Speakerboxx/Love Below. I always thought him and Missy Elliot were the two most musically interesting and daring rappers of that generation, glad to see he's continuing to evolve. At times I found myself wanting to say they're the Zappas of rap, but maybe that's going a little far.
I don't know about songs, but Neil Young should have been buried beneath the dungeon floor 50 years ago.
Tom T. said...
"I recall that Big Boi was livid that Andre dropped out at the height of their popularity. He killed both of their careers."
Big Boi's career wasn't killed.
I always thought of him as the black Bryan Ferry.
JSM
Obadiah Parker cover of Hey Ya as a depressing folk tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c745E7T_Wvg&pp=ygUbaGV5IHlhIGNvdmVyIG9iYWRpYWggcGFya2Vy
"one of the most innovative rappers ever"
Heh.
"One of the most innovative rappers ever"
That's insane: Andre 3000's not even in the Top Ten for innovators, and I'm saying that as a fan of his, and of Rap music.
Key & Peele: OutKast Reunion
Crack, fair enough. OutKast was on top of the world back then, though, and he's no longer at that level. What I read said that BB was furious that Andre wouldn't keep OutKast going, but of course that might just be celebrity gossip.
Generally I think rappers have been aging better than their rocker counter-parts. Some of that might because some of the first really popular rappers are now only pushing late 50's or 60's but the early rockers are a bit older than that. Also I don't recall leopard spandex as part of Run-DMC's ensemble. A completely different genre, but German Industrial Metal group Rammstein, has a video that skewers aging rockers trying to eternally chase youth. Zick Zack
Blogger Tom T. said...
"Crack, fair enough. OutKast was on top of the world back then, though, and he's no longer at that level. What I read said that BB was furious that Andre wouldn't keep OutKast going, but of course that might just be celebrity gossip."
I'm sure there's *some* truth to it, T, but what Big Boi has done is what most black artists do, and stayed in the world of black art, which whites don't consider "at that level" because they're not there - though that's where their rebels find us, to begin with. (Think about it: Where would Elvis to Eminem be, if blacks weren't doing our thing outside of the earshot of most whites?) And doing well. Ike Turner was HUGE before he met Tina. Got rich playing exclusively to blacks. And then whites got involved and sided with her, like SHE was the talent. Who needs that? Like Ike, Big Boi's doing fine financially, too, without a white audience. He's a world-renowned artist. He's just staying with the people who inspire him and he knows ain't fickle,...while whites pine for their precious Andre, because he was the one acting like they do. Now he's down to playing NewAge music, even. YIKES.
HoodlumDoodlum,
Key & Peele: OutKast Reunion is hilarious.
The Vault Dweller,
Zick Zack is depressing.
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