A Letter to André 3000

Thank you André Benjamin for your art and self. Your spirit and essence as a member of Outkast, as a solo artist (congratulations on your debut solo release with “New Blue Sun”), and as André Benjamin the person. I, like thousands of others, saw the GQ interview recently and I was moved.

You see, your lyricism and the way you craft and string words together gave a sense of clarity and understanding to a lost 21 year old me. Your second verse on “Elevators” and your opening verse on the lesser discussed “Millennium” are not only two of my favorite verses in hip hop, but they also introduced me to what hip hop could be. It can be vulnerability, it can be bravado, it can be fear of the future. You don’t have to present yourself as this larger than life being with no woes. You can expose your soul and wounds and share them with the world.

You exhibited that same vulnerability in your interview and it really moved me. I’ve always been a staunch supporter of André the rapper. As a fan of hip hop, how could you not? But in more recent years, I recognized I’ve become a supporter of André the person. And maybe that’s because I see we share a similar quality in that if we don’t have anything musically to say, we won’t say it. We refuse to make noise just to be heard, instead, we want to make noise only under the circumstance that we are going to feel and mean what we say. Every syllable, every sound; it will all mean something.

I’m looking forward to the new project, not just because it’s ‘an André 3000 album, the first in 17 years’ or whatever sexy headline is out there, but I’m primarily excited to hear the art you’ve felt comfortable sharing with the world. A piece of art that is lacking in compromise, unfettered from the attachment of it having to be ‘trending’, or ‘on the rise’.

When you smiled in the interview talking about the flute and your love of it, and woodwinds as whole, it brought out a smile in you that the world rarely gets to see. You also spoke with the excitement of a 15 year who nailed their first solo and were’ hooked ‘on the music from there on out.

I hope you find success with this piece of art. Thank you for all you’ve done for me over the years. You made me feel comfortable being a ‘weird’ guy. Thank you for being willing to share your words, stories, and journey as André Benjamin and as André 3000, one half of the legendary Outkast rap group along with Big Boi (who will be getting his own letter).

Photography by Renell Medrano from the GQ Interview.