Earlier this week, Atlanta native Andre Benjamin, best known as Andre 3000, popped up in a metro-Atlanta parking lot for a memorable impromptu performance.
The Grammy-winning rap artist and instrumentalist was recorded performing flute compositions on his Roland Aerophone AE-10. Professional cameras captured the moment in the Metro Mart USA parking lot as onlookers respectfully listened. Donning a suit and sneakers Andre 3000 put himself in the limelight, something he has avoided for most of the last decade.
For most of the 2000s, Andre was seemingly everywhere, especially as one-half of the legendary hip-hop duo, Outkast.
There has been no official announcement as to whether the pop-up concert will be a continual series.
While the exceptional lyricist has left behind rhyming for now, he has dropped two instrumental projects in the last few years. His latest offering, 7 Piano Sketches, was released May 5.
“I had a piano in my house, and sometimes I would record ideas, or record myself improvising and making up stuff from scratch,” he told GQ. “I was like, ‘This is pretty interesting.’ So I wanted to make a collective out of them. I think it’s a cool piece of music that people might want to have in their arsenal.” A
The unannounced drop of 7 Piano Sketches accompanied an extremely rare appearance for Andre at a Hollywood event, wearing a replica of the Steinway Model S baby grand by design company Pink Sparrow.
Before the “Hey Ya” rapper’s latest release, Andre 3000 dropped his first instrumental offering, A New Blue Sun, in November 2023, a seven-track exploration of the flute with a message, “Warning: No Bars.”
Lyrics or not, Andre Benjamin is back.
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