Andre 3000 wants LL Cool J to know while he appreciates his sentiments about returning to rap, he’s moved on. On Friday (July 12), the Atlanta native stopped by The Shop with Lebron James to discuss Outkast’s story. While recalling the duo’s early beginnings, Andre 3K also addressed why he’s left rap behind. In his opinion. “if it’s in you, you should rap until you die,” but that no ideology longer serves the 49-year-old. “I’m always looking for the next. I’m not trying to uphold a thing that I’ve done before.” For the “Hey Ya!” rapper, the love of the art form will always be there, but it’s “no longer enough” for him.
Outkast —comprised of Andre 3000 and Big Boi— exploded onto the scene with their 1994 debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. Pulling from various genres including funk, jazz, and techno, the pair helped popularize Southern rap culture. Andre 3000’s speech at the 1995 Source Awards struck a cord and ultimately encapsulated the eventual reign of Southern hip hop: “The South got something to say.”
LL Cool J Not A Fan Of New Andre 3000 Album
Prior to Andre’s interview, LL Cool J stopped by The Shop arguing that despite what some say, nobody wants him playing the flute. “He’s amazing, all right?” he tells the guests. “His bars is all the way up. I’m very clear. Not the flute, B. Not the flute. Don’t do the flute.” The legendary MC joked that it’s the equivalent of him trying to play the violin.
“You wanna hear me do a violin? You might not wanna hear me do sh*t, but do you wanna hear me do a violin?” he posed to the crew before they burst out in laughter. In other news, LL Cool J’s The FORCE is scheduled to be released on September 6. It would be the rapper’s first album in over a decade since 2013’s Authentic.