Moments after arriving at the Met Gala in New York tonight (May 5) wearing “a bespoke piano creation” by Burberry in collaboration with his own benji bixby fashion line, André 3000 has released a seven-track, 16-minute collection of music, 7 piano sketches. The Epic project follows his Grammy-nominated 2023 album New Blue Sun, which found him surprisingly trading his usual rhymes for expansive, flute-forward jazz.
Says André 3000, “the original title for it was The Best Worst Rap Album in History and here is an excerpt from the original liner notes: ‘It’s jokingly the worst rap album in history because there are no lyrics on it at all. It’s the best because it’s the free-est emotionally and best I’ve felt personally. It’s the best because it’s like a palette cleanser for me.’”
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7 piano sketches, which is splashed with the warning “no bars,” was partially written and recorded before New Blue Sun and was inspired by a trip to Texas home with said instrument as one of its only components. The artist was said to be “drawn to the idea of creating more and sharing them in the spring, a time of year that promises that life, creativity and possibility are ever-renewing.”
As previously reported, André 3000 will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November with his Outkast cohort Big Boi. On Saturday (May 10), he will be presented with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music from Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Here is the track list for 7 piano sketches:
bluffing in the snow
and then one day you’ll …
when you’re a ant and you wake up in an awesome mood, about to drive your son to school, only to discover that you left the lights on in the car last night so your battery is drained
hotel lobby pianos
blueberry mansions
off rhythm laughter
i spend all day waiting for the night
To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
