Helping Killer Mike's case for new solo LP MICHAEL to be "album of the year" is an expectedly sharp guest verse from André 3000, and if the Run the Jewels emcee is to be believed, the Outkast legend is also at work on a long-awaited solo album himself.
Mike made the revelation during a recent appearance on Sway in the Morning, explaining how the largely elusive André ended up on "Scientists & Engineers," which also features Eryn Allen Kane and a second connection to Atlanta's formative Dungeon Family in Future.
The artist shared that after calling up André and getting together in Los Angeles, "He played like nine, 10 joints for us and he said, 'Well, just pick what you like and do something with it.'"
Mike noted that even after guesting on albums by Frank Ocean, James Blake and Kanye West in recent years, Three Stacks getting on the mic for MICHAEL came after plenty attempts to work together "over the past decade," whether for solo recordings or Run the Jewels tracks: "He'd come like, 'This shit hard, but I'm not into rapping right now.' I always appreciated the encouragement."
It's likely that André was pursuing other artistic interests, like acting or playing Mayan flutes.
Mike also shared that MICHAEL's "Scientists & Engineers" was one of two tracks they had worked on together, with the second unreleased song running "like 11 minutes long" with a seven-minute verse from André. He noted that the Outkast member was instrumental in getting Future involved to make the MICHAEL cut "a real Dungeon Family event."
Host Sway Calloway then said Mike's recollections made it sound like "'Dre got an album," to which he responded: "Yeah, I think we fly out in a couple of weeks to listen to it." He then assured the studio that he was not joking.
You can watch Killer Mike's make the reveal on Sway in the Morning below around the 20-minute mark, ahead of reading Exclaim!'s interview with Killer Mike.
Outkast last released Idlewild in 2006, an accompanying soundtrack to the musical film of the same name that André 3000 and Big Boi also starred in. In 2014, the duo reunited for a tour celebrating 20 years of their acclaimed debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, and have gone on to mark milestones for follow-ups like 1996's ATLiens and 2000's Stankonia.
The closest the world has come to hearing an André 3000 solo LP is through Outkast's 2003 double-album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, with the artist writing and producing the majority of the latter title. Notably, beloved singles like "Roses," "Prototype" and "Hey Ya!" all appear on André's half of the release.
Mike made the revelation during a recent appearance on Sway in the Morning, explaining how the largely elusive André ended up on "Scientists & Engineers," which also features Eryn Allen Kane and a second connection to Atlanta's formative Dungeon Family in Future.
The artist shared that after calling up André and getting together in Los Angeles, "He played like nine, 10 joints for us and he said, 'Well, just pick what you like and do something with it.'"
Mike noted that even after guesting on albums by Frank Ocean, James Blake and Kanye West in recent years, Three Stacks getting on the mic for MICHAEL came after plenty attempts to work together "over the past decade," whether for solo recordings or Run the Jewels tracks: "He'd come like, 'This shit hard, but I'm not into rapping right now.' I always appreciated the encouragement."
It's likely that André was pursuing other artistic interests, like acting or playing Mayan flutes.
Mike also shared that MICHAEL's "Scientists & Engineers" was one of two tracks they had worked on together, with the second unreleased song running "like 11 minutes long" with a seven-minute verse from André. He noted that the Outkast member was instrumental in getting Future involved to make the MICHAEL cut "a real Dungeon Family event."
Host Sway Calloway then said Mike's recollections made it sound like "'Dre got an album," to which he responded: "Yeah, I think we fly out in a couple of weeks to listen to it." He then assured the studio that he was not joking.
You can watch Killer Mike's make the reveal on Sway in the Morning below around the 20-minute mark, ahead of reading Exclaim!'s interview with Killer Mike.
Outkast last released Idlewild in 2006, an accompanying soundtrack to the musical film of the same name that André 3000 and Big Boi also starred in. In 2014, the duo reunited for a tour celebrating 20 years of their acclaimed debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, and have gone on to mark milestones for follow-ups like 1996's ATLiens and 2000's Stankonia.
The closest the world has come to hearing an André 3000 solo LP is through Outkast's 2003 double-album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, with the artist writing and producing the majority of the latter title. Notably, beloved singles like "Roses," "Prototype" and "Hey Ya!" all appear on André's half of the release.
