André 3000 has shared his long-awaited debut solo album New Blue Sun via Epic Records / Sony Music today, and fair warning: it might open your third eye. He's best known for his work as an MC, but the soothing eight-track project introduces many fans to a new side of the Outkast alum — that of an instrumentalist.
Several different kinds of wind instruments, including his signature Mayan flute as well as contrabass and bamboo flutes can be heard across the album's nearly hour-and-a-half long run.
Of the eight songs on New Blue Sun, six stretch for over ten minutes — and that duration is reflected in the song titles as well, with names like "That Night in Hawaii When I Turned into a Panther and Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn't Control … Sh¥t Was Wild" lending themselves to the album's wonderfully eccentric aura.
The project's instrumental nature came as a surprise to many, but those who've been paying attention may have seen this coming. The rapper has been treating open mic, grocery store and airport crowds to live flute performances for years now, and even revealed to GQ this week that he's secretly delivered flute instrumentals on songs by multiple "known artists."
Listen to New Blue Sun in full below.
Several different kinds of wind instruments, including his signature Mayan flute as well as contrabass and bamboo flutes can be heard across the album's nearly hour-and-a-half long run.
Of the eight songs on New Blue Sun, six stretch for over ten minutes — and that duration is reflected in the song titles as well, with names like "That Night in Hawaii When I Turned into a Panther and Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn't Control … Sh¥t Was Wild" lending themselves to the album's wonderfully eccentric aura.
The project's instrumental nature came as a surprise to many, but those who've been paying attention may have seen this coming. The rapper has been treating open mic, grocery store and airport crowds to live flute performances for years now, and even revealed to GQ this week that he's secretly delivered flute instrumentals on songs by multiple "known artists."
Listen to New Blue Sun in full below.
