What that means for hip-hop and jazz fans

When André3000 turns 50, the backlash against rapping in recent projects such as “New Blue Sun” and “Seven Piano Sketches” reveals more about the hip-hop community's resistance to artistic growth than failures on his part.

People were hoping for “Story Tellin'” 3K to “Dart”. “Southernplayalistialdillacmuzik” 3k. “Mr. Jackson” 3K. “Hey!” 3k. But that was over 20 years ago. Andre was in his early 30s and when Outkast released his last album, Idol Wild2006. Before dropping his first solo album, he certainly dropped the bar into the hip-hop world. Three Stacks and Big Boy reunite Outkast for the highly anticipated 2007 UGK collaboration “International Players Anthem,” jumping into Erykah Badu's 2015 “Hello” and appearing in Nerd's “Rollinem 7s,” surprising Rick Ross' surprise. His last collaboration before 2023 New blue sun He was with Kanye West, where he dropped the bar on “Life of the Party” and congratulated the public with a deep modernized bar for the desire of hip-hop fans to witness three stacks alive again. However, they weren't prepared for what the Outkast host had in the store.

On Tuesday, the world was commemorating Andre 3000, welcoming a ripe age of 50. For adult men, this is usually a time of thorough self-correction. According to a German study by Dr. Kurt Seikowski on men and midlife crisis, as men approach 50, he is poised to turn himself qualitatively. The recent projects of André3000 do not suggest that they often reflect negative aspects associated with the midlife crisis. Rather, I argue for the view that these works are the product of the personal reinvention of the legendary presenter. Plus, it repels New blue sun And the successor EP, Seven piano sketcheswhat we receive from a small portion of the hip-hop community suggests that forgetting about the long-standing relationship between hip-hop and jazz is growing.

New blue sun It was foreseen as Andre 3000's highly anticipated solo debut. Andre 3000, along with Big Boy, solidifies as a hip-hop legend as a member of Outkast, one of the most influential duos in hip-hop history. Of course, it was the 3 stack signature caldential flow that hip-hop heads expected to have an auditory blessing that appears throughout Outkast Discography. As warned about the cover of the piece, it features a lime green label decorated with seasoned flute player outlines and difficult to make mistakes: no bar.

The album is almost entirely instrumental, featuring a polyphonic blend of percussion, strings, keyboards, synths and woodwinds, with Andre's flute driving downbeats. There are only faint textured vocals played by Mia Doi Todd. Other than that, there is no vocals. There is no bar. This disrupts some hip-hop heads and completely dismisses Andre's official foray into jazz musicianship. Not only did some of the hip-hop head criticize the lack of wrapping, but others are critiques that reminiscent of the album and its various movements of Western composers who once dismissed the advent of jazz. This is ironic considering that jazz is a precursor to hip-hop culture, forming a subgenre within it, and is largely present in classic hip-hop records, from Duque Ellington and John Coltrane to Miles Davis.

The definitive mark of jazz music is improvisation. Includes recent works from André3000 Seven piano sketchescharacterized by a basic approach to improvisation. As the hip-hop icon explains it, he simply “puts fingers on the keys and randomly puts fingers on, but the purpose moves,” he finds “feelings and funny things.” This same “Feel Good” spontaneity exists in Louis Armstrong's trumpet cadenza from “West End Blues,” open trumpet solo from Miles Davis's “So What” and four note motifs, John Coltrane Springs, “A Love Supreme.” For those who listen to Fela Kuti, Afrobeat pioneer and jazz enthusiast, improvements are also the signature of his infectious music movement.

Some 20th century critics retain biased views about jazz, viewing it as non-original, verbal and non-musical, and ultimately suggesting a certain weakness in the genre due to improvisational embrace. Sociologist William Bruce Cameron described jazz as “non-letter,” but others, such as British composer Constant Lambert, initially expressed racist anti-jazz bias. Lambert later admitted that the “small section” of jazz techniques was “truly black,” based on “sophisticated material,” and ultimately acknowledged its intellectual rigor.

Criticism of Andre 3000's recent work's lack of wrapping speaks of certain forgetfulness, or perhaps unnoticed, about the historical connections of hip-hop, among those who value hip-hop's heads, particularly those who value lyrical virtuosity. During the golden age of hip-hop in the late 1980s and early 1990s, jazz rap appeared as gangsta rap and pop rap dominated the airwaves and climbed the charts. Thanks to native tongue-like crews (including Quest, Dela Soul, Jungle Brothers, etc.), excavable planets, and gangster-like crews, the jazz class was with Ron Carter, Sony Rollins, Charlie Parker, Herbie Hancock and Presora, a funk record that Jazz has attracted attention (including the drum break of Earboo Fool in 'NT') – Jazz rap came through sampling and brewed deep subculture. This subgenre stands out with its social, political and mentally recharged lyrics and themes rooted in Afrocentricism.

The culture of jazz rap often flourished in underground cafes, jazz clubs, record stores, niche unauthorized radio stations and university campuses, including HBCUs like Howard, R1 institutions like NYU, and Ivy League like Columbia. That grand favour among university students stems from the lyrical complexity of the subgenre, philosophical depth, and pro-black rhetoric, all of which are viewed as intellectually appealing. Jazz rap is often considered an art form of the elite brain, with its high-blow, cultivated and magnetic pull for an educated audience.

With a documented history between jazz and hip hop, it is reasonable to expect practitioners of genres to pursue jazz musicianship at the singularity. Andre 3000 appeared at this year's Black Dandism-themed Met Gala, dawed seven important piano-shaped ensembles. Seven piano sketches. As Andre revealed, time and space are at the heart of this work. Most of the albums were recorded on his iPhone and laptop over a decade ago, with him and his son renting a house in Texas. The music was recorded through pure emotional trial and error, rendering boodies of my favourite piano composers, including Terronian Monk, Philip Glass and Joni Mitchell. This release may have seemed sporadic and improvised, but ultimately it reinforces the Outkast host's commitment to creating and releasing instrumental movements professionally.

These last two works are not the first time he has introduced this ability. It has grown rapidly since the excitement of Outkast. In Outkast's 2003 “My Favorite Things,” three stacks played and arranged the piano, a homage to the great John Coltrane. In 2018 he released the EP It's not in your handsAndre himself features James Blake on the piano in the base clarinetist. With his jazz work and straightforward jazz work to his late mother, he marked his first true jazz project, which also shocked the hip-hop head. Over the past decade he has been discovered even in the wilderness of American civilization, playing flutes repeatedly at the corner of Soho, at the staircases of a Philadelphia church, and at the airport.

New blue sun This year, he was nominated for two Grammy Awards. This year's album and the best alternative jazz album. While some of the hip-hop heads hated the absence of rap, jazz lovers and abstract music lovers embraced the piece. It is reality that we face regarding this nature of backlash. Although hip-hop heads are not obligated to support work, it is fair to suggest that objectivity should be applied when evaluating work. Consider the stage where Life 3 Stacks exist and acknowledge the potentially unforgettable reality of hip-hop heads. One of the top three may evolve from rap.