In a new episode of “The Shop,” rap legend, actor and business mogul LL Cool J praised the legacy of OutKast rapper André 3000 but didn’t hold his tongue when it came to commenting on the flute album Dre dropped in 2023.
“Look, look… The comments are gonna be crazy,” LL Cool J said. “He’s amazing, all right? His bars is all the way up. I’m very clear. Not the flute, B. Not the flute. Don’t do the flute.”
Paul Rivera and co-host Maverick Carter hosted LL Cool J, TV series creator Lena Waithe, social media stars singer Teddy Swims and comedian Mo Gilligan for a discussion on fame and evolving as creatives.
LL walks the team through longevity in hip-hop and what led to and inspired his upcoming album produced by Q-Tip.
LL Cool J Said What Most Hip-Hop Fans Felt About Andre 3000 Flute Album
The owner of Roc the Bells Radio on Sirius XM dropped a bombshell when he said what so many hip-hop fans wanted to say, but out of respect to one of the best to ever do it, they tried to understand the direction Andre 3000 took in abandoning his rap genius to put out a flute album.
Dre rode the controversy and shock of his flute album to great anticipation and social media discussion which led to “New Blue Sun,” making an impressive debut on the Billboard charts at No. 30 on the Billboard 200 after moving 24,244 album-equivalent units in its opening week.
It didn’t appear to move much after that, which suggests the actual product was nothing to write home about.
Lena Waithe tried to temper the LL’s blunt criticism by saying she enjoyed the album, and it was “very relaxing”
The fact remains, however, that it wasn’t what the people wanted to hear. It was in fact, a smack in the face to the millions of OutKast fans who grew up on their raw but creative Atlanta sound and the unique collaborations that they provided while lifting the city of Atlanta and hip-hop to another musical stratosphere.
“Let’s not lie to ourselves, I don’t wanna hear him do the flute,” LL interjected. “You wanna hear me do a violin? You might not wanna hear me do shi-t, but, do you wanna hear me do a violin, though?”
Back in February, André suggested that he doesn’t have the energy or committed spirit to put out a full hip-hop album anytime soon. He basically decided to ignore his fan base and do him.
“I would love to make a rap album. I just think it’d be an awesome challenge to do a fire-ass album at 48 years old,” he told Highsnobiety. “That’s probably one of the hardest things to do! I would love to do that. That’s the cool thing about my whole ride. It really is a ride.”
OutKast Are Pioneers Of Southern Hip-Hop Explosion
With all due respect, the here today, gone tomorrow effect of the album spoke for itself. LL wants Andre 3000 to find some common ground with his legendary partner Big Boi and just let the creative juices flow — especially 30 years after they dropped the classic album “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” which put Southern hip-hop on the map.
“I want him to get with Big Boi, I want them to make an OutKast, or do a solo album,” LL Cool J said. “Every time he does f-cking one verse it’s, you know, enough material for an album. He’s so gifted. So it’s like, come on, B, like, not the flute. We not gonna lie like this. Don’t gas. That man needs to know the truth. He needs to know the truth.”
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