Music

14 illuminating quotes about Outkast, Hendrix, and aging from André 3000

by Mohan Fitzgerald

Outkast’s 2014 reunion tour began under inauspicious conditions: the highly anticipated Coachella debut—plagued by technical difficulties—was met with almost universal disappointment, and the sheer saturation of their summer festival schedule was all but deflating for the legendary rap duo. Both artists have stayed relatively active in the hip-hop game since their 2007 hiatus began, with Big Boi releasing some of his finest work to-date and André 3000 appearing as a feature on many of the most significant rap releases in recent memory—but something just felt off about the whole thing.

In a somewhat rare and recent interview with The New York Times‘ Jon Caramanica, the reclusive André 3000 made some strikingly candid remarks—some of which clear up the mystery surrounding Outkast’s reboot. We’ll let you be the judge, though: check out the gallery above for some highlights from the interview, including André’s thoughts on everything from his portrayal of Jimi Hendrix in the film All is By My Side, to what it’s like being an aging hip-hop pioneer.