B-Side Bangers: André 3000
Wrestling fans look up to icons like the late, great André the Giant; the hip-hop community has André 3000.
The eccentric half of legendary rap duo Outkast, the man who has come to be known as Three Stacks is one of the most respected emcees of his time and recognized as such amongst new generations as well. As he turns 51 today (May 27), it might come as a surprise to many that he’s reached that status in the game given a rap catalog that never quite came to be.
Nonetheless, what he did manage to contribute to the culture during his solo peak in the mid-2000s solidified a king status that he still holds today.
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Operating alongside Big Boi to make Outkast, which deserves its own separate recognition, André dominated southern hip-hop in the ’90s and early 2000s thanks to a signature tagline — “The South got something to say!” — a unique sense of style and lyricism that gave him a sense of wisdom well beyond his twentysomething years. As he took a more full time approach into solo work around 2007, what many hoped would materialize into an official debut album ended up being just a decade of solid guest features before embarking on a still-ongoing hiatus from the booth.
His 2020s comeback has been by way of a flute so far, but we along with many other rap fans out there will continue holding out hope for an official full-length project in the foreseeable future that gets back to the bars.
Looking back at his elusive solo catalog brings to the surface a handful of amazing deep cuts. We figured it only made sense to honor André 3000 on his milestone birthday by putting together a playlist of songs that might even put the biggest Outkast fan onto a gem or two.
Keep scrolling for a “B-Side Bangers” playlist in honor of the feature king himself, André 3000:
“Vibrate” (2003)
Album: The Love Below (as part of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by Outkast)
