André 3000 Surprise Drops Piano EP During 2025 Met Gala
Rapper and singer-songwriter Andre 3000 surprise dropped music last week. Coinciding his attendance to the 2025 Met Gala, in which the Grammy winner strapped a grand piano to his back, the member of the OutKast duo also released a 7 song piano instrumental EP.
André Reflects on Why He No Longer Raps
While his band member Big Boi has had an illustrious rap career, Andre 3000 has not really put out many rap projects. In a 2023 interview with Billboard, the Grammy winner is quoted by saying, “ ‘I’ve worked with some of the newest, freshest, youngest and old-school producers. I get beats all the time. I try to write all the time. But rap is not what comes,’ he stated, ‘sometimes it feels inauthentic for me to rap because I don’t have anything to talk about in that way.’”
Rolling Stone Weighs In on the Unexpected Release
Writer Rob Sheffield, in his 2025 article for Rolling Stone, “André 3000’s Piano Record Is a Bold Example of Not Knowing Exactly What You’re Doing”, writes, “André dropped 7 Piano Sketches as a total shocker on Monday night, at the same time he was attending the Met Gala fashion event in New York, wearing a piano strapped to his back…Like his surprise 2023 flute album New Blue Sun, it’s a playfully enjoyable exercise in spiritual renewal by heading into the unknown, lost in music. As he describes it in his notes, it’s a ‘palette cleanser.’”
From Flutes to Pianos: A New Sonic Chapter
The 49 year old artist who made headlines in 2023 with his jazz instrumental album New Blue Sun. The compilation featured eight long-form flute compositions and was a complete shock to longtime fans who long awaited a rap solo album. Nevertheless, New Blue Sun received critical acclaim, earning an Album Of The Year nomination at the 67th Grammy Awards. Here, Andre 3000 continues his instrumental pursuit venturing into piano sounds. Born out of a sporadic experience he had in a Texas house with his son and no furniture, these compositions are his way of exploring new sounds through grounding himself in memory and sound.
OutKast’s Legacy and Rock Hall Nod
OutKast was also recently named on the shortlist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2025. The Atlanta natives got their start in the Southern Hip Hop scene with their 1994 debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. Both members embarked on their respective solo career following their Grammy win for Album of The Year at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards for their double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
Listen to the New EP
7 Piano Sketches is currently available on all streaming music platforms.
