SOHH Squad
Grammy-winning rapper T.I. recently discussed hip-hop fans' infatuation with seeing Andre 3000 and Big Boi link up at least one final time for a full-fledged OutKast reunion.
In Tip’s perspective, the reason we have yet to see an OutKast reunion or even Dr. Dre‘s long-awaited Detox LP is due to the artists’ own fear and concerns.
“From me speaking to Dre man I heard him being open to it, I really did. I think his concern is do the kids right now who are young and buying music care enough about an Outkast album for it to make a difference. Which is the same concern that I hear from other people that we all love and respect in this industry like Dr. Dre. I was working with Doc on “Detox” and that was his same concern. Of course we’re looking at them like we have such huge admiration for them for what they’ve done in the past, but they are looking at themselves kind of like ‘What do I mean to the young kid of today that is going out there to buy music?’ That’s what the struggle is.” (The Urban Daily)
The “King of the South” also publicly acknowledged how much he would love to see Andre and Boi hook back up.
“It’s not whether or not they want to do it, it’s whether they feel like it’s significant enough to be done. Nobody wants to tarnish their reputation or legacy with a lackluster presentation or poorly received album after having such a decorated past. That’s a lot of pressure for cats like that. But I know one thing, all you gotta do is let me know it’s coming out and I’m there. That’s just me. And I’m gonna make sure my kids listen to it and that they know how important it is to culture. If you are an admirer of music today you need to know what set the stage for all of your favorite artists right here right now to do it.” (The Urban Daily)
A couple weeks ago, Three Stacks publicly nixed speculation of an OutKast reunion taking place despite a few joint records dropping.
In response to the persistent rumors, André 3000 issued the following statement exclusively to SPIN: “It’s important for me to be clear about the origins of my contributions to ‘Pink Matter’ and ‘Sorry.’ I was approached as a solo artist by both Frank Ocean & Tip. I discussed musical direction with each artist and completed my verses. It was after that when Big Boi’s name came up. I never want to mislead our audience – I worried that some would think these were Outkast collaborations. These songs are not Outkast collaborations. I discussed this rationale with Big, Frank and T.I. and everyone agreed. That is why I was surprised to read about these remixes. I understand that anyone can put out an unofficial remix to any song but I have an obligation to be honest with fans about what this is … and what it isn’t.” (SPIN)
In early 2012, Andre explained his disinterest in rushing out a reunion LP.
“There’s been a lot of talk on the Internet about an OutKast album and I have to say that as of now, there are no plans for another OutKast album. There’s a lot of music on the horizon. I’ve been living off the excitement of new artists. I’ve been privileged to have these new artists kind of reach out and grab back and say, “Hey, Andre, we want you on this song.” So I’ve been taking those calls and for the last two years, I’ve been doing collaborations. So these new artists have kind of been keeping me alive. I’ve just really been feeding off of that and this year I think I’m planning to do a solo project. I don’t know when it will come out, but hopefully it’ll come out this year. As far as OutKast, I really don’t know if or when that will happen.” (GQ)
