André 3000 divides fans with flute performance at All Points East: “I’m still processing it”

19 August, 2024

Andre 3000 performs on stage in 2024

André 3000 has got fans talking with his set at this year’s All Points East, after breaking out performances from his new era of music.

The former OutKast star appeared as a solo artist at this year’s edition of the festival, performing on Saturday night (August 17) alongside an eclectic line-up including Loyle Carner – who headlined the night and curated part of the event – Nas, Enny and Nubya Garcia.

While taking to the stage at 9pm for his set at Victoria Park, the artist broke out a performance that was solely centred around his latest project ‘New Blue Sun’, an experimental album that didn’t contain any rap at all.

The OutKast rapper dropped the surprise project in November last year, marking his first solo album in 17 years. But upon its release, fans were surprised to discover that rather than the rap album they had been anticipating, it was an 87-minute ambient flute record.

Now, after delivering a set at All Points East that focussed solely on the new era of his career, fans have taken to social media to share their mixed responses to the performance – including their surprise that the event didn’t see him play anything from his older discography. According to some, it also saw him speak in a made-up language on stage and even begin “barking” at one point.

“I’m literally never going to be able to do descriptive justice to Andre 3000’s jazz flute set at All Points East. I’m still processing it,” one fan shared, while another described the absence of hip-hop in the set as showcasing “the freedom of creation”

Someone else joked about how fans were caught off-guard at the flute-dominated set, sharing: “The thought of people running to André 3000’s set expecting Hey Ya then furiously turning around at the sight of flutes is pretty funny.”

Others, meanwhile, were less enthusiastic about the set on Saturday night, and were quick to criticise the former OutKast member for not including any of his most famous material in the set.

“That Andre 3000 set at @allpointseastuk is one of the most self-indulgent pieces of nonsense I’ve ever seen. Playing a flute & chanting incoherently into the mic. He mightn’t have even rehearsed, just rocked up & started making noise, as you couldn’t have told the difference,” one user wrote on X following the set.

Another took a similar stance, writing: “Sorry to Andre 3000 I know he’s a legend of the game but ain’t nobody tryna to hear the flute, particularly at 9pm on a Saturday,” while a third added: “Andre 3000 is not okay. He brought his flute, fine. He then barks, fine. He then starts speaking in a language, fine. He then says that language is made up!!??!?!!”

Find more fan responses to the set below.

Explaining the new creative direction of ‘New Blue Sun’ earlier this year, André 3000 admitted he felt he’d aged out of the genre that kick-started his career: “Sometimes it feels inauthentic for me to rap because I don’t have anything to talk about in that way. I’m 48 years old. And not to say that age is a thing that dictates what you rap about, but in a way it does.”

It’s a comment that sparked controversy in the rap world, with LL COOL J, Ja Rule, Killer Mike and Lil Wayne among those who expressed dismay towards his decision. The latter said it was “so depressing” that André 3000 felt “too old” to rap, while Ja Rule said he was “heartbroken” that the album contained “no bars”.

More recently, he performed an intimate set in London ahead of the All Points East set, and also claimed that he felt a lot of new rappers “sound the same”, as they don’t “have time to cultivate themselves” in the way their predecessors did.

New music from the rapper-turned-flautist may be on the horizon sooner rather than later, with André 3000 announcing in January that a collaboration with SAULT is on the cards after he spent time in the studio with the mysterious British collective.

The OutKast rapper also recently announced a fresh series of shows in the US later this year, following the success of his US tour earlier in the Spring. Beginning in September, the tour will kick off in New Orleans’ Orpheum Theatre, visiting a host of new cities including Houston, Seattle, Vancouver and Salt Lake City. Tickets are on sale now, and you can get yours here.

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