For The Culture “New Blue Sun” _(Andre 3000_Hip-Hop_3Stacks)

Andre 3000, one of the forces behind Outkast a major Hip-Hop group is coming out with a new album Friday, November 17th. Andre is one of the smoothest lyricist, in my opinion that has ever lived. This album though? This one is strictly a flute instrumental and I am here for it. It is called evolution.

What I have to say next will probably not go over well, but I’m saying it anyway. Rap/Hip-Hop was meant to be about the art of the lyricist. The flow, the rhythm, the smoothness of rhymes against beats. Somehow it became about money, chains, cars, and the flagrant show of wealth. In my opinion social media has made it worse.

I see many popular young people on social media who are “rappers” but I never hear about their art. It’s either what they are flaunting or drama. The culture of Hip Hop has been degraded and watered down because of this “show and tell” society. It’s no longer about ‘bars’ or the lyrical geniuses that past generations were known for.

The public trend in our culture seems to be about putting people on pedestals for what they have, not for the art they create. The art is floundering, watered down and barely there. The creativity that we remember from the top lyricist, including ThreeStacks, seems to not exist anymore. We get visuals of stage performances, voices over tracks, no imagination, no fanfare, no costumes, just there.

It also goes further than the music industry, it is also alive and well in the Urban publishing industry. After “The Coldest Winter Ever” which not only showed the lifestyle of ‘The Game’ it also showed the pitfalls of that life. Now the majority of Urban books are all about glamorizing killing, stealing and profiting off of the demise of our own community. The characters who try to get away from the stereotype that television and movie executives were once demonized for exploiting, are the bad guys. The men are called names like simps and the women are taunted and bullied for having confidence in their natural state.

I understand economics, but I also comprehend integrity. To institute change there has to be a difference in mindset, actions, and beliefs. I applaud Andre 3000 for having the courage to dare to be different and to continue to be the trendsetter he has always been.

I love my people and I love my culture, and I believe that we can turn the narrative around for us! Even if it’s one step, one person and/or one flute at a time.

I will definitely be streaming this new album, “New Blue Sun”, while I meditate, clean and exercise. Because to me it’s a symbol of the great changes that are coming.

Thank you, Andre 3000, for giving me HOPE!