3,000 Ways To Enjoy ‘New Blue Sun’
We have an Andre 3000 sighting, I repeat, we have an Andre 3000 sighting!!! On November 17th, 2023 hip hop legend 3 stacks released his FIRST EVER solo project entitled ‘New Blue Sun’ for our listening pleasure. Now before you get too excited this is not the solo project you think it is. 3K let us know off rip that there are no bars associated with this album. Yes you read that correctly, there is absolutely no rapping on this album. The album is a collection of tracks that sees 3 Stacks delving into his passion for wind instruments (flute) and pushing his musical artistry to new bounds.
For many music aficionados and longtime fans of the reclusive rapper this project may be a let down due to the fact that he’s simply not doing the thing that made us fall in love. That shouldn’t deter you from listening to the album though. There are a number of ways you can add this project to your rotation. No, I don’t have 3,000 ways as the title would suggest; that was clickbait. It would take me months to figure out that many ways to enjoy the album. I do have a few however and before I get into them I must say, it has been fun watching the banter on social media surrounding this project.
Posts like these have had me in tears for days:
But in all seriousness here’s 3 legitimate ways to get into this album:
- A Massage Playlist
As a massage therapist this is of course how I plan to consume the album. I am always looking for new music to listen to as I am massaging my clients. The best music to massage to is typically slow, soft, soothing, and peaceful. Think waterfalls, birds, or rainfall. Spa music is characterized by its gentle melodies, slow tempos, and minimalist arrangements. When it comes to instrumentation, think harps, pianos, strings, synthesizers, or, wait for it…flutes! This album is perfect. It is relaxing, harmonious, calming, and tranquil, which is what you want in a spa experience.
- As Sleep Playlist
Do you ever go on youtube to find some serene music to fall asleep too? Well here you go. What better artist to add to your naptime playlist than 3 stacks. The great thing about this option is that you don’t even really have to be engrossed in the music enough to truly analyze it. You won’t know if it’s quality music or not. You’ll be asleep. Of course, that’s also the negative to this option as well but it doesn’t matter; your only objective here is to get some z’s which this album will definitely help you do.
- A meditation/yoga playlist
If you are into activities like yoga then 3 stacks just delivered a gem. The repetitive patterns and motifs that are common in this style of music can cause a meditative effect that is perfect for such activities. Also if you notice when listening to the album the lack of strong rhythmic elements which contributes to the albums overall sense of serenity and encourages a slower heart rate and deeper breathing.
Now before I end the article I’d like to talk about just a couple more things really quickly. First off, as a community, we have to allow black artists to evolve. We can’t expect them to stay in the same lane forever. I know for many of us there is a deep, ethereal connection to certain artists and their music. Especially artists who have been around for a number of years; artists, who those of us that are now in our thirties and forties grew up listening to.
These artists have been around for and have gotten us through some of the most pivotal moments of our lives, so we tend to want to keep them in the box they were in when we fell in love with them. Artists evolve, however; and truly transcendent artists, which 3 Stacks is, are able to navigate this evolution seamlessly. Take Jay-Z for example. Hov went from selling snowflakes by the oz. to buying a piece of art for a million dollars without skipping a beat. I think the issue with this 3 Stacks album is the fact that he’s NEVER given us a solo project which fans have been clamoring for for years. Now when he does decide to finally deliver a solo work of art, it’s flutes. So while it may be a letdown to many of his adoring fans, 3 Stacks should be allowed to create whatever art he feels compelled to create and we should support him in that expression.
Last thing. In an interview with GQ, 3000 discussed the release of the album and the details surrounding the creation of the album. In the interview 3 stacks talked about his creative process and the reason why there is no rapping on the album, because he feels at his age he doesn’t have much relatable material to talk about.
He said, “Even now people think, Oh, man, he’s just sitting on raps, or he’s just holding these raps hostage. I ain’t got no raps like that. It actually feels…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. And things that happen in my life, like, what are you talking about? ‘I got to go get a colonoscopy.’ What are you rapping about? ‘My eyesight is going bad.’ You can find cool ways to say it, but….”
Here is the thing, I feel like that’s exactly what hip hop needs more of. How much more tricking money off in the club, running down on the opps, and promiscuous sex talk do we need. We need more artists like Kendrick Lamar, making albums like Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. 3 stacks’ core fans are mostly 30+ years old at this point. We are starting families, buying homes (a few of us), and in our careers. We are adulting. We absolutely need some adult music we can listen and relate to. We need more music that sparks tough, deliberative conversations so that we can foster community healing. For now, we’ll settle for ‘New Blue Sun’. Thank you 3 Stacks.
#ShiftTHACULTURE
