The rapper André 3000 said makes the “most negative inspirational music ever”
André 3000 has the perception of making “real rap” instead of genres such as trap and mumble rap, which many people often diminish. However, the Atlanta legend is a fan of all types of music, seeing the growth of the genre and discovering fresh sounds along the way. In fact, one of his favourite artists of all time is extremely close to home for him, despite their differences.
‘3 stacks’ once revealed that he and his son, 27-year-old Seven Benjamin, whose mother is Erykah Badu, are super fans of Future. He appreciates how he can turn negativity into inspiration, going from threatening lyrics to celebratory ones.
“Me and my son, we Future fanatics, man,” he admitted in the Wizrd documentary. “And we sit and listen to it, and I said, ‘Man, Future makes the most negative inspirational music ever’. The shit he’s talking about could kill a man in a week, but at the same time, if you’re saying, ‘I’m flying first class flights on these pussy n*ggas’, it’s like, ‘That’s a celebration, we made our own money’.”
3000 also broke down what separates Future from the rest of the crowd by noting the emotional core that rules his music. “I listen to a lot of the [trap] artists, and one thing I can say is that Future has a certain pain behind what he’s doing,” he explained. “You can call it soul, you can call it whatever, but to me, it comes off as pain. And now I’m gonna let y’all watch me balance the pain. And we all on edge watching it.”
André 3000 has collaborated with Future twice. They first teamed up on ‘Benz Friendz (Whatchutola)’ in 2014, with the song appearing on Future’s Honest album. Then, they won two Grammys together for their 2023 song ‘Scientists & Engineers’ in collaboration with Killer Mike.
A young Future was actually part of the Dungeon Family alongside Outkast when he was known as Meathead. “I know Meathead from Rico Wade from Organized Noize,” 3000 said. “When I came back [from living in California], I heard this new music. I was like, ‘Who is this dude, this Future dude? It’s jamming’. Then I come to find out it’s Meathead.”
Future credits watching André 3000 and the rest of the Dungeon Family as a major inspiration for his career. “Me being in the dungeon and walking in and seeing André lay down verses that came out to the masses and me just watching and soaking up the game and being a listener and a fly on the wall,” he recalled.
“It damn near brings tears to your eyes knowing the work that I put in, because being in the Dungeon and seeing him record those verses seems so far away. Music was my escape. Me not settling for the person I was, the person I felt like I was becoming. Me just wanting something better for my life.”
3000 is proud of how far Future has come and his influence on the rest of the musical landscape, inspiring new artists across all corners of the US. “I’m very proud,” he stated, “We came from a time when people just wasn’t listening to the South, period. Now you have kids in Brooklyn sounding like Future…”
For him, Future already has the accolades he needs and if he doesn’t release more albums beyond his current discography, André’s fine with it: “He’s done, for my life, what he’s needed to do. And probably a lot of other people”.