Erykah Badu’s favourite André 3000 album: “Creative. Brave. Sacrificial”
In the world of music, with artists so closely attached the beating heart of human emotion, there is no surprise that many musicians fall in love with one another. Hip-hop, just like any other musical world, is littered with such dalliances. Whether it is Jay-Z and Beyonce, Biggie and Lil Kim or, indeed, Erykah Badu and André 3000.
More so than the two previously mentioned, Badu and André 3000 are some of the most vividly creative couples the music world has ever known. Their love blossomed in the fertile soil of the creative 1990s, as the two artists began to make their names in their respective fields. Meeting in a New York nightclub in 1995, they shared an instant connection, and with their undeniable style, the pair became the talk of the town.
Soon enough, they would flourish alongside one another, finding fame and fortune. Badu became an icon of neo-soul that few could imagine while Three Stacks became one half of the outfit OutKast. They were quickly entwined with one another forever when Badu gave birth to their son Seven Sirius Benjamin in 1997.
The pairing wouldn’t only yield them a son but also garner OutKast and André their biggest hit. He penned a song about his relationship with Badu and her mother, ‘ Ms Jackson’. The track would become a mega hit when it was released in October 2000. Sadly, by that time, the pair had already split.
Their separation in 1999 was to be an amicable one. Badu and André’s bond remains strong, buoyed by a resonance that continues to influence their respective paths. Within their work they often pay tribute to one another and, most importantly, in interview, the duo are rarely caught with a bad word to say about the other. In fact, when Complex asked Badu for a collection of her favourite albums of all time, she pointed to one of her ex-partner’s best: The Love Below.
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was a split double album from the OutKast duo and showcased the variety they had at their fingertips. While Big Boi may have delivered a funk-flecked hip-hop record, André 3000 dove headfirst into the genre and brought jazz and pop into the mix too. It expertly showed the creativity at the heart of the performer.
For badu, it offered a real vision of his uniqueness: “Very innovative. Creative. Brave. Sacrificial. Heartfelt and honest. Just beautiful piece of work. [Erykah sings: ‘Niggas need to quit acting all hard and shit before they get they ass whooped. Slap the fuck out cha, everybody….’] It’s brilliant. Just brilliant.”
While some may be sad that the duo couldn’t reconcile their differences, there is still clearly a lot of happiness shared between them.