Top 5: The five greatest guest verses from André 3000
André 3000‘s rap career can easily be split into two chapters: his work as half of the legendary OutKast with Big Boi and his stellar guest appearances. Fans may be crying out for a solo rap album from 3 Stacks, but he’s been providing verses upon verses for some of the biggest artists in the industry, year after year.
His focus right now is on wind instruments following the release of his flute album, New Blue Sun, but history shows there’s always a poignant verse around the corner. It’s a vision for his career that has naturally left fans feeling a little aggrieved.
The reality is, whether with his group, on his own or as a guest on a track, Andre 3000 rarely misses. His verses for the likes of Kanye West, Beyonce and Rick Ross have allowed him to stay at the pinnacle of his craft and provided a bridge to his relevancy post-OutKast.
Below, we reflect on some of the very best André 3000 verses throughout the years.
André 3000’s best guest verses:
‘Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)’ – UGK
UGK‘s ‘Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)’ is without a doubt one of the classic songs of the 2000s and André 3000’s opening verse is at the heart of it. Over a sample of Willie Hutch’s 1973 track ‘I Choose You’, 3 Stacks delivers a sincere verse about marriage and monogamy that’s gone on to be played at wedding ceremonies across the world. That’s what you call impact.
Pimp C was initially mad at 3000 for sending his verse back without the instrumental, but the way the beat drops for the incoming Pimp C paved the way for an iconic Hip Hop moment.
‘Sorry’ – T.I.
T.I. called collaborating with fellow Atlanta rapper André 3000 a “proud moment”, and it resulted in one of the best verses of his career. 3000 reflects on being a better rapper in the early days of his career and how he prefers the hustle and bustle of the city to living in the middle of nowhere.
André closes out the verse by recapping the emotional content he puts into his lyrics and questions the Internet’s quick response to music in the modern age.
‘Life of the Party’ – Kanye West
André 3000 is at his storytelling best on ‘Life of the Party,’ a song that appears on the deluxe version of Kanye West‘s 2021 album, Donda. 3000 uses his verse as a way to speak to his late mother, Sharon Benjamin-Hodo, by asking West’s late mother to send her a message in heaven.
His verse reads like a letter by the repeated addressing of “Miss Donda” over a sample of The Dramatics’ ‘I Was the Life of the Party’. It’s further proof that he can have a career-defining moment decades into his career.
‘Pink Matter’ – Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean‘s Channel Orange was one of the best albums of the 2010s and it came equipped with an exceptional André 3000 feature. On ‘Pink Matter’, 3000 opens up about withdrawal symptoms regarding a past lover and preferring intimacy over sex.
3000’s collaboration with Ocean worked so well that they worked together years later on ‘Solo (Reprise)’, which highlighted the Atlanta rapper’s wordplay once again.
‘Hello’ – Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu released her But You Caint Use My Phone mixtape in 2015 with a surprise feature from André 3000 – the father of her 27-year-old son, Seven. In his verse, 3000 touches on trust issues in relationships and focusing on the important things between significant others.
‘Hello’ served as a welcome return of the former lovers on a song together, having previously collaborated on OutKast’s ‘Liberation’ and ‘Humble Mumble,’ with the pair recreating The Isley Brothers‘ ‘Hello It’s Me’ as the song progresses.