How André 3000 wants to be remembered
André 3000 has already built quite the legacy for himself. Not only is he one of rap music’s greatest ever stars, but his musical achievements have reached far beyond hip-hip, while he’s an actor, too. He will be remembered as a true artist, long after he’s gone.
André’s work with Outkast is what most people will remember him for. They popularised Southern hip-hop in their day, helping to wrestle dominance away from the East and West Coasts, while they also became massive pop stars with tracks like ‘Hey Ya!’ proving to be era-defining.
But André doesn’t have much interest in being remembered as a pop star, as he revealed during an interview with Fader in 2014. This was around the time he was promoting the film Jimi: All Is by My Side, in which he played Jimi Hendrix.
The interviewer noted that, in the film, there were questions regarding Hendrix that were left unanswered. They then asked if that was how he’d like to be remembered in future. As someone “that people will never know everything about.”
André’s response was simple. He said he would like to be remembered as “someone that made something I could feel.” That is, as someone who made art that meant something real to him.
Dré characterised himself as an entertainer, which he noted comes with its pros and cons. As for its negative aspects, being in the public eye was something that seemed to bother him. He wanted to hold onto aspects of his personality for himself, away from the glare of the media and fans.
Dré claimed to enjoy simple acts like “washing my own clothes” and “going to the grocery store myself.” He never wanted to become “Michael Jackson big,” in terms of his level of fame, as it would prevent him from living anything approaching a normal life. This was essential to his well-being.
All of which is to say that André 3000, despite being one of the biggest rappers of his generation, actually seems to have little interest in being a celebrity, even describing such a pursuit as “kinda corny.” He just wants to be remembered as someone who made good art for its own sake.
This interview took place in 2014, almost a decade before he shocked the world by releasing a solo album of his flute compositions. That album, New Blue Sun, goes to show that he was serious when he said he valued making art far more than being a celebrity.