The André 3000 verse that shocked Eminem

André 3000 has always been a heavy-hitter in hip-hop and, for over a decade, has been hailed for the music he made as part of the Atlanta duo Outkast. From Stakonia to Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, it is undeniable that he has made some hits. That said, although he can produce and sing, many forget he is a formidable rapper.

In an interview with BHigh TV, singer B.O.B recalled when he previewed his track ‘Play The Guitar’ for Eminem and detailed how the vicious verse André 3000 rapped blew away the Detroit rapper.  

Produced by renowned musician Salaam Remi, ‘Play The Guitar’ was released in 2011 and samples the pioneering 1950s rock track ‘Bo Diddley.’ Although it was meant to be a single for B.o.B’s second studio album, Strange Clouds, it never made it onto the tracklist. However, during the process of recording it, the vocalist (real name Bobby Simmons Jr.) played a snippet to Eminem, who was caught off guard by 3000’s lyrical ability.

Speaking to the host, Brian Hightower, Simmons detailed how it felt getting compared to André 3000 early in his career, disclosing, “At first, I really didn’t mind it ’cause that’s great, and I remember people asking him, ‘Why don’t you do a song with B.o.B’ but he was like ‘Nah I gotta make sure he’s the real deal!'”

He continued, “We ended up doing a record, but after a while, I would hear [the comparisons] less and less because I really developed my own sound, but still, people know when it comes to n*ggas from Atlanta who are eclectic, I’m definitely in that category.”

“I remember when I was in the studio with Eminem I played Eminem ‘Play The Guitar’ and I just remember Em being like ‘You just never know where he gonna land at!’ I know what he meant when he said that. The way André approaches verses he’s like a journalist, he’s a storyteller. It was just really dope man!”

Eminem and B.o.B collaborated in 2010 on the song ‘Airplanes Pt II’ which also featured Hayley Williams of Paramore. The track featured on Simmons’ debut album B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray.

You can hear B.o.B speaking about collaborating with André 3000 and Eminem, and hear ‘Play The Guitar’ in the videos below.