This won’t be about the music, rather, this is about attitude, as it appears some are unaware of how growth and freedom works. Here’s a quick tale in 290 words. If you’re lazy or don’t read well you can just skip to the summary. 

First time I saw Andre was around 1993; he was just hanging out down in south Georgia where I went to college. At that time he was an entry level employee within a corporation only known regionally at the time. He was young, fresh-faced, and ready to build a career. When his first project with his colleague and coworker Big Boi dropped months later in 1994 it was plain to see that he was an exemplary employee with work exceeding management expectations. Over the course of his career he found himself in high demand due his work ethic and sought out for impressive contract opportunities with fellow mega personalities including John Legend, Beyoncé, and Pharrell Williams. Andre’s decades-long success and high performance in his field gave him the space and professional latitude to explore forays into fashion, acting or, as his prerogative, doing very little in his semi-retirement from full scale project management. Even now 30 years on from when I first saw him casually leaning against that car in that sleepy southern town, Andre finds himself in high demand leaving industry onlookers wondering aloud when he would return to form in his primary function in the industry. He returned to collective consciousness upon the announcement of his return to a full project under the Andre3000 brand name, a project that would reflect his current business sensibilities and personal attitudes; a far reach from what stockholders and industry pundits were used to. Some understood him and applauded, others laughed and panned him because he dared step outside of the boundaries that THEY, not Andre, drew. No matter as his established professional CV spoke and continually speaks for itself, it’s the reason everyone paid attention anyway and will do so again.

Summary: I wonder if the same people tripping off Three Stacks’ brief diversion from rap are doing or plan to do the very same thing that they did 10, 20, 30 years ago? I wonder if their thought processes are the same? I wonder if there has been no growth/curiosity within them at all? I hope that when we reach our respective points of liberty from professional building that we, like Andre alludes in track 1, will follow the way the wind blows us and enjoy the spoils of freedom by doing whatever the hell we want, outside thoughts be damned. 

From one DSGB to another, rock on Andre, rock on…even with a flute.

~ Visit The Mind of the Last Atlanta Native ~