Benjamin Andre To Be Exact was voted The Dopest MC Out Right Now even though he doesn't really have anything out right now, which means his awesomeness laughs in the face of release dates and the existence of any tangible product. His decision to marinate between projects could be the most genius move he's ever made, since roughly 125% of the rap artists out today drop albums at breakneck speed without giving their fans a chance to miss them, or allowing themselves proper time to polish the work.
More than that, Andre 3000 exhibits the kind of rare, refreshing humility that instantly endears the most jaded Hip Hop head. What does he say when props equal pressure?
"I hate it, to be honest. ... I cannot save no whole rap game. I mean, the rap game has to save itself. Everybody's saving it. People like Lil Wayne is saving it. He's bringing energy to it. You cannot put that all on one man, especially me. I write a verse every year. You can't do me like that."
But yes, we can and we will. Andre you cannot be this dope and fun and laid-back and expect us to not double over in anticipation for your next release, which is why we hope this quote from Rolling Stone's "Rock & Roll Daily" blog is at least partially true:
"It should be dropping by the end of this year or early next year. I've pretty much been working with myself ... I've never really been that big on collaboration ... I have a concept, and all the soundscapes are already in my head, so I just have to figure out how to get there."
Word to true musicianship. Whether Andre's rapping or singing, he's able to effortlessly transcend genre classifications and still remain one of the most soulful and Hip Hop cats in the game. Quite a feat for someone that's been out for fourteen years and was witness not only to the crumbling infastructure that is the business of music, but to the many trends that are so pervasive they manage to eat artists whole. It will be interesting to hear what he comes up with and how he'll push the game forward.
What would you like to hear from Andre's next album?
