In a new interview with Fader, André 3000 talked about suits for a bit before getting to the good stuff: Outkast’s reunion tour, which recently wrapped up in New Orleans after 40-plus dates. I wonder how he and Big Boi celebrated after that last show, beside not talking to each other — I hear they’ve got some decent food down there. Here’s the applicable block quote.
“I felt weird about going out on stage and doing it again. I felt like people would be like, ‘Y’all are doing all these festivals, y’all are just doing it for money,’ he said. “And I felt like a sell-out, honestly. So I was like, if I’m in on the joke, I’ll feel cool about it.”
“It was a decision,” he continued. “I’m 39, I got a 17-year-old kid, and I gotta support certain things. And my partner Big Boi is like, ‘This is a great thing for all of us.’ So I felt like there was a certain sell-out in a way, because I didn’t wanna do it—I knew I was doing it for a reason. So maybe if I’m telling people, ‘I am selling out,’ then it’s not as bad as pretending. It’s being honest about it like, ‘Sh*t, I did these songs when I was 17 and I’m out here peddling them now.’ But it’s the honest thing, that’s what it is.” (Via)
I’m glad he added “my partner” before Big Boi, as if we wouldn’t know who he was referring to otherwise. Oh, THAT Big Boi, not the one who works in the public library? Anyway, it’s refreshing that Andre’s so up front about tour = money. Not that anyone blames him. If I had written something even half as good as “Player’s Ball” when I was a teenager, I’d be performing that sh*t at any state fair that would have me. We all want to be talented enough to sell out.
