André 3000, legendary member of Souther Hip-Hop duo Outkast, made headlines after announcing his latest artistic endeavor. However, many of Three Stacks’ fans will be surprised to learn this latest project does not involve new music. Instead, the rap icon announced a collaboration with fashion brand Supreme.
André 3000 and Supreme Link Up
The announcement comes ahead of Supreme’s new fall/winter 2022 collection. To promote the upcoming drop, André 3000 appeared in a series of videos posted by Supreme on social media. The videos feature the rapper expressing his thoughts on what it means to create art. He spends time discussing the need he feels to create as an artist. He also compares creating to necessities for himself, “If I ain’t creating nothing, I don’t feel good…at a certain point, you gotta feed yourself.” Many fans found it odd that André 3000 decided to feed himself creatively through fashion. However, to those who followed his career closely, they would know this choice was not at all unexpected.
André 3000’s History with Fashion
Three Stacks always found himself tied into the fashion world. His sometimes outrageous outfits caused many headlines during his peak fame in the early-mid 2000s. He likewise referenced fashion personalities in his music, like Marc Jacobs. However, he was not a mere admirer of the industry. This Supreme collaboration is not his first attempt to create his line of products.
Hardcore Outkast fans might recall that from around 06-09, André 3000 became involved in several non-musical creative pursuits. One of these pursuits was a failed fashion line. His Benjamin Bixby line did not fair well. The line could not find an audience and swiftly became a footnote on the rapper’s resume. Fortunately, this setback did not deter him from pursuing his ambitions through a new medium. This perseverance also served as a subject in the videos posted by Supreme.
Why Fans Should Be Excited
Fans of the rapper might be upset that André’s creative hunger is being filled via a fashion collaboration. They shouldn’t fret. André 3000 has become much more active creatively than he used to be. Along with this Supreme collab, he recorded a verse for the song “Life of the Party” for Ye’s Donda album. In an interview with legendary producer Rick Rubin, Three Stacks talked about his lack of drive to pursue new projects. Thankfully this drive seems to be slowly but surely returning to the rapper. Perhaps if the fashion collaboration turns out well, he’ll once again feel the musical itch. Alternatively, his fashion success could blossom into something bigger than anyone expected, like with Kanye’s Yeezy brand.
No matter what, André 3000 is a true artist, and anything he chooses to do will undoubtedly be him. Whether or not his endeavor pays off, fans are lucky that his creative hunger is being fed, and fans’ hunger for new music might also be provided.
Ryan Fields