Andr 3000 at Berklee: Respect Your Taste-Thats All You Got On tour for New Blue Sun, the iconic artist and his band sat down for a sprawling conversation on staying excited about music, trusting your instincts, and-what else-flutes.
By
John Mirisola
October 31, 2024
Andr 3000 spoke to students at the Berklee Performance Center.
Image by Elizabeth Friar
Any time Andr 3000 shows up, you know youre in for a treat. Whether a classic Outkast song drops at a party, or the artist lends a perfect cameo to a Beyonc or Frank Ocean track, or he delivers a killer portrayal of Jimi Hendrix in a 2014 biopic, or he plays a flute in a caf while he waits for his coffee, or he releases an ambient jazz opus called New Blue Sun, Andr Benjamins appearance commands-and rewards-our full attention.
Students at Berklee got to relearn this basic fact of modern life this week when Andr 3000 stopped by the Berklee Performance Center on Tuesday before his performance at the Wang Theatre on Wednesday. He and his band sat down with moderator Lil John Roberts for a wide-ranging conversation sponsored by the Berklee Career Center.
Much of the conversation centered on this latest act in Benjamins musical career, in which hes picked up the flute (or, well, many tens of different flutes, wooden and digital), and turned to atmospheric soundscapes-diving headfirst into the ethereal, spiritual, and avant garde, as Berklee student Fulano Librizzi put it in his introduction before the band took the stage.
Listen to the first track from New Blue Sun:
The world needed [this kind of record], said Roberts in his opening remarks. The world needs healing. They need the positivity, the high vibrations, with all thats going on right now.
Benjamin credited those bandmates-producer and percussionist Carlos Ni o, keyboardist Surya Botofasina, and drummer Deantoni Parks BM '03-for collaborating with him to bring about his new sound. These people here on stage are really responsible for helping me to get to that place, he said. Its the first time that Ive been in a serious collective where everybody was popping at the same time.
During the hourlong panel, Andr 3000 and his band answered student-submitted questions about Benjamins artistic journey and the production of New Blue Sun, their approach to creativity and originality, the bands practice of spontaneous composition, and much more. Read on for highlights from their conversation.
On the Evolution from Rap to New Blue SunIn response to the notion that this new album was a reinvention of his artistic image, Benjamin clarified, It was 17 years since the last time people really caught a full body of work [from me]. So what may appear to be a reinvention is really just a continuation for me.
Im just happy to be a part of it, he said about the new album. I think it just came at a perfect time. Of course I selfishly just enjoyed it-just the way it sounded. It wasnt a big plan or anything. It was just what was happening in my life, just the same way Speakerboxxx or Stankonia or ATLiens, any of those things . . . they were never planned-out situations. So Im just sticking with the same formula Ive always stuck with, and it happened to take me in this direction . . . where I was able to meet individuals that pushed me in a certain way, invited me into worlds they created.
At the same time, the compositional method for the album was in sharp contrast to some of Benjamins earlier work. I started producing for Outkast at the ATLiens album. I would sit down and go through records, I would go through playing instruments, sampling myself, and it was more constructed. And Im an only child, so I would spend a lot of time by myself with the drum machine, or with the ideas first, and then I would bring it to the studio for Big Boi to check out. . . . When I met Carlos Ni o, he introduced me to a way of recording that was completely in-the-moment. There was no other way to think outside of that. And that opened up a whole new world of things. . . . Thats how we recorded this album.
How Andr 3000 Fell in Love with the FluteThe continuation-not reinvention-of Benjamins artistic identity was spurred, in large part, by the discovery of his love for the flute. From the very first day that I got my first flute [a wooden Maya flute made by the craftsman Guillermo Martinez], I just found myself never putting it down, and waking up really getting excited to play, he said. He would wander around and play, hearing the way the sound moved through his surroundings-it sounds so great in nature, or in spaces where you get reverberation off the hallway, so it was always kind of a quest to walk around and play. . . . I would do it daily for years.
However: New Blue Sun is not a flute album. We do so many other things on the album besides play the flute. I think because Im not rapping on it, they say, Well this is a flute thing. . . . People lean into the flute thing a lot more than they should, because its a vast array of sounds.
To Stay Original, Stay Excited
Left to right: Andr 3000, Carlos Ni o, Surya Botofasina, Deantoni Parks, Lil John Roberts
Image by Elizabeth Friar
When asked how he keeps his music original and unique at a time where making music feels formulaic Benjamins response was simple: I have to enjoy what Im doing. Plain and simple. I just try to keep myself excited with what Im doing. And that leads to exploration, trying to find new ways to do it, trying to find new things to keep yourself excited.
If its coming from your heart, added Ni o, if youre feeling it-whatever form it takes-if you love it, thats it.
Botofasina also commented on the value of dispelling a negative, critical outlook on others music: A great way to not become formulaic is not to be a critic of others who are trying . . . Be a fan of music who happens to be at an instrument; or use your own pers
North America Stories
03/12/2025
CINCINNATI GatesAir has introduced Maxiva XTK, an update to its Maxiva XTE software-defined TV exciter. XTK is a new cost-efficient model primarily developed fo...
03/12/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications is partnering with Haivision, a global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual collaboratio...
03/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has opened a docket for comments on the proposed $6.2 billion Nexstar acquisition for Tegna and set deadlines f...
03/12/2025
MILAN, Italy Brightcove has released seven new features designed to expand global reach, improve audience engagement, enhance live-streaming quality and streaml...
03/12/2025
NEW YORK Great American Media said it plans to launch Pure Flix Familia, a dedicated Spanish-language platform, in 2026....
03/12/2025
SOUTHPORT, Conn. Main Street Sports Group has announced that the FanDuel Sports Network app is now available directly on Vizio and on smart TVs with Vizio OS. T...
03/12/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced that Telia, the second-largest telecom operator in Norway, is modernizing its broadband network with the company's c...
03/12/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. Sinclair said Jay Zollar, vice president and general manager of WLUK-WCWF here, will retire Dec. 31 after 26 years running the stations. Station...
02/12/2025
Case Study: How Mid-Atlantic Sports Network Moved to All-IP Distribution in 60 D...
02/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Lee Corso, Coach, Commentator, FirebrandBy Ken Kerschbaumer
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | S...
02/12/2025
SVG All-Stars: Dan Nabors, Senior Director, Remote Engineering, TNT SportsThe veteran tech leader is helping guide Warner Bros. Discovery's at-home' re...
02/12/2025
National Lacrosse League Opens Season With New Cloud-Based Official Replay-Revie...
02/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: The Cinematic Look in Live Production - Bridging Aesthetic...
02/12/2025
SVG India Announces Advisory Board; JioStar's Prashant Khanna Named ChairmanBy Ken Kerschbaumer
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 11:15 am
Print This Story |...
02/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: New AI Production Tools Workshop' Features ESPN, F...
02/12/2025
Written and directed by Hailey Gates, Atropia won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival....
02/12/2025
The lightweight and highly portable CORVUS-RAVEN, recently demonstrated at the V...
02/12/2025
The lightweight, rugged Panther 2 tri-band VSAT delivers high-speed data communications for Internet, VPN connectivity and video transmission over commercial an...
02/12/2025
NGID volunteers in the United States
NGID volunteers in Mexico
NGID volunteers in India
NGID volunteers in Spain
NGID volunteers in Australia
NGID voluntee...
02/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau has issued a reminder that stations in DMAs 111 through 120 must implement its audio descrip...
02/12/2025
SAN DIEGO Sony Electronics today introduced the Alpha 7 V (ILCE-7M5), the fifth generation of its Alpha 7 full-frame mirrorless lineup, powered by the newly dev...
02/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has opened a docket for comments on Nexstar Media Group's proposed $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna and se...
02/12/2025
WASHINGTON The National Association of Broadcasters has added a trio of media executives, Veronica Rodriguez, Matt Schnaars and Jeff Warshaw, to its board of di...
02/12/2025
MILAN, Italy Brightcove has released seven new features designed to expand global reach, improve audience engagement, enhance live-streaming quality and streaml...
02/12/2025
BCNEXXT, the developers of the advanced playout platform Vipe, today announced a new Service Provider Partner agreement with NPC Media, the Australian managed p...
02/12/2025
DPA Microphones today announces the immediate availability of its new N-Series Digital Wireless Microphone System for customers throughout the U.S. In addition ...
02/12/2025
Hiltron Communications reports a well attended and successful Space Tech Expo exhibition, held at the Messe Bremen from Tuesday November 18 through Thursday Nov...
02/12/2025
The beginning of September saw Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust, in association with Channel 9 and Triple M, kick off the 2025 Brisbane Festival in spec...
02/12/2025
SGM Lighting is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with ACT Entertainment, under which ACT will serve as the exclusive distributor for SGM's ne...
02/12/2025
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that Telia, the second largest telecom operator in Norway, is modernizing its broadband network with the company's i...
02/12/2025
European cloud data protection specialist Keepit is expanding its sales network in the DACH region and has gained TIM AG, one of the leading value-added distrib...
02/12/2025
Featured products at ISE 2026
This year s ISE 2026 theme "Push Beyond" reflects Calrec s direction of travel. The company is dedicated to supporting the AV an...
02/12/2025
Czech Television, the national public broadcaster, has deployed one of the largest LiveU live production projects in the region for live sports and news coverag...
02/12/2025
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics, has announced the release of v8.2 software for its ZEN and ZEN-W Series, bringing advanced cinematic camera se...
02/12/2025
Global provider of video streaming software and services, Accedo, and OTT platform provider, Magine Pro, have signed a binding agreement to carve out and merge ...
02/12/2025
With proven success in broadcast, OTT, and content supply chains, K.S Avinash set to scale Skandha's service-first approach across APAC
Skandha Media Servi...
02/12/2025
AJA Video Systems has joined the RAVENNA community, a network of partners devoted to advancing the RAVENNA standard for distributing real-time audio over intern...
02/12/2025
HUNT VALLEY, Md. Sinclair and its wholly-owned subsidiary One Media Technologies have released a new report focused on how ATSC 3.0, the IP-based NextGen TV sta...
02/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau has issued a reminder that stations in DMAs 111 through 120 must implement its audio descrip...
02/12/2025
WASHINGTON Members of the Advanced Television Systems Committee have elected four industry veterans to three-year terms on the organization's board of direc...
02/12/2025
A new survey from S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan highlights how important social media is for younger consumers, with Gen Z spending 5.1 hours a day on so...
02/12/2025
Faculty Notes: Fall/Winter 2025 Recent accomplishments, releases, and events by Berklee faculty.
December 1, 2025
By
Editorial Staff
The cast of Kind of M...
02/12/2025
Today, Mistral AI announced the Mistral 3 family of open-source multilingual, multimodal models, optimized across NVIDIA supercomputing and edge platforms.
M...
02/12/2025
Ring In The Holidays With Our Biggest Sale Ever On Ivory II Pianos!From now until December 31st, you can save 50% or more on every Ivory II piano and collection...
02/12/2025
Back to All News
Made in America: How Stranger Things' Electrified the US Economy
Entertainment
02 December 2025
GlobalUnited States
Link copied to cl...
02/12/2025
Back to All News
Culinary Class Wars' Season 2 Trailer Teases New Rules, R...
02/12/2025
At AWS re:Invent, NVIDIA and Amazon Web Services expanded their strategic collab...
01/12/2025
L3Harris and PentenAmio formalise their teaming agreement at MilCIS 2025, streng...
01/12/2025
Artemis II is NASA's first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The crew, from left: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Vic...
Andr 3000 at Berklee: Respect Your Taste-Thats All You Got On tour for New Blue Sun, the iconic artist and his band sat down for a sprawling conversation on staying excited about music, trusting your instincts, and-what else-flutes.
