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
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
22/10/2025
Prime Video Inks Deal To Present NFL Black Friday Game Worldwide By SVG Staff
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 10:06 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story ...
22/10/2025
NBA Tip-Off: ESPN Goes 1080p HDR End-to-End, Flipping HDR Switch on REMI and REM...
22/10/2025
FloSports Empowers Division II, III Athletic Departments With Turnkey Production...
22/10/2025
Wall Street Video Summit Debuts, Bringing Together 200 Financial Enterprise Vide...
22/10/2025
Dueling Pianos: International Chopin Piano Competition Is as Competitive as a Ba...
22/10/2025
In 1995, a young Colombian artist released an album that would change Latin pop ...
22/10/2025
Over the past few months, a photovoltaic system has been installed on a three-he...
22/10/2025
The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission is stacked on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kenn...
22/10/2025
L3Harris' Hybrid SATCOM is resilient by design, offering path diversity that eliminates vulnerabilities by routing data across the best available networks i...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Organizers of NAB Show New York said they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countries along with 260 exhibitor...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, supplied an extensive gear package of professional-grade equipment for ...
22/10/2025
Lightware, a global leader in signal management and AV connectivity solutions, is seeing strong market momentum for the UCX-3x3-TPX-RX20, a compact transmitter-...
22/10/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron has released PAINT 10.2, the latest update for its telestration platform, adding support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP workflows, expanding brandin...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON Run3TV today said NBCUniversal is joining as an investor in the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority, which develops the Run3TV NextGen TV application platfo...
22/10/2025
ATLANTA swXtch.io will feature two new networking solutions extending the company's reach across more cloud and on-prem workflows at NAB Show New York, set ...
22/10/2025
The Warner Bros. Discoverys HBO Max streaming services has increased prices for all its streaming tiers effectively immediately for new customers. Existing cust...
22/10/2025
LOS ANGELES OpenDrives has signed a new distribution partnership deal with Versatile Distribution Services (VDS) to strengthen its channel and streamline how it...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Samora Pinderhughes Brings Immersive Sound to Berklee's Signature Series The artist and composer, who's worked with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Co...
22/10/2025
BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Stud...
22/10/2025
October 22nd, 2025 TRIBECA ANNOUNCES STAR-STUDDED LINEUP OF MEMBERSHIP EVENTS F...
22/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF cooperate in drone defense Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF partner to deliver a comprehensive drone defense solution combining Rohde & S...
22/10/2025
European Broadcaster Upgrades To Grass Valley's NativeIP LDX 135 Cameras And...
22/10/2025
Everyone Gets a Better Deal on Verizon with New FOX One Perk The $15 FOX One streaming service perk is yet another way Verizon continues to add savings for cu...
22/10/2025
First Look Hidden Assets Series 3
Premieres on 9th November 9:30pm on RT One & RT Player
WATCH HERE Promo Link: Hidden Assets Series 3 | RT
The Crimin...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part o...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content'...
21/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Ex...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancil...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director ...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Se...
21/10/2025
Indigenous storytelling has been at the heart of the work of the Sundance Instit...
21/10/2025
Top L-R: Mysterious Skin, American Dream Second Row L-R: Little Miss Sunshine, D...
21/10/2025
Last week, Spotify and Columbia Records transformed Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army ...
21/10/2025
SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celeb...
21/10/2025
As global operators simplify and evolve their digital platforms, NPS improvement...
21/10/2025
Critical Design Review completion is a key milestone on the path toward Wideband Global Satellite Communications certification for the network in 2026, opening ...
21/10/2025
New Australian undersea training range to implement and improve warfighting tactics, proficiency and safety; enable joint/allied training that contributes to pr...
21/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
21/10/2025
September, the beginning of autumn, brought an expected revival to the TV market, largely due to the new fall TV schedules. The time spent in front of the TV sc...
21/10/2025
Broadcast Booms with 20% Uptick vs. August, Achieving Largest Monthly
Increase ...
21/10/2025
During September, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.5%, a marginal shift of -0.5 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YU...
21/10/2025
RENNES, France BBright and GlobalM have conducted a technical trial validating Ultra HD interoperability across the entire contribution chain in the cloud, achi...
21/10/2025
Kokusai Denki Electric America will mark the U.S. debut of a new 4K camera at the 2025 NAB New York, Oct. 22-23. Now available, the Z-HD6500-S1 UHD/HD productio...
21/10/2025
Triveni Digital, a trusted leader in ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 service delivery, data broadcasting, and quality assurance solutions, will showcase its entire NEXTGEN TV ...
21/10/2025
Radio Azzurra FM, longest-running radio station in the province of Novara, northwest Italy, has invested in an DHD SX2 audio routing and mixing console for inte...
21/10/2025
Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, has announced the appointment of G Morgan as Executive Vice President of...
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.
