(AllHipHop News) You miss Andre 3000? It may be time to let go of that longing as well as him. In a recent interview, the reclusive Outkast member explains how the upcoming Jimi Hendrix film saved him from depression, retiring at 40 and more.
There has not been much news of Andre 3000’s personal life since Outkast stopped releasing music following 2008’s Idlewild soundtrack. Both of Andre’s parents died nine months apart, with his mother Sharon Benjamin-Hod passing away one day after his 38th birthday. In his interview with The New York Times, Andre explains how his reclusive behavior fostered a level of depression that his acting in the upcoming Jimi Hendrix film helped with:
Honestly, I needed it in my life, too. Hendrix kind of saved me. I was in a not-so-great space, just in a dark place every day. I needed something to focus on to get me out of my depression and rut. Sometimes, when you’re alone, you can let yourself go. I knew if I got on a train with a lot of different people, then I couldn’t let them down.
Jay Z, Eminem, Nas and numerous other MC’s are still releasing music into their 40’s. While Andre says he still loves music, the 39 year old MC has no intentions of rapping past 40:
I remember, at like 25, saying, ‘I don’t want to be a 40-year-old rapper.’ I’m 39 now, and I’m still standing by that. I’m such a fan that I don’t want to infiltrate it with old blood.
Outkast’s first concert in years was at this year’s Coachella Music Festival, where onlookers noticed Andre 3000’s seemingly aloof performance. The suspicions were correct as Andre explains that he was not fully invested in the performance:
My head wasn’t there. I kind of fluffed through rehearsals. A few hours before the Coachella show, I get a message that Prince and Paul McCartney are going to be there. My spirit is not right, and idols are standing side-stage, so as the show started, I’m bummed. This is horrible. In my mind I was already gone to my hotel room halfway through.
Check out the full interview here.