How One Man Dismantled the Rap Industrial Complex

Kendrick, Tyler, and Drake, what do these hit makers have in common? They’ve all been touched by the same man… no Diddy! Andre 3000, the man that opened the door for Kendrick’s theatrical storytelling, Drake’s conversational flow, and Tyler’s genre-fluid eccentricity. Andre 3000 didn’t just change the sound; he changed what a Black artist could be in the music industry.

The Love Below wasn’t just a good album, it was an album that changed rap. Honestly, go back and listen to this album, and you’ll be surprised how many hits are on it. Andre shattered the old rules of the genre, proving a rapper could be a singer and a kind a like drake says in 4am in calabash, “Mike never tried to rap like Pac. Pac never tried to sing like Mike.”

While Drake was still on Degrassi, Andre was busy making it a reality. Drake has Andre to thank for his conversational flow, the style where it sounds like he’s just talking to you, and it happens to rhyme. This loosened structure is the bedrock of Drake’s entire delivery style.

As for Kendrick, he has cited Andre as the primary influence for his theatrical storytelling through rap and the voice switching you hear on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. So needless to say, the impact from Andre is more than prevalent in these artists. Oh, and Tyler? The influence Andre had on him is the easiest to see, because every time Tyler walks out in a blonde wig or a pastel suit, he has Andre to thank for that.

Andre’s presence in the rap scene will forever be felt, but today his projects feel much more personal. It’s almost as if he’s said, “I’ve done my part, now I’m going to do me.” Since abstaining from substances in the early 2000s, Andre has been on a different wave. Taking time for personal growth and independent projects, Andre has taken the time to do some incredible features and an interesting flute project. Though it doesn’t seem like we’ll get another Outkast-like album from Andre, his work will forever continue to inspire and influence music and the culture for years to come.