Andre 3000 is a rare rapper. He’s widely respected for his lyrical ability, but he’s never feuded with anyone. It’s as if there’s an accepted hip-hop rule that no one can (or should) challenge Three Stacks in a lyrical competition. Andre 3000 was unsurprisingly silent during the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar battle. It was actually much more surprising to hear the Outkast rapper address the situation months later. He finally voiced his thoughts on the battle and who the ultimate loser was. It’s not about who you think.
Andre 3000 said Crack Magazine that the battle for the music business made him sad. Especially for the people who work for Drake and Kendrick Lamar and feed their families off their success. In his opinion, these people were the ones who were really at risk. “You have people with 100 employees,” he complained. “You have livelihoods, empires, companies, contracts – everything can be at stake. If you have nothing to lose, then of course you can try. But if I’ve already succeeded, I’m not sure if it’s even worth it anymore.”
Andre 3000 enjoyed being mentioned by K. Dot
Andre 3000 compared the high stakes game between Drake and Kendrick Lamar to the rap battles he experienced as a kid. For him, it’s like night and day. “I got a little sad at one point,” he admitted. “The early rap battles were kids rapping against each other in the park. But now it’s not just people rapping anymore.” Andre 3000 occupies an interesting place in the history of Drake and Kendrick Lamar. He has collaborated with both artists in the past. He worked with Drake on “The Real Her” and “I Do (Remix).” He has collaborated with Lamar a few times, most notably on the NERD song “One of You,” but none of their collaborations have been officially released.
However, both Drake and Kendrick Lamar hold Andre 3000 in high regard. The latter referenced Stacks in the diss song “Like That.” He compared Drake and J Cole’s harsh language to the trend of seeing Andre walking around with woodwind instruments. “I lost too many soldiers to not play it safe,” Dot raps. “If he walk around with that stick, that ain’t Andre. 3K.” Despite the context, Andre 3000 was happy to receive the mention. “As a 49-year-old rapper, you just love a shoutout,” he told the aforementioned outlet. “I had to say, ‘Yeah, he got it.'”
About the author
Elias is a music writer at HotNewHipHop. He joined the site in 2024 and covers a wide range of topics including pop culture, film, sports, and of course hip hop. He posts work for HNHH Monday through Friday, especially when it comes to covering new albums and singles. His favorite artists are Andre 3000, MF Doom, Kanye West pre-808, and Tyler, The Creator. He loves LA hip hop, but not LA sports teams. The first album he ever bought was Big Willie Style by Will Smith, which he says is still a pretty good listen.
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