André 3000 trades hip-hop for the flute – and still resonates with listeners

I was 15 years old when I received my first hip-hop album as a gift – a radio-edited version of “Aquemini,” by Outkast. I was drawn in by an infectious, bass-thumping single that shared the name of a Civil Rights Movement icon, Rosa Parks. Maybe it was mischief that drew me to the musical stylings of André Benjamin, aka André 3000, because my parents were rather strict about the type of music that ran through my ears. 

A quarter-century later, André’s music highlighting his foray into being a flutist.