Andre 3000,

We the people appreciate you immensely. Maybe too much. Every time you drop a verse — the same damn question comes up. “When he droppin a album with just raps?”

I been rockin since Aquemini. Since ‘98. ‘Return of The G’ was on repeat on my CD player. I copped that jawn right out of The Wiz on 97th street and Broadway (Manhattan, NY). When Rosa Parks came on BET back when BET belonged to Bob Johnson, it stopped me in my tracks. It was like nothing else that was on tv. The visuals, the rhyme patterns, the Mitchell & Ness jerseys before anyone had a clue what they were (again, this 1998). Only other video that was that ill — wait there were a few… Lol. I was gonna say Missy Elliot’s video, ‘Can’t stand the Rain’, but this is the time period when Puff was spending $2 million on videos and Busta was a brand new super hero in every scene.

Now I can’t front. You looked strange as hell. I hate stating the obvious, but homie, the fuzzy shorts with the ski boots with the blonde wig? All at once? I’m from Harlem, in ‘98 we had Pelle’s, Pepe Jeans, Coogi sweaters with the matching skully and some Jordan’s — hell even some fresh Pippens. And you from down south. All the external BS gave me reason to not relate with you but the poetry… The self awareness, the social awareness the flow and the voice. I couldn’t deny your talent. So much so, in High School at the lunch table, when dudes brought up Jay-Z and and Nas and Big as the dope MCees, I argued in your favor. Always. And I’ll tell you why.

Whatever a person is given in their formative years, they cling to it. It almost becomes a part of their DNA. I grew up in a house listening to Bossa Nova. Momma from Brazil so I that’s what I was being fed on a daily. I heard of Run DMC, but was too young to relate. Same goes for Rakim and Kane and whoever else. Hell I was too young to connect with Illmatic when it first released. So by 98, I was 12. And when I first saw the video for Rosa Parks, I thought, “Man they look like they having fun, what’s that about?” Heard the album, heard all of the different types of Music and approaches to verses you and Big Boi had. Spottieottiedopalicious. Man. “And one nigga done took his shirt off talmbout ‘Now who else wanna fuc wit Hollywood Cole?’”

I say all that to say this. That album is the standard I judged all hip hop albums from. It’s the first album I sat with and played all the time. That album is the very reason I thought Jay Z was boring. Until I realized, different rapper-different approach, and I learned to appreciate his lane. That album made me feel like I wasn’t in Harlem anymore, it made me feel like I was in Atlanta. And I’ve never been.

Then Stankonia came. I converted my east Harlem brother rC3 by then and when I met a brother by the name of Pyramids who had all of the Outkast albums it was like, “I knew it wasn’t just me up here that heard this fire.”

Now one thing I’ve noticed that has kept you sharp as an MC. You don’t let what other people doing affect your output. You don’t dumb things down or try to sound like the “Sound” that’s trendy at that given time. And now, I respect and see where you was coming from with the ski boots. It makes sense. You truly do you and always have. So I don’t expect you to read this or anything else as a motivator to make a rap album. And I wouldn’t want you to. Islam advocates the guarding of ones thoughts and I appreciate that you do. Keep your filter as is.

P.S

But still keep dropping those random verses. It’s a break from that constant monotonous hum akin to a refrigerator buzz that we call hip hop now. Peace.