Outkast Announces Over 40 Festival Dates
Outkast is gearing up for one hell of a 2014. On the heels of the announcement that the duo, preparing to celebrate their 20 year anniversary, would headline this year's packed Coachella, Big Boi and Andre 3000 announced a tour of over 40 festival dates that are expected to run the course of the year via their social networking accounts earlier today. No word yet on the precise locations or dates of the announced sets, but expect that to roll out soon.
The Atlanta duo has gotten music fans buzzing with the recent news of their reunion, after stopping work together after their 2006 movie Idlewild and just after their last album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which went eleven times platinum and sold over 11 million copies. None of the reunion news has come with a promise of new music, but we can all hope. In the mean time, there is a disturbing amount of Belieber Kool-Aid-drinking Twitter fiends who don't have any idea who Outkast is, which has (thankfully) since been taken down.
The announcement was also made on Outkast's personal website, with the following message:
“Ingenious and iconic recording artists and performers, Antwan “Big Boi” Patton and André “3000? Benjamin today announced via Outkast’s social media platforms that their return to the stage celebrating their 20th anniversary will include festival dates around the world. After headlining performances at Coachella in April, the influential group will be the marquee act at over 40 festivals around the world throughout the Spring/Summer of 2014 (dates to be announced).
“It’s truly an honor to celebrate 20 years and still be free to do music the way we choose,” said Big Boi. “Don’t just think outside the box, know that there is no box. I’m looking forward to rocking the stage with my Bro Ski and to all the fans – stank you smelly much, this is for y’all!”
“And imagine, all we wanted to do was rap! I am thankful to have been a part of a group that allowed me to explore anything that came to mind and have fun doing it. Returning to the stage together is the most exciting way for us to thank everyone for their 20 years of supporting Outkast,” said André 3000.”
Outkast May Reunite at 2014 Coachella
Big Boi and Andre 3000 haven't made a full-length album together since 2004s Speakerboxx/A Love Below went Platinum eleven times over, becoming one of the most successful commercial and artistic triumphs in the post record label-driven music landscape. Since then, the pair made one project together, Idlewild, based off the movie both appeared in.
After all this down time, though, OutKast may be heating back up. On the heels of an XXL article about Speakerboxx/A Love Below, which turns ten this year, Billboard is reporting that OutKast is allegedly in talk to play at the 2014 Coachella Festival in Indio, California. Adding to the rumors are a Sleepy Brown Instagram photo that alludes to the pair re-uniting at the annual festival. Whispers also are reporting that the pair may make a run of several festivals throughout 2014.
Coachella has long made a name for itself as the quintessential place to get back together, having brought together the likes of Big Audio Dynamite, Faith No More, Iggy and the Stooges, the Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Pavement, The Pixies, Rage Against the Machine and Siouxsie & the Banshees, as well as the Tupac hologram on their stage since beginning 1999.
First official photo of André 3000 from Jimi Hendrix biopic
When I first heard talks about another biopic about Jimi Hendrix, I have to admit I was pretty stoked. As a lifelong Jimi fan, I was excited to see the music legend resurrected on film. I was just curious to find out as to who would play the lead role, then I found out Andre 3000 would be the man. There's been a lot of issues involving the making of the film, and there was a point in time it looked like it wouldn't get made.
Lucky for us, the film will be premiered in September at the Toronto International Film Festival. What do you think of Andre 3000 as Hendrix? Let's pray this film is better than the Hendrix film made in 2000.
[Via Hypetrak]