André 3000 headlines the Atlanta Jazz Festival for his birthday and pays tribute to Rico Wade

André 3000 celebrated his 49th birthday with a performance at the Atlanta Jazz Festival. The Atlanta native has moved away from the rap lyrics that brought him notoriety as a member of OutKast. Instead, André reintroduced himself as a flautist, accompanied by a crew of musicians for his “New Blue Sun” era.

Held at Piedmont Park, the 2024 Atlanta Jazz Festival allowed André to perform in front of the largest crowd since the release of the album “New Blue Sun”.

Wearing overalls, a long-sleeved army shirt, a red beanie and black Air Jordan 3 sneakers, André 3000 entered the festival stage behind five large mirrors. He eventually emerged to the forefront and began playing the flute while his band followed with cohesive sounds.

Lacking a real setlist, André 3000 and his band mostly improvised throughout the show, vibrating with each other while taking the audience on a hypnotic journey.

André took a moment to pay tribute to Rico Wade, the founder of Dungeon Family/Organized Noize who passed away in April. During his set, Andre talked about how Wade pushed him to be great.

In 1991, Rico Wade was working as a manager at Lamonte’s beauty supply store in East Point, Georgia, when he met Andre and Antwan Patton in a parking lot. Andre and Antwan were eager to prove themselves to Wade. So when Cameron “Big Gipp” Gipp played A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario” on his car stereo, the teens began rapping with the vigor of established emcees. For 10 minutes straight, Andre and Antwan rapped, completely impressing Wade.

Wade would invite Andre and Antwan to the Dungeon, a makeshift studio located in the basement of his mother’s house in the Lakewood community. This was the place where history would be made. Andre and Antwan would be known as Dre, later Andre 3000 and Big Boi. It was here that the most successful group in hip-hop history, OutKast, was born.

About the author of the message

AR Shaw, Editor

AR Shaw is editor of the Atlanta Daily World. His work has been featured in The Guardian, ABC News, NBC, BBC, CBC. He is also the author of the book “Trap History: Atlanta Culture and the Global Impact of Trap Music.”