André 3000 remembers his friend and producer Rico Wade at the Atlanta Jazz Fest | News

One half of the iconic rap group OutKast, Andrew 3000, closed out the 47th Atlanta Jazz Festival earlier this week, and the Atlanta native performed his new jazz album to a packed crowd of jazz fans. A spectator said he had never seen Piedmont Park with so many people.

Atlanta showed up for the rapper-turned-flautist, and that’s a good thing because André 3000 performed in great mourning for his friend and collaborator, Rico Wade, died of heart failure last month. He addressed the crowd with his fond memories of Wade: “Last time we were here, we did a residency of about five, six shows, and Rico Wade came on. Now there’s one thing you don’t know about Rico, Rico Wade…”

André became emotional and tried to pull himself together to pay tribute to his late friend. “Sorry, y’all.” Rico Wade… So Rico Wade made sure my raps were tight. There were times when I would hit Rico in his ears, and he would walk away saying, “That’s not good enough.” So just a moment, I want you to make some noise for King Rico.

The crowd roared for Andre and the key member of the Dungeon Family. Andre said: “I wouldn’t be here on this stage or able to do any of that. I wouldn’t have the confidence to do any of this without Dungeon Family. They raised me. The Dungeon Family is made up of OutKast, the Goodie Mob and Killer Mike – they are named after Wade’s recording studio, The Dungeon – where most of their hits were born.

As he recalled his humble beginnings with his friends, Andre shared intimate details of how they supported each other and created space for their success together. “My family taught me to dream. They taught me to dream and go for it,” André explained.

He continued: “Big Boi taught me to dream, to go for it and to go for it. The dungeon has been the place of many things. Our goal was to keep pushing, to keep stretching.

André 3000 released “New Blue Sun” in 2023, and the album was a major departure from the slick lyrics and explosive, southern beats that made him a hip hop staple, but it was a welcome departure. André’s latest flute instruments are designed to heal – the frequency is set to 432 Hz, or hearing healing – as this frequency is believed to induce calm, reduce stress and promote general well-being. André is a king who gave the world the gift of healing through sound. That’s why more than 150,000 people showed up to the Atlanta Jazz Fest for André’s 49th birthday.