During a promo run for his new memoir, Sing to Me, LA Reid stopped by DISH Nation's Kidd Kraddick Morning Show on Thursday (Feb. 25) and brought a surprise guest: André 3000. He crashed the radio session in a major, offering some insight on three current rappers he loves to listen to and breaking down the essence of freestyling.
The OutKast MC, known for keeping a low profile, voiced his opinion about the current state of hip-hop music and revealed which artists have caught his attention over the years. André gave a shout out to several rappers in his radar. He even gave praise to one album in particular that he cites as one of the greatest pieces of work that's been released in quite some time.
"Kid Cudi's last album Speedin' Bullet is the best thing to come out in a long time," André told the radio co-hosts. "[Young] Thug is charging up the rap game. Future is charging up the rap game. These are people I listen to and my kid turns me on to everybody new so I just listen to whatever he listenin' to, riding to school."
A photo posted by L.A. Reid (@la_reid) on Feb 20, 2016 at 8:43am PST
The 40-year-old Georgia native is a veteran in the rap game with over two decades of experience. Apparently the love for hip-hop doesn't fall far from the tree, admitting that his 18-year-old son might have inherited his rapping abilities. "He's actually good," is how André described his son, but revealed his son doesn't want people to know that he's skilled in that department.
The "Hey Ya" rapper, who's been deemed an enviable lyricist on various lists, was later asked if freestyling is an expertise people are born with or if it's something they can work at. André believes it's something that can be worked on and perfected.
"I'm not a good freestyler. I think it's a confidence thing and an over-thinking thing. You know, you just have to let your mind free. Actually, that's the greatest asset to rappers now. They actually freestyle a lot of those verses we here. They don't write. They laugh at us when we write."
André respects the "pure" lyrics that spill out when artists freestyle. He said even if it's only about women, drugs, or luxurious items, the ability to rap a verse without hesitation or writing it down first really interests him.
Listen to the full interview here.
