ATLANTA, GA — On an episode of Broken Record hosted by legendary music producer Rick Ruben, he exchanged ideas and conversation with iconic Outkast member Andre 3000 (born Andre Benjamin) on his early beginnings, his influences, critiques and more.
“Tribe [Called Quest], Dogg Pound, Snoop [Dogg] and them, when you’re at that point of discovery as a kid and these new waves of rapping,” Andre3000 revealed who influenced him early in his career. “The way Hieroglyphics [Crew], were rapping at the time it was completely new.”
Benjamin also revealed to Ruben that he and Eminem sat on a phone call for an hour discussing the way the Hieroglyphics Crew rapped and how they were reciting verses. He also recalled when he found his voice in rap during the time of him being in the Dungeon with the Dungeon Family in Atlanta.
Three stacks acknowledges his love for other genres of music including a rock group that inspired the song “Bombs Over Baghdad”.
“I wouldn’t have done [the song] ‘Bombs Over Baghdad’ if it wasn’t for Rage Against The Machine, the urgency in their music,” Benjamin told Rubin during the podcast.
This is a rare and insightful interview that we’ll hear from the Outkast member who doesn’t do many interviews since taking a break from the music scene.
