First of all let me say that I'm a HUGE Andre 3000 fan. Any true Hip Hop head would admit that his actual TALENT is nothing short of amazing. Andre 3000 has the same gift that Mos Def, Eminem and Black Thought have. These guys make rapping look easy. I truly believe that each of them are so good that rapping is almost boring to a degree. Actually, whenever these type of artist are featured on a track with other MC's, they generally destroy the track like a young Busta Rhymes was notorious for doing.
That said, where does Andre 3000 rank on an all time MC list? Well, in terms of his talent, he has Top 5 talent. In terms of ranking him, he is in my Top 30 as you can view on the Top Of Da Dome page here on the website. The list is not in order but his solo work or lack of, would not allow him to be in my personal Top 5.
Why would he not be in my Top 5? Andre 3000 simply doesn't have a solo career outside of Outkast. The Love Below was basically an R&B Record with 1-2 songs with Andre actually rapping. There are just too many great MC's with a huge list of solo projects. You have MC's like KRS, Rakim, Jay-Z, NAS, Common, Ice Cube, LL Cool J and even 2 Great Albums by Biggie where they were responsible for entire albums pretty much by themselves.
I do respect when fans say "But Andre 3000 has enough verses in his career with Outkast to be considered Top 5". Yes, that's a valid point and its debate worthy. I have always given Andre 3000 his props but I also respect the fact that Big Boi provided the other 50% of the lyrics for the amazing discography of Outkast. I guess I can't put an MC on the Top 5 Greatest MC's list when they have NEVER held an entire solo project down totally alone. I do feel Outkast is either #1 or #2 Greatest Rap Group of all time and skill for skill, Andre can rival any MC ever.
So, here are my questions:
1. Is Andre 3000 a Top 5 MC of all time to you?
2. Where would you rank 3 Stacks on the All Time List?
3. Where would you rank the legacy of Outkast in Hip Hop.
Peace