In the caption released alongside 7 piano sketched, Andre 3000 reveals that this collection was recorded nearly a decade before New Blue Sun. And you can definitely feel that. This project feels like Stacks stepping even further away from hip hop. Not out of rebellion, but evolution. It is as if he is shedding the expectations that come with being one of the greatest rappers alive and simply letting his hands speak.
What is fascinating is the the piece almost leans into jazz, but not in the traditional, hip hop infused way I often talk about jazz. There is no looping, no beat driven structure, no slick fusion. This is purely free form, an emotional improvisation that just exists. He is not playing to prove anything. He is just playing what feels good. And that honestly is what makes it jazz.
The piano stands completely on its own in this project. It doesn’t beg for drums, strings, or horns. But if those sounds wanted to show up, the keys have already made space for them. These compositions give room for the piano to live, to breath and to let silence and imperfection become part of the beauty.
One of the pieces that truly stuck with me is hotel lobby piano. It feels like a quiet conversation overheard in passing, the kind of melody that follows you out the door. There is something reflective about it, almost nostalgic. Like watching memories drip down a hotel window while the world hums quietly in the background. It is simple, but it lingers.
What blows my mind is how clearly you can feel the seeds of New Blue Sun in this collection. Especially in the last two tracks, starting around the final quarter of the off rhythm laughter there is a pulse, an aliveness, that absolutely echoes NBS. It is like time folded in on itself, and we’re catching an early heartbeat of something that wouldn’t arrive until a decade later.
One of the things I really enjoy about this piece is it is not an album. It is not an EP. It is a compilation. A sketchbook. And because it doesn’t have to follow the rules, it gets to be exactly what is it is. Raw, personal, and utterly free. Andre even says these pieces weren’t meant for the public. Sending them to family and friends, like voicemails from his soul.
How he's gifted them to all of us. Not because he had to, but because he could. That is the freest move of all.
