Last month, one half of all-star Atlanta rap duo OutKast, André 3000 was spotted playing a Mayan double flute at an airport terminal. As it happens, this sighting of impromptu musical entertainment was just a rehearsal for what was to come.
Now the musical maestro has taken to serenading scores of passers-by on the streets of Philadelphia, New York and Los Angeles.
In Philadelphia, from the Liberty Bell to a Whole Foods and local craft store, André has been spotted over a dozen times, and each time clad in striped overalls, making beautiful music with his Mayan double flute.
HEY YALL I JUST MET ANDRE 3000 AT A RANDOM CRAFT STORE. HE WAS PLAYING THE FLUTE pic.twitter.com/UUnqX5eqXl
— Qtip (@dagoodhoodwitch) July 10, 2019
André 3000, real name André Lauren Benjamin, is in the city filming an upcoming TV show, Dispatches from Elsewhere.
While waiting for a flight to Philly, fan Dayna Allen spotted André playing at an airport terminal in Los Angeles. However, she didn’t recognise it was him until they boarded the same flight.
“I looked at him and he looked at me and I was in total shock,” she told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I immediately regretted not saying anything [earlier], because it was like he wanted to be recognized.”
Russ Jackson, a fan who spotted André on some church steps in Philadelphia, asked him about his choice of instrument. The rapper replied that he “picked it up a couple of years ago and that he’s trying to get really good at it.”
Wasn't tripping. It's him. 3 Stacks in the flesh. And his flute game is A-1. pic.twitter.com/xbQTqjsJiC
— Russ Jack (@Russ_Jack) July 9, 2019
André has also been spotted on the streets of LA and Manhattan, New York.
https://twitter.com/BrokeHomieJ_/status/1150211449962336256
Although André’s flautist skills may come as a surprise to some, seasoned fans will know he is no stranger to woodwind instruments.
On his 2018 EP, Look Ma No Hands, the skilled musician played the bass clarinet throughout the two-track project.
