André 3000 Reflects on Working With Beyoncé: ‘We Have a Kinship’

André 3000 and Beyoncé have teamed up for collaborations in the past and he even named a song after Queen Bey on his New Blue Sun album.

The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Three Stacks on Monday (Dec. 16) for a rare sit-down interview, where he reflected on working with the pop icon.

“Really just being excited about working together because we performed together during the ‘Hey Ya!’ times in England [in 2003],” the Outkast legend recalled. “That was some of the first times I’ve met her, so being able to record, I think we’ve always had respect for each other and been fans.

He continued: “To be reached out by Beyoncé, ‘Hey, can you get on this song?’ I’m like, ‘Hell, yeah, you know I’m with it.’ Yeah, it was a cool musical family thing. I think people from a certain era, we have a kinship.”

Three Stacks and Bey joined forces for “Back to Black” from The Great Gatsby soundtrack in 2013 and “Party” a couple of years prior. He detailed the vision of naming his “Ninety Three ‘Til Infinity And Beyoncé” after the Houston-bred music deity.

“The title was really a play on words, just referencing things that I was into,” he began. “Souls of Mischief, one of their most famous songs was called ’93 ‘Til Infinity,’ and that’s when I was coming out of high school. That was one of my favorite rap tracks. Then I thought it was funny to put that together with a Toy Story proclamation, ‘Until infinity and beyond.’”

Dre even received Jay-Z and Bey’s blessing: “That was a thing that the character would say in the movie, and I would say, “Why not Beyoncé?” It was funny; it was a play on pop culture stuff. I reached out to Jay-Z and Beyoncé and asked if it was cool. She’s like, ‘Yeah.’ So I was happy.”

Elsewhere in the interview, André 3000 voiced his frustration with the media continuously referring to New Blue Sun, which is nominated for album of the year, best alternative jazz album and best instrumental composition at the 2025 Grammy Awards, as a “flute album.”

“The media has touted it as this flute album and I think it’s a misrepresentation of the album,” he said. “It’s way more than a flute album. They belittle it by calling it a flute album because there are actual flutists that have made flute albums, like Jethro Tull and Paul Horn. I think it could be a turnoff to some people if they think, ‘Yo, he’s just in a room playing this flute.’”

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