André 3000 has never been one to follow expectations or cultural norms. From redefining hip-hop with Outkast to embracing instrumental music, he has built a career on creative reinvention. His latest project, a short film based on his EP 7 piano sketches, is another example of his unconventional approach to storytelling and music.
Who Is André 3000?
André 3000, born as André Lauren Benjamin, was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He first became popular from the hip-hop duo, Outkast, working alongside Big Boi. The two came together in the early 1990s, with their most popular songs “Hey Ya!,” “Ms. Jackson,” and “So Fresh, So Clean.”
Big Boi and André never officially “broke up,” but went their separate ways in the late 2000s to pursue solo careers. Since then, André has been releasing music and collaborating with musicians. He is featured in Kanye West’s 2021 album, Donda (deluxe), in the song “Life of the Party.” He’s also worked with Killer Mike, Drake, Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, and numerous other artists.
André has three albums alongside a couple of singles and EPs. André recently directed a short film based on his new EP, 7 piano sketches, which is now streaming on Mubi.
The Film That Follows the Music
Inspired by his EP, the film features every track from 7 piano sketches. As each song plays, the film displays its title on screen. Written by André himself and directed by Graham Mason, the wordless film follows André commuting to work in New York City after dark in a jumpsuit with a grand piano strapped to his back. This is also the same exact outfit he wore to the 2025 Met Gala.
In the beginning, André randomly moves his fingers around on a copy scanner. As he journeys through the city with his piano and sketchbook, he runs into other characters who also have objects strapped to their backs and finds his finger scans as he gets closer to his destination. Throughout the film, snippets of sketches appear on the screen.
During his commute, André checks his watch every now and then. Instead of numbers, the watch reads messages, telling him that he’s going to be late or that he needs to hurry up.
Although the film doesn’t use dialogue, it does show a conversation between André 3000 and his ant friend, Mr Anthony, who is carrying a tree. The two speak inaudibly with their conversation transcribed on the screen. André asks the ant if he needs any help, in which he replies with, “Naww I’m good, it’s just a tree. This is light work to me, but thank you.” André then catches a ride to his job on a garbage truck.
In the end, André makes it to his job. One of the women he comes across during his commute, also with a piano strapped to her back, returns his sketchbook.
The Piano and the Ants
The film and music behind it have been in the making for about 15 years. He recorded most of the music in Texas. André and his son were renting a house that had no furniture, except for their beds, some TVs, and a rented piano. While his son was at school, André would mess around with the piano. He ended up enjoying it so much that he bought it. As he played, he’d record on his phone or laptop and send the recordings to his family and friends.
After releasing New Blue Sun, he came across the old recordings. He eventually released 7 piano sketches, creating the entire EP through improvisation. He took the same approach with New Blue Sun.
In an interview with Mubi, André said, “There’s something about the freedom of improvising… Once you’ve done something for a long time, you’re looking for ways to unlearn things and get out of a pattern,” he said. “There’s something raw and honest about that way of working. I’ve been doing music for so long, my brain has gotten used to certain rhythms, certain chord progressions, certain structures. It stopped being exciting to make music that way. Working in this more improvisatory way got me excited again.”
This film, along with the EP that was used in the soundtrack, his album New Blue Sun, and his clothing line “From Now On They Will Have No Choice But to Call Us Ants,” are all inspired by ants.
“I like ants, and the idea partly came from thinking about ants and how they can carry a leaf that’s 50 to 70 times their body weight. I was thinking about what it would be like to have ant-like strength,” he said in the interview with Mubi. “How they communicate and relate to each other: their togetherness, the way they work toward a goal. It’s just intriguing to watch them. I’ll sit and watch hours of YouTube videos and nature documentaries about ants. There’s something so cool about the way they work; they’re the biggest workers on the planet. I’ve always felt like humans could learn a lot from ants.”
What’s in the Future for André 3000?
André wants to continue pursuing his acting career. When asked by Mubi if he’s still looking for acting projects, he replied with, “yes, definitely.”
He is seen in Four Brothers, Showing Up, The Shield, voiced Elwyn the Crow in the 2006 film Charlotte’s Web, and in numerous other films.
“At the moment, I’m trying to figure out how I can find a way to do something different with it,” he said in the Mubi interview. “There’s a famous actor—I won’t name him—and every time he sees me, he’s like, ‘You remember that conversation we had? Have you found that new style of acting yet? I’m still looking!’ If you watch cinema, it moves through different styles of performance: In the ‘40s and ‘50s, they had this really serious kind of acting. Then in the ‘60s and ‘70s, it was very free.”
André is trying to find today’s style of acting. His film, in my opinion, showed a creative form of acting that isn’t typically seen on the big screens. There was no clear, linear plot, yet the film was still beautiful. Like a visual poem, he used his creativity and characters to match the tone of each song and give viewers an insight into how his brilliant mind works.
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