"You don’t get time to hone who you are" — Andre 3000 explains why he believes most new rappers sound similar

Rapper Andre 3000 recently shared his thoughts on the current state of hip hop in a recent episode of The Shop, hosted by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. Appearing alongside guests like Sexyy Red and Jerry Lorenzo, Andre 3000 discussed how modern rappers do not get enough time to develop their craft. He noted that the fast pace of the music industry pressures artists to produce content quickly.

“Rapping, once again, I'm trying to make the parallel, like, if we would have come out as OutKast when we thought we were ready, we wouldn't be around today, because we sounded like everybody else. We sounded like who we were listening to. So I think, and that's one thing now, I don't think artists have time to cultivate themselves," he said.

As per Andre 3000, the evolution of hip hop, driven in part by the rise of SoundCloud and the influence of artists like Future and Young Thug in the mid-2010s, has led to this change. Andre 3000 explained why he believes many new artists mimic what is already popular.

"So a lot of artists sound the same, because you can quickly jump on a microphone. But it's awesome because you get an immediacy, but you don't get time to hone who you are. You know, like, even, like, Future came up in the dungeon. So I know, like, Ray has Future recordings that Future sounds different. Future was rapping. It takes a minute, like, even 2 Chainz. Like, Tity Boi was rapping.”

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Andre 3000 discusses lack of creativity in modern hip-hop

In the latest episode of The Shop, hosted by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, legendary rapper Andre 3000 shared his insights on a common critique of modern Hip Hop. Appearing alongside guests like Sexyy Red, the panel touched on the perception that today’s popular hip-hop sounds the same.

Andre 3000 continued, explaining that artists develop their unique styles over time and figure out what works best for them. He noted that this process leads to the distinctive sound that fans appreciate in artists like Future today. He questioned whether such success would have been possible without this development period.

“What I’m saying is, over time you develop a thing and you figure out, ‘Okay, this is most effective for me.’ And we see it and we love Future for what he does now, but I don’t know if it would’ve been as successful.”

Another old-school rapper, E-40, raised the same concerns in an interview with Nate Burleson of CBS Mornings last year.

“I don’t like where it’s at ’cause I feel like there’s not enough creativity,” he said. “A lot of people sound the same, bro. A lot of copycats. And a lot of them are saying the same things over and over and over, instead of mixing it up. I’m not trying to act like I’m hella positive, but I’m a storyteller. It’s really positive ’cause I talk about the repercussions, the consequences that can happen if you do this," he said.

However, not everyone thinks the same. Last year, Charlamagne Tha God responded to critics of modern hip-hop by asserting that the genre is thriving. The radio personality said on Million Dollaz Worth of Game that hip-hop is in a great place.

“I think people that don’t like Hip Hop now are just mad that it’s not what it used to be. They’re stuck in an era. I love all these new dudes. My favorite dude is Kodak Black right now. I love LaRussell, I love Symba. I love Rapsody. I love [expletive] 21 Savage.”

His Breakfast Club co-host DJ Envy also expressed his support for modern hip hop, saying that he loved it not only for its musical quality but also for its impact on the artists' lives. He highlighted how these artists are making money, staying out of the hood, and providing for their families, including buying homes for their mothers.