American rapper, producer and actor André 3000, born André Benjamin, is one of the most multi-talented artists of recent decades. As one half of the iconic hip-hop duo Outkast, alongside Antwan “Big Boi” Patton, in the late 1990s he created a whole new genre within rap: Dirty South, a style that is danceable and upbeat and relies much less on lyrics than is common in hip-hop and led to global hits such as Hey Ya and Ms. Jackson. Last November, the seven-time Grammy winner from Atlanta released his first solo album in 20 years: New Blue Sun, an instrumental album on which he plays various flutes. The album, which he is performing in full at the festival, represents the next step in André’s creative evolution. The opening number of this spiritual, new age, ambient jazz album broke the record for the longest track ever to crack the Billboard Hot 100.
