Leaving The Box

New Blue Sun.  This is the name of the new album by Andre 3000, also known as three stacks and the other half of the ultra-popular hip hop duo Outkast.  However, this article is not a review of the album, but rather to discuss how people in society tend to pigeonhole others.  When we pigeonhole someone, thereby putting them in a specific box, it often comes as a surprise, when they do something outside of that box.

Those that have been fans of Andre 3000 whether from the beginning, or just for a while, are used to him being a rapper that has dropped fire lyrics over a dope beat.  That is what people are used to, and likely expected from this new album, especially considering it has been well over a decade since his last album release.  However, he has said that although he really wanted to do a rap album, the wind took him in a different direction.  To me, it sounds like a spiritual journey.

The songs on the album, which are performed using flutes, are an immaculate vibe and frequency, and I really like the direction that he decided to take with this album.  Now of course, if you have been a fan of his since the beginning, even going back to his Outkast days, this progression really is not a surprise.  When you look at his growth, especially spiritually, his awakening, his evolving, his deepening, the way he speaks on things and his thought process over the years, this album really should not come as a surprise.  But again, society expected him to simply put out another rap album, as that is what he has always done in the past. 

Have you ever tried something new, only to be questioned, or for people to say to you that you have always done ‘A,’ although you now want to try ‘B?’  Rather than asking you what made you go in a different direction, they act as if you have offended them by not sticking to what they are used to when it comes to you.  People like to think that they have others figured out, but when that other person deviates from the so-called ‘rules,’ or ‘program’ it is sometimes not perceived well. 

We become pigeonholed based on what we have done, and when we try to evolve and try something else, people do not always like it.  They cannot fathom that you are doing something different; you are effectively leaving the box that they put you in.  But perhaps you are being drawn to go in a different direction.

You need to listen to your inner self.  Listen to your intuition.  What is it telling you to do?  Is it telling you to go in one direction, although you really want to go in a different direction?  Perhaps you are being led into something else.  Therefore, aside from the calmness and serenity of this album, I believe that it serves as a good example of not allowing others to pigeonhole you into what they think you should do or be.  Do not allow others to keep you stuck in your past.  Go against the grain and live life on your terms.