When a new André 3000 verse hits the Internet right after a new Big Boi track, wistful talk of an OutKast reunion flows naturally. On T.I.’s new chin-stroking blogger brush-off “Sorry,” Three Stacks stokes such speculation all the more with an apparent apology to his fellow former OutKast half. “This the type of shit that’ll make you call your rap partner/ And say I’m sorry I’m awkward, my fault for fuckin’ up the tours,” André sings in between some quickly rapped lines about how he “don’t even like rapping fast.”
From fellow ATLien T.I.’s December 18 Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head, the song is another idiosyncratic triumph in 3K’s uncanny streak of guest appearances, and Tip is back on point here, too, nimbly refusing to apologize over twinkling keyboards and trappy snares. Underappreciated R&B singer-songwriter Stacy Barthe sums it up with a richly sung hook: “You can’t please everybody.” A T.I. guest appearance on an honest-to-God new OutKast track would probably please a few, though as in our recent interview, André ultimately sounds uninterested — no longer so hungry, maybe, but far from boring.
