Trending Now: why André 3000 believes fame is detrimental to artists – Fans React

While many aspire to be rich and famous, American rapper and music producer André 3000, whose real name is André Lauren Benjamin, has candidly admitted to disliking the limelight.

In a recent clip that surfaced on social media, the 50-year-old musician openly stated, “fame sucks.”

“Being famous really sucks. Like it’s so un-human. I can’t remember his name, but there was this classical pianist who said, ‘It’s actually unnatural and detrimental to a human to have that much admiration because it actually changes the way you think. It changes the way you move,” André explained.

André has been a prominent figure in the music industry for over 30 years, beginning his career with OutKast in 1992.

He achieved mainstream success with the group in the mid-1990s and has continued to work as a feature artist and musician, most recently releasing a solo flute album in 2023.

Reflecting on his celebrity status, he mentioned that he has only recently come to terms with it.

“I’m coming to grips with it because I think I’m older now. I really see it as I’m just being used for something, and I’m happy that I’m being used in the greater scheme,” he added.

The “Hey Ya!” hitmaker described himself as a catalyst-type artist.

“I’ll do a thing that I naturally do, and then, you know, people see it, and then the reaction of that spawns other things to happen. So I’m always watching how I’m being used. You can’t be mad at that,” he said.

He also opened up about his struggles with social anxiety.

“It never goes away. It just becomes a part of life, and you just have to take a deep breath, smile a little bit, and just get through it,” he shared.

He further expressed the challenges of dealing with constant attention: “I had to adjust to people filming me all the time or coming up to me; that was so weird to me, and I didn’t like it. It made me not want to play at all. It made me not want to come at all,” he said.

André empathised with his contemporaries, stating, “A lot of contemporaries, I kind of feel bad for them because we have children, and sometimes, some of these people can’t even go out without having paparazzi follow them. That’s a whack a*s life.”

Netizens resonated with André’s sentiments, sharing their thoughts in response to the video clip.

American singer Kelis remarked, “I say this all the time. It’s not natural.”

Another user, @miss.dc11, commented, “As an adult now, I understand and admire artists who don’t feed the wheel of fame. The focus should only be on their gift and not where they had dinner the other night or when they went to Disney with their kids.”

User @nikasdesignsstudio reflected on the fame of Michael Jackson, saying, “He’s speaking truth. Many years ago, my mum and I were discussing Michael Jackson. We watched him as a young boy into adulthood.

“His fame was unlike any other. She said, ‘…we created him, and he gave everything, and now we vilify him.’ People thrived off him being a ‘freak’ and made millions. May we all learn from this. .”

Lastly, @thatgemini528 noted, “It’s amazing… People with the fame no longer want it, while people who feel they need it desire and will do mostly anything to have it!!!”