There are new rumors out that we might finally be treated to a solo project from André 3000 in 2014. Still, for those wondering what exactly has taken the Outkast star so long, his old friend Cee-Lo offered an explanation.

Speaking with MTV’s RapFix, hip-hop’s Liberace explained:

“He just said he had a severe case of stage fright and he’s just kind of been away from the game and didn’t know if he could truly live up (to his reputation). He just said he was bothered by this bar that had been set and maybe he wants to do something different, and he’ll always be his worst competition, his worst critic and maybe he don’t want to live up to what people think he should do.”

So he’s a tortured artist? Fair enough, but I sure hope he’s over that now. You know, since I want a damn new album. Selfish? Yes. But don’t y’all want one, too? Exactly.

That said, I actually think it’s good for him personally that he didn’t drive himself insane trying to live up to other people’s unrealistic expectations of him. That might not be exactly why Lauryn Hill and D’Angelo went left of sanity, but it surely seems like that same strife was a portion of the problem.

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