Prototype by Andre 3000

Turns out the hip-hop legend can also make a riveting love song.

Transcript

Love Lines from Prototype by André 3000

Hip-Hop isn’t known for its tenderness. Quite the contrary. What originated as a fun genre filled with whimsical rhymes morphed into one dominated by the perils of street life. Hip-Hop became an outlet for gang bangers and dope boys, a hotbed of misogynistic lyrics and otherwise toxic masculinity. There was no longer much soft or playful about it as a fitting sub-genre labeled gangster rap emerged.

The artistry endured, but rappers weren’t rhyming about everyday musings or house parties anymore. They certainly weren’t rapping about love. They discussed drugs, fighting, killing, bitches, and hoes. And I loved it. 2Pac with Thug Life tatted across his belly is my GOAT and Jay-Z became my favorite in all his hustling glory.

Of course, as with every rule, there were always exceptions. We had outliers like Common, and to an extent, Nas. But nonetheless, you had to be considered hard to gain respect or much of a following in 90s and early 2000s hip-hop, regardless of subject matter.

That stance is tempering today with the skyrocketing popularity of genre and gender bending artists. Lil Uzi Vert sways his hips when performing, Lil Nas X is open with his sexuality, Kid Cudi and Young Thug aren’t afraid to put on dresses as Tyler, the Creator paints his fingernails while producing exceptional music. Hip-Hop has changed. It’s multi-dimensional with uniqueness and creativity at all-time highs.

There remains toxicity in some of the music itself, more about using drugs than selling them, but you don’t have to present as gangster for success in today’s rap ecosphere. Drake sings, refers to himself as Loverboy, and made an entire dance album. He’s also one of the bestselling hip-hop artists of all-time.

André 3000 is another outlier, one who is supreme in every facet. He boasts a singular flow and some of rap’s most poetic lyrics. His fashion sense is equally original. André was one of if not the first hip-hop artist to stray from baggy jeans and t-shirts in favor of less conventional clothing. He adopted a sometimes futuristic, other times dapper style with platinum wigs, tweed jackets, leather pants and custom made outfits.

Mr. 3000 looks and sounds like no one. 

He paved the way for the aforementioned eccentric artists we listen to today. As one half of the iconic hip-hop duo OutKast, his imaginative ideas transcended the genre. “Prototype” is a shining example. The song is on André’s The Love Below disc, which was packaged with Big Boi’s Speakerboxxx as part of an OutKast double album.

“Prototype” is a love song. A gentle, hopeful, wholesome love song. There is no rapping. However, seeing how Three Stacks is not only a bona fide member of the hip-hop community but one of its unquestioned legends, the song qualifies for category inclusion.

Slow, whining notes open “Prototype.” As though you’re being transported into a daydream. That’s how the song feels, like a fantasy. The sweetest strain of magic.

There aren’t an abundance of lyrics as André 3000 repeats, “I think I’m in love again” every few lines before drifting off into ruminations and talking to his audio engineer, but he doesn’t need to say more. Those unhurried, opening chords lead into the first stanza, which communicates all there is to be said:

I hope that you are the one
If not, you are the prototype
We'll tiptoe to the sun
And do things I know you like

Do you remember when you met someone who appeared to possess every quality you desired in a partner? Do you remember how it felt? The optimism, the butterflies, the joy, the wanting it to work so badly it hurts.

We’ve all hoped someone was THE one. Though we haven’t always approached the situation as gracefully as André does on “Prototype.” I’d guess that rarely have we resigned to declaring we want someone like them. No, we want them. We want who appears to be our person and may on occasion force it into fruition.

André 3000 teaches us the beauty of loving in such a way that the person you love feels free. (A favorite Thich Nhat Hanh quote of mine.) His desire and intentions are clear. He wants her to be the one. He wants to do things she’ll enjoy. Tiptoeing to the sun is of course metaphorical but there is no warmer, radiant place we can reside.

Also clear is André’s willingness to let his dream girl go if necessary, with appreciation for her giving him the blueprint configuring his actual person.

Sometimes that amazing someone who showed us what we want in a relationship and how we need to be cared for only came into our lives to arm us with this understanding. To demonstrate what’s possible. Sometimes the individual isn’t our soulmate. They are but an example, a vessel, the prototype that helps keep our hope alive.

Which is itself miraculous favor if we allow it to be enough.