The Return of Andre 3000

Last year, with the release of OutKast's film and album Idlewild, it seemed like the last thing Andre 3000 wanted to do was rap. He dropped just a pair of flows on Idlewild, preferring his own vocal take on jazz and blues. A year later, and MTV is calling him the 4th hottest MC in the game, a spot ahead of Kanye West. And this is all skill. Dre hasn't dropped a solo or OutKast joint since Idlewild, just made notable (somehwat random) appearances on five songs this year - Lloyd's "You" (remix), DJ Unk's "Walk it Out" (remix), Rich Boy's "Throw Some Ds" (remix), Devin the Dude's "What a Job," and UGK's "Int'l Player's Anthem" ...

Dre's a mystery - his rhymes disappear for a little while, then reappear with no hype. It's the true power of an artist when he can grab this kind of attention while seemingly trying to avoid it. Hear what he says and realize the Dre remains true to himself - if anything, he's only gotten weirder.

And don't forget that the soundtrack to his Class of 3000 cartoon series just hit, showcasing yet another side of his diverse personality. We have an MP3 of the theme song which you can download.