The Time Hip Hop’s Flute Playing Good Luck Charm Dazzled DEUCE Gym

Did you know there’s some mythology about a hip hop good luck fairy? You read that right. Hip hop like rap music. Good luck like a rabbit’s foot. Fairy like a whimsical creature. His name is Andre 3000, from Outkast fame, and he plays a flute and if you’re lucky, he’ll show up in the oddest of places to play his flute for you and leave before you know what to do about it. 

The whole time you’ll be left wondering if you just saw what you saw. The verdict will come in that yes, you did just see that. It will feel good and that will be the end of it. 

What a gift. 

One of my favorite moments in DEUCE history is standing in the center of the yard about 20 minutes before the 4:30pm GPP class when I noticed a man wearing a long coat playing the flute walk up to the corner in front of the gym. It was Andre. We locked eyes. He kept playing and I said nothing. I put my hand over my heart and bowed as if to say, “Thank you for your greatness.” Ten minutes later, he left and I still get tingles about it. 

Beyond the unmistakable cool factor that he exudes, I was armed with some knowledge about his struggles with his musical creative expression since becoming an icon in music from an interview he did with Rick Ruben. The pressure weighed on him to make magic every time he made music, so he didn’t. It seemed like his whimsical flute playing was a way for him to express himself with low stakes and that it made him feel good. 

I felt good seeing another man feel good. I think we all do. And, that’s important to say. 

Just a few weeks ago, Andre released a new album that shocked the world of hip hop. It’s a flute album and it’s getting rave reviews. I can’t help but want to acknowledge such a magical expression of the human experience. 

Thank you, André Benjamin.