André 3000 made a bold entrance at the 2025 Met Gala with a piano on his back and a new instrumental album already making headlines.
André 3000 walked into the 2025 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York with a baby grand piano strapped to his back and a new instrumental album already making waves.
The Outkast co-founder, born André Benjamin, wore a custom Burberry x Benjamin Bixby jumpsuit Monday night, turning heads as he carried the same piano featured on the cover of his freshly released project 7 Piano Sketches.
The album, which contains no lyrics, arrived just days before fashion’s biggest night and reflects the artist’s continued shift from Hip-Hop icon to avant-garde composer.
André said the idea for the piano-carrying concept was his own. “It’s saying a lot for this little bitty piano album, which is kind of hilarious to me,” he said.
Stylist Law Roach, who helped design Burberry’s Met Gala table, said only one person could pull off the look and the stunt.
“When Burberry asked me to collaborate with them on the Met and help curate the table, the first person I thought about was André. And they kind of went crazy, because Daniel (Lee, Burberry designer) is a huge fan,” Roach told GQ. “When I heard about the piano, I was like, ‘Only him. He’s the only one.’”
André shared that he nearly titled the album The Best Worst Rap Album In History.
“It’s jokingly the worst rap album in history because there are no lyrics on it at all,” he wrote. “It’s the best because it’s the free-est emotionally and best I’ve felt personally. It’s the best because it’s like a palette cleanser for me.”
The 49-year-old previously released New Blue Sun, a flute-driven album, in 2023.
His latest piano-focused work continues his exploration of instrumental soundscapes far removed from his Hip-Hop roots.
Later this year, André and longtime collaborator Big Boi will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as Outkast, honoring their decades of influence in music.
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