André 3000 announces debut solo album, 'New Blue Sun'

André 3000, one-half of the legendary hip-hop group OutKast, is making his triumphant return to music with the upcoming release of his debut solo album, "New Blue Sun."

The new LP from the Grammy-winning rapper comes out Nov. 17.

For fans who've long loved and listened to the iconic hip-hop artist and are expecting a nostalgic collection of masterful, nuanced lyrics, André 3000 says this isn't a rap album.

"New Blue Sun" is an instrumental album centered around woodwind instruments -- "a celebratory piece of work in the form of a living, breathing, aural organism," per the album's description.

It all stems from André's love of flute playing -- an interest that took shape roughly 20 years ago, he said.

"I've been interested in winds for a long time, so it was just a natural progression for me to go into flutes," he said in a statement. "I just like messing with instruments and I gravitated mostly toward wind."

As for if he'll ever release more rap music and the "misconception" that he "just won't do it," the Georgia native said it has to make sense at this point in his life. "I think people feel like I'm sitting around on rap albums, or sitting around and I'm just not putting them out in that way. And no it's not like that," he said.

He added, "In my mind, I really would like to make a rap album. So maybe that happens one day, but I got to find a way to say what I want to say in an interesting way that's appealing to me at this age."