André 3000 has broken TOOL's record for the longest Hot 100 song ever.
The OutKast member just released his new jazz-flute album, New Blue Son, and the first track on it, "I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a 'Rap' Album but this Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time" has debuted at No. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100.
At 12 minutes and 20 seconds in length, the song is nearly two minutes longer than TOOL's track "Fear Inoculum" (clocking in at 10 minutes and 21 seconds), which previously held the title of the longest-ever track to crack Billboard's coveted pop chart. In 2019, it debuted at No. 93 on the Hot 100.
Interestingly, the four longest songs to ever make it onto the Hot 100 are from the 21st century. As Stereogum points out, prior to TOOL setting the record in 2019, David Bowie claimed the title when "Blackstar" (nine minutes and 57 seconds) landed at No. 78 in 2016.
In 2021, Taylor Swift's 10 minutes and 13-second "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" landed all the way up at No. 1, but it was just a few seconds too short to best TOOL's then-record.
Now that André 3000 holds the ultimate title, it's incumbent upon TOOL to record even longer Hot 100 hit whenever they get around to following up Fear Inoculum. We believe in them!
