Rap stars Outkast ready for new CD?

LOS ANGELES, July 9 (UPI) -- The rap group Outkast may or may not release a new album soon, depending on the movie commitments of member Andre 3000, the Los Angeles Times said Saturday.

The newspaper said an analysis of the hip-hop grapevine indicates Andre is up for the role of rock legend Jimi Hendrix in a biopic about the 1960 guitarist.

At the same time, fellow Outkasters Dr. Dre and Big Boi are reportedly wrapping up solo projects slated to drop before the end of the year.

The alignment of the stars points to Outkast releasing its first new tunes since 2007 sometime early next year. The Times said the prediction came from a source cited by the Web site Hip Hop Wired.