Outkast

Outkast is an American hip-hop group formed in East Point, Georgia, and active from 1991 to the present. The duo consists of André 3000 and Big Boi. They begin in the Atlanta area, where André 3000, originally André “Andre 3000” Benjamin and later known as Dré, and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton meet while attending Tri-Cities High School, a visual and performing arts school. The group signs to LaFace Records in 1992 as the label’s first hip-hop act and first appears on a remix of TLC’s “What About Your Friends”. Their early work helps establish southern hip hop, and they later become closely associated with the Dungeon Family collective alongside Organized Noize and Goodie Mob.

Style and development

Outkast’s sound starts with Dirty South and G-Funk influences, then expands to include funk, soul, pop, electronic music, rock, spoken word poetry, jazz and blues. Their later releases also draw on contemporary R&B and pop alongside conscious hip hop and dirty south styles. The group is known for balancing commercial success with an experimental approach, and for lyrics that move between club themes, personal material and politically conscious commentary.

Early releases

Their first single, “Player’s Ball”, appears in 1993 and reaches number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart. The debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, follows in 1994 and features production entirely by Organized Noize, with appearances from other Dungeon Family members. The album includes the title track and “Git Up Git Out”, a collaboration with Goodie Mob that is later sampled by Macy Gray on “Do Something”.

Outkast wins Best New Rap Group at the Source Awards in 1995. That same year the group contributes “Benz or a Beamer” to the New Jersey Drive soundtrack. Their second album, ATLiens, arrives in 1996 and marks a more self-conscious direction. It leads to the formation of Earthtone III with David “Mr. DJ” Sheats, allowing the group to produce more of their own material. “ATLiens” becomes their second Top 40 single, and “Elevators (Me & You)”, their first self-produced single, becomes their first Top 20 hit.

Breakthrough and major albums

Aquemini is released in 1998 and reaches number two on the Billboard 200. Its title combines the signs of Big Boi, an Aquarius, and André, a Gemini. The album receives a five-mic rating from The Source and features more self-production, with contributions from Organized Noize, Raekwon, George Clinton and Goodie Mob.

In 2000, Stankonia is released and debuts at number two on the Billboard 200 before being certified quadruple-platinum. Its singles include “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)”, “Ms. Jackson” and “So Fresh, So Clean”. “Ms. Jackson” becomes the group’s first pop number one and also reaches number two in the UK, while André 3000 adopts his current stage name around this period. The album wins two Grammy Awards in 2001, including Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “Ms. Jackson” and Best Rap Album for Stankonia.

The greatest hits collection Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast appears in 2001 and includes three new songs. One of them, “The Whole World”, wins a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2002. Outkast also appears on the Even in Darkness Dungeon Family album and contributes “Land of a Million Drums” to the Scooby Doo soundtrack in 2002.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below and later work

In 2003 the group releases the double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, structured as two near-solo albums by the individual members under the Outkast name. Big Boi’s Speakerboxxx focuses on funk and Dirty South styles, while André 3000’s The Love Below leans toward funk, jazz, rock, electronic music and R&B. The release becomes the group’s biggest commercial success, reaches number one on the Billboard 200, and is certified diamond in the United States. It wins Album of the Year at the 2004 Grammy Awards, making it only the second rap album to receive that award. Its singles “The Way You Move” and “Hey Ya!” both become major hits, with “Hey Ya!” also becoming a widely played crossover track on adult contemporary radio.

“Roses”, “Prototype” and “Ghettomusick” follow as singles from the project. The album also prompts a public legal dispute over the song “Rosa Parks”, which is eventually settled without either Outkast or its label admitting wrongdoing, and with an agreement to perform a tribute to Rosa Parks.

Between group releases, André 3000 and Big Boi also work in film. André appears in Four Brothers and Be Cool, while Big Boi has a featured role in ATL. Together they make Idlewild, a Prohibition-era musical film with a blues-influenced hip-hop soundtrack, released by Universal Pictures in 2006. The accompanying soundtrack includes “Mighty ‘O’”, “Morris Brown” and “Idlewild Blue (Don’tchu Worry About Me)”.

Business and affiliations

Outkast and Organized Noize form part of the Dungeon Family organisation. The group later works with Earthtone III and Aquemini Records, a label imprint run with Mr. DJ through Columbia. After Aquemini Records folds in 2004, Big Boi founds Purple Ribbon Entertainment, distributed by Virgin Records, and signs Sleepy Brown, Bubba Sparxxx and Killer Mike. Outkast also records through Gnat Booty Music. Across its career, the group receives six Grammy Awards and sells more than 25 million copies across its seven releases.