Outkast

OutKast captured the essence of Atlanta’s contribution to hip-hop’s Dirty South movement in the mid-to-late 1990s through their fusion of raw Southern soul, supple rhymes, and the laid-back grooves supplied by the production team Organized Noize. Together with Goodie Mob, the duo steered Southern rap toward fresh territory by favoring melodic warmth and layered instrumentation over raw aggression while sharpening lyrical detail and embracing an upbeat outlook. Following the chart-topping success of their debut single “Player’s Ball,” Dré and Big Boi sustained a string of platinum releases that yielded multiple hits and earned widespread critical praise alongside strong sales.

André Benjamin, known as Dré, and Antwan Patton, known as Big Boi, crossed paths at a high school in East Point, a section of Atlanta, where competitive lyric exchanges quickly earned each one respect for the other’s talent. They launched OutKast after catching the attention of Organized Noize Productions, the same crew behind hits for TLC and Xscape. Shortly after graduation they signed with LaFace, the Atlanta imprint run by Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Babyface, and issued “Player’s Ball,” which climbed to the top of the rap chart. The track held that position for six weeks, earned gold certification, and generated enough momentum for a full album. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik reached the Top 20 upon its 1994 release and achieved platinum status before the year closed; at the 1995 Source Awards the pair were named Best New Rap Group of the Year.

The duo resurfaced in August 1996 with ATLiens, which peaked at number two and attained platinum standing on the strength of the gold-certified single “Elevators (Me & You),” a track that reached number 12 on the pop chart and number one on the rap chart, along with the title track’s Top 40 placement. Aquemini arrived in 1998, again landing at number two and eventually doubling platinum. Though it lacked blockbuster singles, reviewers celebrated the album’s cohesive and forward-looking approach, hailing it as a major artistic advance and placing it on numerous year-end lists. Rosa Parks herself filed suit against the group over the lead single that bore her name, alleging unauthorized use of her identity for commercial gain and objecting to certain lyrics; a lower court dismissed the case in late 1999, yet the Supreme Court later permitted the action to continue before the parties ultimately settled.

Dré adopted the moniker André 3000 ahead of the eagerly awaited fourth album, Stankonia, released in late 2000. Bolstered by glowing notices and the standout tracks “B.O.B.” and “Ms. Jackson,” the set debuted at number two and reached triple-platinum status within months, while “Ms. Jackson” became the duo’s first number-one pop hit the following February. All but three tracks were crafted by the production trio Earthtone III, comprising André 3000, Big Boi, and David “Mr. DJ” Sheats.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, a double album issued in 2003, entered the chart at number one and delivered two chart-topping singles: the André 3000-led “Hey Ya” and the Big Boi-led “The Way You Move.” Speakerboxxx stayed closer to OutKast’s established sound and could have stood alone as a Big Boi project, whereas The Love Below unfolded as a varied, lighthearted collection that might have served as an André 3000 solo effort. Despite its split personality, the package captured the 2004 Grammy for Album of the Year. Amid persistent breakup speculation the pair resurfaced with the Prohibition-era Southern musical Idlewild and its wide-ranging soundtrack, presented as a genuine OutKast album. Big Boi later released the solo album Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty in 2010, while André 3000 contributed production or guest vocals to John Legend’s “Green Light,” Beyoncé’s “Party,” Lloyd’s “Dedication to My Ex (Miss That),” and Young Jeezy’s “I Do.”