Outkast – Biography, Songs, Albums, Discography & Facts

Outkast – Biography, Songs, Albums, Discography & Facts
OutKast Andre 3000 Big Boi Performing Shankbone 2014. Image source:
David Shankbone, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Outkast Biography

With its strong melodies, creative lyrics, and positive themes, Outkast, often known as OutKast, put Atlanta on the hip-hop map in the 1990s and revolutionized the G-Funk (a variety of gangsta rap) and Dirty South (frequently profane form of hip-hop that evolved in the United States South) music styles.

Antwan André Patton (byname Big Boi; b. February 1, 1975, Savannah, Georgia, U.S.) and André Lauren Benjamin (byname André 3000; b. May 27, 1975, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.) met at a performing arts high school in Atlanta. They established the rap group 2 Shades Deep after discovering their common affinity for hip-hop and the funk musicians who were their aesthetic touchstones (Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone, and Prince).

Benjamin and Patton, now known as Dré and Big Boi, and collectively as Outkast, scored a breakthrough smash single with “Player’s Ball” in 1993, recorded in a basement studio under the tutelage of the Organized Noize production team (hit creators for Xscape and TLC).

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, Outkast’s debut album, was released in 1994. It was a critical and commercial triumph, showcasing the duo’s inventiveness and knack for hooks. Their follow-up, ATLiens (1996), was a smash hit with the single “Elevators (Me and You)” and sold 1.5 million copies. Outkast’s third album, the double-platinum Aquemini (1998), featured additional live instruments and earned the track “Rosa Parks” a Grammy nomination.

Outkast’s unique sense of humor remained intact while they refined their typically life-affirming lyrics and widened their musical eclecticism. The group’s aesthetic became a trademark, particularly Dré’s (renamed André 3000) increasingly extravagant dress, and their theatricality and slick music videos became Outkast hallmarks.

Stankonia (2000), Outkast’s fourth studio album, had a great international success because to the hit track “B.O.B” (“Bombs over Baghdad”). For the emotional “Ms. Jackson,” it won Grammys for best rap album and best performance by a rap duo/group, and it was towards the top of most critics’ yearly “best of” lists. In 2003, the duo released Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, a double album that showcased both musicians’ solo strengths by having them each take the lead on one disc. Outkast reaffirmed their mastery of “old school” rap, especially on Big Boi’s Speakerboxxx, and maintained their attack on hip-boundaries, primarily on The Love Below, on which André 3000 sang as much as he rapped and added funk stylings. The album debuted at number one on the charts and went on to win three Grammy Awards in 2004: album of the year, best rap album, and best urban/alternative performance for the upbeat “Hey Ya!” André 3000 and Big Boi starred in and created the soundtrack for the musical Idlewild in 2006.

Outkast went on hiatus in 2007. Big Boi’s solo album Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty was released three years later to critical acclaim, and he went on to record Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors (2012) and Boomiverse (2013). (2017). Meanwhile, André 3000 focused on producing and recording with other artists. Outkast reformed in 2014 and spent most of the year performing at festivals, although the tour did not result in new albums or performances. To mark the album’s 20th anniversary in 2020, the band reissued Stankonia, which included previously unreleased songs.

Outkast Discography

Idlewild SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Stankonia SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Aquemini SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
ATLiens SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon

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Frequently Asked Questions

When Did Outkast Break Up?

Outkast officially broke up in 2007, but the duo had been on hiatus since 2003.

Outkast?

Outkast is an American hip hop duo formed in 1992, in East Point, Atlanta, Georgia, composed of Atlanta-based rappers André “André 3000” Benjamin (formerly known as Dré) and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton.

What Is Outkast Best Album?

OutKast’s best album is “ATLiens.” This album features the singles “Elevators (Me & You),” “ATLiens,” and “Jazzy Belle.” OutKast won two Grammy Awards for this album, including Best Rap Album.

Most Searched For Outkast Songs

Ms. Jackson SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Hey Ya! SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Roses SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
So Fresh, So Clean SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
ATLiens SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Rosa Parks SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
B.O.B. – Bombs Over Baghdad SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Elevators (Me & You) SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Player’s Ball SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Jazzy Belle SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon