Description

Atlanta-based hip-hop duo Outkast succeeded in bringing an unorthodox rhyme style and quirky, P-Funk-influenced sound and presentation into the rap mainstream. Successful since their 1994 debut, Outkast have gotten progressively more idiosyncratic. Their sophomore release, ATLIENS, took musical and lyrical risks which were reflected in Outkast's video output, such as the Mars-meets-Egyptology production for the album's hit "Elevators." STANKONIA, released in 2000, cemented the duo's reputation as influential hip-hop innovators, while its ambitious follow-up, 2003's SPEAKERBOXXX/THE LOVE BELOW, made Outkast masterminds Andre 3000 and Big Boi international superstars.

Biography

This rap duo comprises Dre aka Andre 3000 (b. Andre Benjamin, 27 May 1975, Georgia, USA) and Big Boi (b. Antoine Patton, 1 February 1975, Savannah, Georgia, USA), who first met while studying at Atlanta's Tri-City high school. The duo signed a contract with L.A. And Babyface's LaFace imprint prior to graduation, and immediately had a hit with "Player's Ball", produced by TLC backroom gang Organized Noize. The track, which topped the Billboard rap chart for over six weeks in 1994, featured on the duo's platinum selling debut, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. Comprising tales of the streets of their local East Point and Decateur neighbourhoods, the album helped establish the south as a new force in hip-hop. "Elevators (Me & You)" became a major rap chart success in July 1996 and broke into the US Top 20, while the attendant ATLiens debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The musically diverse and mystically inclined Aquemini repeated the success of its predecessor, debuting at US number 2 in October 1998.
In a nod to George Clinton's work with Funkadelic and Parliament, the duo's first album of the new millennium, Stankonia, purveyed a mindbending fusion of funk and hip-hop soundtracking a wickedly satirical examination of the state of the constitution. This superb album also featured the US chart-topping single "Ms. Jackson". The success of the album confirmed Outkast as a leading creative and commercial force on the international music scene. The follow-up comprised a two-disc package containing a solo album each from Dre and Boi. Despite this rather strained conceit, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below debuted at number 1 in the Billboard charts in October 2003. The Andre 3000-led "Hey Ya" edged out the Big Boi-voiced "The Way You Move" to the top of the singles chart in December. The two tracks remained at the top of the US charts for a remarkable eight weeks before "The Way You Move" moved to the number 1 position, with "Hey Ya" dropping down to number 3. In February 2004, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below picked up Grammys for Album Of The Year and Best Rap Album.
DISCOGRAPHY: Southerplayalisticadillacmuzik (LaFace 1994)****, ATLiens (LaFace 1996)***, Aquemini (LaFace 1998)***, Stankonia (LaFace 2000)****, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (LaFace 2003)****.
COMPILATIONS: Big Boi & Dre Present ... Outkast (La Face 2001)****.
VIDEOGRAPHY: The Videos (Arista 2003).

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