The OutKast duo is impossible to imagine without Andre Benjamin (Dre and Andre) and Antwan Patton (Big Boi). The boys went to the same school. Both wanted to create a rap group. Andre admitted that he respected his colleague after he defeated him in a battle.
The performers did the impossible. They popularized the Atlantean school of hip-hop. In wide circles, the Atlanta school is known as southern hip-hop, which is based on G-funk and classic southern soul.
The OutKast group became the "father" of the hip-hop movement of the southern states of America. Their tracks ranged from hard-hitting shout-outs to melodic arrangements, rich lyrics, and an overall upbeat/humorous vibe.
Interestingly, in 2014, the total amount of album sales exceeded 25 million copies. Prestigious music publications have placed Aquemini and Stankonia compilations on their lists of the best albums of the decade and all time.
The history of the creation and music of the group OutKast
The band started in 1992. André Benjamin and Antwan Patton met at the Lenox Square mall in the early 1990s. During the acquaintance, it turned out that young people attend the same school. At the time of their acquaintance, the guys were only 16 years old.
During their school years, Andre and Antwan often took part in rap battles. Soon the musicians united in a group and got acquainted with the team of producers of Organized Noize.
Initially, the rappers performed under the creative pseudonym 2 Shades Deep. The duo later had to change their name as there was already a band with the same name in America. The performers had no choice but to take a new name. Thus, music lovers got acquainted with the OutKast team.
Thanks to producer LA Reid, the duo signed to the label LaFace Record founded by him and Babyface. A year later, the musicians presented their debut single Player's Ball.
The creative path and music of the group OutKast
In 1993, the musicians presented the debut album Southern Playalistic Adillac Muzik to rap fans. The top track on the record was Player's Ball. In a few days, the track took the 1st position of the Hot Rap Tracks music chart.
The next two albums, from a commercial point of view, also became successful. The works helped to consolidate the status of musicians. In the early 2000s, rappers presented the Stankonia album. This is the first disc of the duo, which became four times "platinum".
In 2003, the discography of the duo was replenished with the album Speaker boxxx / The Love Below. The collection was certified 11 times platinum, and was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Album of 2003.
Musical compositions of the new album Hey Ya! and The Way You Move reached number 1 on the prestigious Billboard Hot 100. It was a huge "breakthrough".
Group creative break
In 2006, the musicians recorded the soundtrack for the movie Idlewild, in which they also starred. A year later, unexpectedly for many fans, it became known that the duet was taking a break.
The musicians were not going to leave the stage. The rappers decided to pursue a solo career. During the quiet period, the musicians released several solo albums.
The duo reunited in 2004. The rappers wanted to please fans with live performances in honor of the anniversary of OutKast. They have performed at over 40 music festivals.
After a number of performances in several magazines, information appeared that the duo was working on a new album. The rappers had to get in touch to refute this information.
In the same year, the duo held a number of concerts in their native Atlanta under the name #ATLast. The rappers were only going to hold two concerts, but after tickets for their performances were sold out on the day of the sales launch, Andre decided to add a third concert.
Interesting facts about the group OutKast
- Andre Benjamin also acted in films. Particularly interesting is his role as Avi in Guy Ritchie's Revolver.
- Andre Benjamin is a strict vegetarian.
- Today, the musicians are pursuing a solo career, and only occasionally appear as a duet at themed concerts.
OutKast today
Rappers are solo. Andre has released several albums. The performer intrigued the public with the information that the new collection will be released in 2020.
In Patton's discography, things are a little sadder - he released only three solo collections. The rapper recorded his last album in 2012.
