 OutKast's blend of gritty Southern soul, fluid raps, and the
rolling G-funk of their Organized Noize production crew epitomized the Atlanta
wing of hip-hop's rising force, the Dirty South, during the late '90s. Along
with Goodie Mob, OutKast took Southern hip-hop in bold, innovative new
directions: less reliance on aggression, more positivity and melody, thicker
arrangements, and intricate lyrics. After Dre and Big Boi hit number one on the
rap charts with their first single, "Player's Ball," the duo embarked on a run
of platinum albums spiked with several hit singles, enjoying numerous critical
accolades in addition to their commercial success.
Andre Benjamin (Dre) and Antwan Patton (Big Boi) attended the
same high school in the Atlanta borough of East Point , and several lyrical
battles made each gain respect for the other's skills. They formed OutKast, and
were pursued by Organized Noize Productions, hitmakers for TLC and Xscape.
Signed to the local LaFace label just after high school, OutKast recorded and
released Player's Ball, then watched the single rise to number one on the rap
charts. It slipped from the top spot only after six weeks, was certified gold,
and created a buzz for a full-length release. That album,
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, hit the Top 20 in 1994 and was certified
platinum by the end of the year. Dre and Big Boi also won Best New Rap Group of
the Year at the 1995 Source Awards.
OutKast returned with a new album in 1996, releasing ATLiens
that August; it hit number two and went platinum with help from the gold-selling
single "Elevators (Me & You)" (number 12 pop, number one rap), as well as the
Top 40 title track. Aquemini followed in 1998, also hitting number two and going
double-platinum. There were no huge hit singles this time around, but critics
lavishly praised the album's unified, progressive vision, hailing it as a great
leap forward and including it on many year-end polls. Unfortunately, in a
somewhat bizarre turn of events, OutKast was sued over the album's lead single
"Rosa Parks" by none other than the civil rights pioneer herself, who claimed
that the group had unlawfully appropriated her name to promote their music, also
objecting to some of the song's language. The initial court decision dismissed
the suit in late 1999.
Dre modified his name to Andre 3000 before the group issued
its hotly anticipated fourth album, Stankonia, in late 2000. Riding the momentum
of uniformly excellent reviews and the stellar singles "B.O.B." and "Ms.
Jackson," Stankonia debuted at number two and went triple platinum in just a few
months; meanwhile, "Ms. Jackson" became their first number one pop single the
following February. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
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