Outkast

Outkast
Outkast performing in 2001
Background information
Also known as	Two Shades Deep
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Southern hip hop[1] progressive rap[2]
Discography	Albums and singles songs
Years active	1992–2007 2014
Labels	Purple Ribbon Arista LaFace RCA Earthtone Ideas, Inc. Epic
Spinoffs	Earthtone III Purple Ribbon All-Stars
Spinoff of	Dungeon Family
Past members	André 3000 Big Boi
Website	outkast.com

Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of rappers Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin, formerly known as Dré).^[1] The duo achieved both critical and commercial success from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, helping to popularize Southern hip hop^[1] with their intricate lyricism, memorable melodies, and positive themes,^[3] while experimenting with a diverse range of genres such as funk, psychedelia, jazz, and techno. The duo are widely regarded as one of the most influential artists in hip hop.^[4][5]

Patton and Benjamin formed Outkast as high school students. They released their debut studio album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik in 1994, which gained popularity after its single "Player's Ball" peaked the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart. The duo saw critical acclaim with their second and third albums ATLiens (1996) and Aquemini (1998) while further developing their sound. The duo saw mainstream recognition and further acclaim with their fourth album Stankonia (2000), which was supported by the singles "B.O.B." and "Ms. Jackson", the latter peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards.

The duo then released the double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003), their only album to debut atop the Billboard 200. It was supported by their second and third number one singles, "The Way You Move" (performed by Big Boi) and "Hey Ya!" (performed by André 3000), respectively. The album won Album of the Year at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Outkast starred in the 2006 musical film Idlewild and recorded the film's accompanying soundtrack, which was released as their final album three days before the film's release. The duo split the following year, and both members have pursued solo careers. Outkast temporarily reunited to celebrate their debut album's 20th anniversary by performing at more than 40 festivals worldwide, beginning at the Coachella Festival in April 2014.^[6]

Outkast is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential hip hop acts of all time, and are one of the most successful, having certified sales of 20 million records between six studio albums and a compilation album, as well as having earned six Grammy Awards.^{[7][8][9][10]} Rolling Stone ranked them No. 7 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time,^[11] while publications such as Pitchfork and the aforementioned Rolling Stone have listed their albums among the best in all of hip hop and of all time.