| Outkast |
Website Links For Outkast |
Information AboutOutkast |
OutKast is a Grammy awarding-winning American Hip Hop Duo based out of East Point, Georgia , a suburb of Atlanta , Georgia . Their original musical style was a mixture of Dirty South and G-Funk ; since then, Funk , Soul , Pop , Electronica , Rock , Spoken Word poetry, Crunk , Jazz , and Blues elements have been added to the group's musical palette. The duo consists of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin (formerly known as "Dre") and Savannah, Georgia -born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton . The duo is one of the most successful hip-hop groups of all time, having received six release, and '' Speakerboxxx/The Love Below '', a Double Album containing a solo album from each member. ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' is one of only four hip-hop albums to be certified Diamond in the U.S. for shipping over 10 million units. Despite OutKast's commercial success, they have maintained an experimental approach in their music and are widely praised for their originality and artistic content. OutKast propels hip-hop to new heights , CNN.com, April 19, 2004 HISTORY Pre-debut Benjamin and Patton met in high school when Andre's parents were divorced and Andre was visiting his father. Meanwhile, Patton had to move with his three brothers and two sisters from Savannah to Atlanta. Benjamin and Patton went to Tri-Cities High School together in , a group of local producers who would later make hits for TLC and Xscape . While searching through a dictionary, Big Boi and André 3000 came across the word "outcast" and decided this would be a perfect group name because at the time, the hip hop industry was dominated by East Coast and West Coast rappers who saw southern rappers as outcasts. OutKast, Organized Noize , and schoolmates Goodie Mob formed the nucleus of the Dungeon Family organization. They said that they were inspired by the Nashvillins. OutKast signed to LaFace Records in 1992, becoming the label's first hip hop act and making their first appearance on the Remix of labelmate TLC 's "What about your friends". In 1993, they released their first Single , " Player's Ball ". The song's Funky style, much of it accomplished with live instrumentation, was a hit with audiences."Player's Ball" hit number-one on the '' Billboard '' Hot Rap Tracks chart. ''Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik'' Their full-length debut, '' Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik '', was issued the next year. This initial effort is credited with laying the foundation for southern hip hop and is considered a classic by many of their southern fan base. Every track on Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was produced by Organized Noize and featured other members of the Dungeon Family. Follow-up singles included the title track and "Git up Git out", a politically charged collaboration with Goodie Mob that was later sampled by Macy Gray for her 1999 hit "Do Something." On this early material, both André and Big Boi contrast lyrical content reflecting the lifestyles of Pimp s and Gangster s with politically conscious material commenting on the status of African Americans in the South. OutKast won Best New Rap Group at the Source Awards in 1995. ''ATLiens'' '' ATLiens '' was OutKast's second album, released in 1996. The album exhibited more self consciousness and further solidified Outkast as the flagship representatives of the 1st generation Dungeon Family and the Southern hip hop movement. The album helped the group earn more recognition among East Coast Hip Hop fans in the East and West coasts. For this album, OutKast joined with partner David "Mr. DJ" Sheats to form the Earthtone III production company, which allowed the group to produce some of their own tracks. "ATLiens" was the group's second Top 40 single (following "Player's Ball" from their first album), and reflected the beginning of André's increasingly sober lifestyle:Vernon, Polly (Sept 18, 2005). "'I'm addicted to creating': Polly Vernon talks to Andre 3000". ''The Observer.'' Retrieved from http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,6903,1572394,00.html on July 12, 2006. Excerpt: Early success sent Benjamin off the rails a little. He exploited his growing fame, he says. "I did. And then I got guilty about it and pulled back. I used drugs and drink a lot, and then I went cold turkey. Ten years ago." "No drugs or alcohol/so I can get the signal clear," he rhymes about himself. "Elevators (Me and You)," OutKast's first self-produced single, became the group's first Top 20 hit the same year. ''Aquemini'' OutKast's third album '', it received the much-coveted "5 Mics" (out of five) rating. Producing more material themselves, both Big Boi and André explored more eclectic subject matter, delving into sounds inspired by Soul , Trip Hop , and Electro Music . The album featured production by Organized Noize and collaborations with Raekwon , Funk pioneer and musical forebear George Clinton , and Goodie Mob. In 1999, OutKast and LaFace Records were Sued by Rosa Parks over the album's most successful radio single, which bore Parks' name as its title. The lawsuit alleged that the song misappropriated Parks' name, and also objected to some of the song's Obscene language. The song's lyrics were largely unrelated to ' representation hired lawyer Johnnie Cochran to appeal the decision in 2001, but the appeal was denied on First Amendment grounds. In 2003, the Supreme Court allowed Parks ' lawyers to proceed with the lawsuit. In 2004, the judge in the case appointed an impartial representative for , 2005 , with neither OutKast nor their label having to admit any wrongdoing. The group did, however, have to agree to perform some sort of tribute to Parks : as of August 2006, the nature of this tribute had not been decided, and OutKast had not completed it. ''Stankonia'' Originally titled "Sandbox", the pair's fourth album, '' Stankonia '' was released in October 2000 to excellent reviews. It debuted at number-two on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., and would eventually be certified Quadruple-platinum . '' Stankonia's '' first single was " B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad) ", a high- Tempo Jungle -influenced record. The second single, " Ms. Jackson ," combined a pop hook with lyrics about Divorce and relationship breakups, particularly André's breakup with singer Erykah Badu ; the titular "Ms. Jackson" character being a Doppelgänger for Badu's mother. It was at this time that André changed his stage name to the current "André 3000". The single became their first pop dropped hit, landing the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the number-two position on the UK Singles Chart . The album's final single was the Organized Noize-produced "So Fresh, So Clean", featuring a credited guest appearance from regular guest vocalist and Organized Noize-member Sleepy Brown and garnered a remix featuring Snoop Dogg . All three singles' videos had heavy MTV2 airplay, and OutKast won two 2001 Grammy Award s, one for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for "Ms. Jackson", and another for '' Stankonia '' as Best Rap Album . During the recording of '' Stankonia '' OutKast and Mr. DJ began producing tracks for the artists on their Aquemini Records imprint through Columbia , including Slimm Cutta Calhoun and Killer Mike , who made his debut appearance on ''Stankonia's'' "Snappin' & Trappin." ''Even in Darkness'' and ''Greatest Hits'' In December 2001, OutKast released a Greatest Hits album, '' Big Boi And Dre Present...OutKast '', which also contained three new tracks. One of these new tracks was the single "The Whole World," which won a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group . Killer Mike also was featured on the song, gaining some exposure among areas outside of his native Atlanta. The other two new songs were called "Funkin' Around" and "Movin' Cool (The After Party)" The same year OutKast participated in the first and only Dungeon Family group album, '' Even In Darkness '', along with Goodie Mob, Killer Mike, Sleepy Brown, Witchdoctor , and Backbone among others, and featuring Bubba Sparxxx , Shuga Luv and Mello. In 2002, the group and Killer Mike contributed the lead single "Land of a Million Drums" to the '' Scooby Doo '' Soundtrack . ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' In September 2003, OutKast released a double album, '' Speakerboxxx/The Love Below ''. It is essentially two solo albums, one by each member, packaged as a single release under the OutKast banner; the two members also appear on each others' discs for a few songs apiece. Big Boi's ''Speakerboxxx'' is largely a funk and Dirty South blended party record; André 3000's ''The Love Below'' features only brief instances of hip hop, presenting instead elements found in; Funk , jazz, electronica and R&B . The album is also OutKast's biggest commercial success yet, having debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart at number-one and stayed there for several weeks. The album eventually sold over five million copies, and, as double-album sales count double for Recording Industry Association Of America certification, the album was certified Diamond for 10 million units shipped in December 2004. Its latest certification, in May 2006, reaches 11 million copies in shipping. The first two singles from the album(s), which were released nearly simultaneously, were Big Boi's " The Way You Move " and André 3000's " Hey Ya! " The video for " Hey Ya! " is based on The Beatles ' landmark appearance on '' The Ed Sullivan Show ''. The video's storyline has "The Love Below" a fictional band with all members played by André with the use of Special Effects , performing in London . "Hey Ya" was the number one song on the very final weekend of ''American Top 40 with Casey Kasem ''. It was also number one a week later on the very first weekend of American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest . The singles spent ten weeks at number one on the Hot 100 singles chart, with "Hey Ya!" spending nine weeks and "The Way You Move" briefly taking over in February 2004. These singles were seen as a breakthrough for the hip-hop industry, being among the first hip-hop songs to be widely played on adult contemporary radio stations. OutKast's next official single was not released until the summer of 2004. "Roses", a track featuring both members from ''The Love Below'' half of the album, did not meet the level of success as either of its predecessors, but it became a modest-sized hit on urban radio and the American music video networks. The video for "Roses" is loosely based on the musical West Side Story . It featured sparring 1950s-style gangs, one representing Speakerboxxx, and one representing The Love Below, parodying the widespread arguing among critics and fans as to which half of the album was better. The final singles were André 3000's "Prototype", which was paired with a Science Fiction -themed video about alien visitors, and ''Speakerboxxx's'' "Ghetto Musick," which featured both members of OutKast and a Sample from a song by Patti LaBelle , who also makes an appearance in the video. ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' won the Grammy Award for the 2004 & P-Funk and Robert Randolph And The Family Band , while André 3000 performed "Hey Ya!" as the show closed. In February 2004, André 3000's performance, which featured dancers moving wildly around a green Teepee in war paint and feathered Headdress es, was criticized by the Native American Cultural Center, who called for a boycott of OutKast, Arista Records, NARAS , and of CBS , the broadcaster of the awards show. CBS later apologized.Ryan, Joal (Feb. 11, 2004). "Native Americans rap OutKast". ''E! Online''. Retrieved from http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,13487,00.html on July 12, 2006. ''Idlewild'' Between OutKast albums, Big Boi and André 3000 ventured into Film projects. André co-starred in John Singleton 's action film '' Four Brothers '' and also had a part in ''Be Cool'', while Big Boi took a featured role in the T.I. movie '' ATL ''. Both members also began working on a joint film, '' Idlewild '', directed by OutKast music video director Bryan Barber . ''Idlewild'', a Prohibition -era musical film set to a Blues -influenced hip-hop soundtrack, was released on August 25 , 2006 by Universal Pictures . The Idlewild Soundtrack was released August 22 , 2006 . Its lead single, "The Mighty 'O'", features both OutKast members, and was briefly played exclusively on local Atlanta radio stations before being issued as a single in May 2006. They released and shot the video for "Morris Brown" instead. A video for "Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry About Me)" soon followed. FUTURE PROJECTS AND BREAKUP RUMORS Aquemini Records folded in 2004, and Big Boi founded a new record label, Purple Ribbon Entertainment , to be distributed by Virgin Records . Among its first signees were Sleepy Brown , Bubba Sparxxx , and Killer Mike , Big Boi has released a group album/compilation, titled '' Big Boi Presents... The Purple Ribbon All-Stars - Got Purp? Vol. 2 ''. One album remains on the band's LaFace contract. It was originally planned as a ten-track release called ''10 The Hard Way''; shortly after ''Idlewild'' dropped, the duo confirmed the album is still in the works, though both have begun new projects without releasing any new information on the album. Due to both Big Boi and André's interest in separate projects such as movies, TV (André's "Class of 3000") and solo albums, rumors of a split have turned up frequently in the media.Watson, Margeaux (June 2006). "The end of OutKast?" ''EW.com''. Retrieved from http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1195670_4_0_,00.html on July 12, 2006. André has recently denied those rumors on a phone interview with MTV News, stating that even though they do not feel like performing on stage together, OutKast is "still tight". In an August, 2006, interview with UK journalist Craig McLean, after emphasizing that they would not split, the pair looked beyond music and film careers, Big Boi suggesting he may consider running for the job of Mayor Of Atlanta in the future and quite possibly president." The Independent, August 2006 " Big Boi has openly addressed the media and fans' coverage of the rumors in various songs; on "Hollywood Divorce" from ''Idlewild'', he addresses journalists and " Eminems /M&Ms with no nuts," referring to gossip-prone white teens with internet access. On "Tomb of the Boom," a song from ''Speakerboxxx'', he recorded the lines "They say Big Boi can you pull it off without yo nigga Dre?" with the reply "I say people stop the madness cuz me and Dre be okay." He also adds the question, "We've been spittin damn near 10 years why the fuck would we be quittin?" Big Boi's second solo record is also expected after ''The Hard 10'', and as of September 2005 fourteen songs have been recorded, though nothing has come about as of 2007. In an August 2006 UK interview, Big Boi claimed that collaborators on his solo LP would include Kate Bush , who emailed him after she had completed her 2005 comeback album to invite him to "camp out" at her home in Britain while they worked on tracks together. In a recent interview with the L.A. Times, OutKast confirmed that "10 The Hard Way" was still going to come out, but said they would keep it 'under wraps' until the album's release, still possibly two years away.Lee, Chris (August 23, 2006). "United They Plan-At Least for now". "latimes.com". Retrieved from "http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,20029-2302431_2,00.html" on September 23, 2006." {Link without Title} " DISCOGRAPHY See Also: OutKast discography
GRAMMY AWARDS Wins Nominations REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|