OutKast HHV Records 23 Items

The outsiders from the south

Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, OutKast is one of America’s best-known hip hop groups and rose to the top of the charts in the late ‘90s. Founders André Andre 3000 Benjamin and Antwan Big Boi Patton first met at Tri-Cities High School, a visual and performing arts school. A local group of producers called Organized Noize recruited the duo, who initially called themselves 2 Shades Deep and later The Misfits. Outkast, Organized Noize and schoolmates Goodie Mob then formed the Dungeon Family Organization, whose original musical style was a mix of Dirty South and G-Funk. Later they added funk, soul, pop, electronic music, rock, spoken word, jazz and even blues. They signed with LaFace Records in 1992, becoming the label’s first hip hop act. Benjamin and Patton, aka OutKast, debuted on labelmate TLC’s remix What About Your Friends before releasing their first single, Players Ball, in 1993. The funky style, recorded largely with live instruments, was very well received by their new audience and already reached the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart.

Flagship of southern hip hop

The debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, released in 1994, is considered by many hip hop lovers to be a classic of southern hip hop. It was produced by Organized Noize and accompanied by other members of the Dungeon Family, and addresses both the lifestyle of pimps and gangsters and the status of African Americans in the southern U.S. By 1995, they had already received the Source Award for Best New Rap Group and wrote the soundtrack for the movie New Jersey Drive “Benz or Beamer”. With the album ATLiens, released in 1996, OutKast became the poster child for the Dungeon Family and received more recognition from hip hop fans on both American coasts. With their partner David “Mr DJ” Sheats, they formed the production company Earthtone III, which allowed them to produce their own tracks, reaching the Top 20. An example of this is the track Elevators (Me & You). OutKast’s third album, Aquemini, was released in September 1998 and reached #2 on the US Billboard 200. Aquemini, a combination of the founders’ zodiac signs (Aquarius and Gemini) continues to be praised as the group’s best material and received the coveted “5-Mics” rating. The fourth vinyl, Stankonia (2000) was certified quadruple platinum and included the hit singles B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad) and Ms. Jackson. They experimented with jungle music and took themes from their lives as inspiration for their lyrics. Like Ms. Jackson, which is about André’s breakup with singer Erykah Badu. The funk and dirty south party vinyl Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) is a double album packing the biggest OutKast bangers (The Way You Move and Hey Ya!). It is their biggest commercial success and stayed at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart for several weeks. It was awarded diamond (10 million sales) and remains their biggest success with the radio hit Roses released in 2004.

Evergreen status

The American hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia won six Grammy Awards and sold over 25 million copies worldwide. They released six studio albums, including a double album and a greatest hits collection. In addition to their commercial success, OutKast have maintained an experimental approach to their music and continue to be praised for their originality and artistic content. In addition to their own productions inspired by soul, trip-hop and electro music, Outkast also released several collaborations. Among them are artists such as Raekwon, George Clinton, Goodie Mob, Snoop Dogg, Slimm, Cutta Calhoun and Killer Mike, as well as the Dungeon Family. In 2002, the group and Killer Mike contributed the lead single Land of a Million Drums to the Scooby-Doo soundtrack.