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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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