Outkast is an American hip hop duo which comprises of Andre Benjamin and Antwan Patton. The duo was formed in East Point, Georgia, and it is mainly composed of the two rappers who are Atlanta based. The duo was able to achieve critical success and acclaim when they performed from the mid-1990s to the year 2000s. With the help of them, there was a considerable popularisation of Southern hip hop. They used to experiment with many genres like funk, jazz, psychedelia, and techno.
Inception
Both the partners of the group, Benjamin and Patton, met in 1992, and they met at the Lenox Square Shopping mall, and that time both of them were sixteen years old. The two used to live in the East Point section of Atlanta, and they attended the Tri-Cities High School. When they were in school, they used to participate in the rap battles which took place in the cafeteria. Both Benjamin and Patton teamed up soon, and they were then pursued by the Organized Noize, which is a group of the local producers, and they later made some hits for the R&B girl group named TLC.
Before graduation, the Outkast got signed to the LA And Babyface imprint, and it would later be known as LaFace Records in the year 1992.
After the Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik got the platinum certification, the Outkast got more creative controls from LaFace records, and they also got the advanced money for their follow-up album that they were able to record from the year 1995 to 1996.
Evolution
The group’s initial three albums were a great success, and the pair’s fourth album, Stankonia, was then released in October 2000, and it got many positive reviews. Currently, if we talk of the recent years, then it was reported that the Outkast would reunite soon at the Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival in the year 2014. This was later confirmed as it was officially announced that the duo would be the headline of the festival, which would take place on April 11 and April 18.
Later it was then announced on January 13, the same year that the duo would be performing at more than 40 festivals all around the world. They would perform throughout the spring and summer to celebrate their 20th anniversary. They also performed on one of the biggest festivals in the UK, which is known as Bestival. The duo isn’t working on any new album together.
The musical style and the lyrical content of the duo have been evolving throughout the year, and Rolling Stone once described their music as “iodsynratic.” They said that Afrocentric psychedelics inspire it. If you listen to the band’s debut album, then you would find that the band’s debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, deals with the analog elements like Southern-style guitar licks, mellow 70s funk grooves, and the languid soul melodies.
The album also features a hip hop production elements like sabre beats, ATLiens, and Aquemini, body bass element and many other echo and reverb effects. When the group released the Stankonia, they became the first hip-hop act to openly acknowledge that there is an influence of the rave culture.
Awards & Achievements
Outkast is one of the major hip-hop duos in history and this is the reason they have been able to win many awards. So here is the list of all the awards won by this duo.
- The duo won American Music Award for four categories in the years 2003 and 2004.
- The duo won BET Awards under six categories in the year 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2008.
- Outkast won BET Hip Hop Award one time in 2007.
- Outkast has won six Grammy awards in their lifetime, and the duo has won Grammy in the year 2002, 2003, and 2004.
Net Worth of Outkast in 2024
Andre is the most famous character of the duo, and his net worth is estimated to be around $50 million, which is slightly less than his other half Big Boi as his net worth is today expected to be around $60 million. As of April 2024, The total net worth of the hip hop duo is estimated to be approximately $110 million, and the duo has garnered this amount of net worth from performing at various shows and selling millions of albums.
Outkast is one of the most famous hip hop duos around the world. They have set a stage for most of the hip hop duos today, and they have contributed most of their life to the music. They are nothing less than inspiration for the duos that want to make it big in the music industry.