Outkast (stylized as OutKast) is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin (formerly known as Dré) and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast. The group's original musical style was a mixture of Dirty South and G-funk. Since then, however, funk, soul, rock, electronic music, spoken word poetry, jazz and blues elements have been added to the group's musical palette.
After forming the group as high school students in 1992, Outkast released its debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994), which gained popularity after the single "Player's Ball" reached number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart. The duo released ATLiens in 1996, which displayed stylistic differences from the band's debut and featured outer space-inspired themes. The albums Aquemini (1998) and Stankonia (2000) further expanded Outkast's musical experimentation. In 2003, the duo released a double album entitled Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which featured the number one singles "Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move". Speakerboxxx/The Love Below won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2004, the first and only for a hip hop group. Outkast next created the soundtrack for the 2006 musical film Idlewild, which they starred in. Since 2007, Outkast has been on hiatus and both members have pursued their solo careers, although the group moved to Epic Records in September 2011.
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