outkast Archives

OutKast Has Forgotten Songs On Soundtracks That Are Better Than Most MCs’ Catalogs (Audio)

"Imagine being able to control your own destiny. Shape your own future. And then, one mistake take all that away. The reality of it is, you do control your own destiny and future, and one mistake will take all that away. Think about it." - Big Rube, "Benz or Beamer." In... Read more

February 22, 2018 Do Remember

Big K.R.I.T. Rates The Bars & Hands Pimp C The Lowest Score In The Batch (Video)

Big K.R.I.T. is the latest rapper in the hot seat for "Rate The Bars." More than most, Krizzle seems to be a generous rater (handing out almost exclusively 4's and 5's). Heads have long found this artist to be generous with his music, whether giving away acclaimed mixtapes and making... Read more

February 12, 2018 Video

Andre 3000 Gives NER*D His First Verse Of 2017 (Audio)

In two separate recent interviews, André 3000 has suggested that he feels out of place with making Hip-Hop music in 2017. Citing his age and a season in his life where he recently lost his parents while sending his son to college, Dre is experimenting. The Rap legend confirms he... Read more

December 15, 2017 Audio

Sweet Love: Why Andre 3000 & Kendrick Lamar Are Infatuated With Anita Baker (Video)

Several high profile R&B acts like Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Loose Ends, and Soul II Soul made music in the 1980s that, through sampling, reference, and homage, can be heard in contemporary Hip-Hop. Babies of the 1980s, '90s, and early 2000s were inevitably raised on Urban Contemporary radio which housed... Read more

November 21, 2017 Video

Andre 3000’s New Sneaker Line Is Oh So Fresh & So Clean

For the Hip-Hop faithful, any news within the past decade of the iconic and avant-garde, yet bashful André 3000 flexing his creative muscle has been welcomed news. Fresh off of lacing the masses with a short-lived sneak-peak at his first verse of 2017, 3 Stacks is keeping the creative momentum... Read more

November 14, 2017 Fresh, Lifestyle

Andre 3000 Gives NER*D His First Verse Of 2017 (Audio)

In two separate recent interviews, André 3000 has suggested that he feels out of place with making Hip-Hop music in 2017. Citing his age and a season in his life where he recently lost his parents while sending his son to college, 'Dre is experimenting. The Rap legend confirms he... Read more

November 10, 2017 Audio

All Signs Say Eminem’s New Album Is Less Than 3 Weeks Away (Video)

Hip-Hop news and culture move fast, and it’s easy to miss significant developments. Every week, Ambrosia For Heads takes a look back at the LAST 7 days. This video series, hosted by Justin “The Company Man” Hunte examines the current issues with a colorful rundown of the what, where, and why. While the LAST... Read more

October 31, 2017 Exclusive, Last 7, Video

Andre 3000 Said Big Boi Was The Best In OutKast. He’s Really 1 Of The Best In The South (Video)

Big Boi’s latest single from his Boomiverse album (Epic Records) is just as the title has it: a southern affair. Bringing together two of Atlanta’s favorite sons, Gucci Mane alongside Big Boi and featuring a prominent sample from the Underground King from the Lone Star state, Pimp C. Big Boi’s... Read more

October 31, 2017 Video

Andre 3000 Explains Why Big Boi Is The Best Rapper In OutKast

OutKast's André 3000 is in a season of transformation. The Georgia—born MC, producer, actor, and fashion designer now calls New York City his home. He's leading a line with Tretorn and breaking some of his silence surrounding beats, rhymes, and life. Following his summer conversation with Complex, 3 Stacks spent... Read more

October 30, 2017 Fresh

DJ Muggs Is Producing An Album For Action Bronson’s Day 1. The New Video Is Meyhem.

UPDATE: Following last week's debut single from Gems From The Equinox, DJ Muggs & Meyhem Lauren unleash "Murder Rap." With a beat that pounds the listener in the face, Cypress Hill's co-founder uses another MC to rhyme about "how he could just kill a man." With the second video, a... Read more

October 18, 2017 News, Video

A Study Identifies Words That Make Each MC Unique. Here’s What Defines Some Of The Best.

In 2014, data scientist Matt Daniels released a comprehensive study that stirred up intense discourse in the Hip-Hop community. The analysis dissected over 35,000 lyrics to determine which MCs had the most extensive vocabularies in their rhymes. Now, Daniels has returned with another deep dive into Hip-Hop linguistics, and this... Read more

September 26, 2017 Lifestyle

Big Boi Is Giving A 5-Year Old Victim Of Gun Violence A Life-Changing Gift (Video)

Outside of his career as a prodigious solo rapper and one-half of the incomparable Outkast, Atlanta, Georgia's Big Boi has been involved in the professional breeding of dogs for many years. Focusing primarily on American Bully breeds, the man born Andre Patton is the owner of Pitfall Kennels where he... Read more

August 11, 2017 Lifestyle

DOOM Is Opening His Missing Notebook Of Rhymes & Releasing 15 New Songs (Video)

Hip-Hop news and culture move fast, and it’s easy to miss significant developments. Every week, Ambrosia For Heads takes a look back at the Last 7 days. This video series, hosted by Justin “The Company Man” Hunte examines the current issues with a colorful rundown of the what, where, and why. While the Last... Read more

August 9, 2017 Exclusive, Last 7, Video

Andre 3000 Thinks He’s Gotten Too Old To Rap. He’s Wrong.

It has been more than a decade since Andre 3000 released any album. The Outkast co-founder has picked his spots since 2006's Idlewild and used scarce verses to freshen his discography. From UGK to Frank Ocean, DJ Unk to Divine Council, 3 Stacks has made those appearances count. However, at... Read more

August 1, 2017 News

Queen Latifah Says Today’s Rappers Have Gotten Soft (Video)

Queen Latifah recently appeared on Ebro In The Morning. The MC-turned-actress-turned-producer reunited with the radio personality who says he once appeared on an episode of Living Single. In the candid conversation, Queen Lah recalled some career highlights. Queen Latifah Honors Hip-Hop’s Women Pioneers In An All-Star Showing Of U.N.I.T.Y. (Video)... Read more

July 20, 2017 Video

Big Boi Explains Just How Real The OutKast & A Tribe Called Quest Joint Album Was (Video)

Between 2007 and early 2016, two of the most exciting Hip-Hop acts on Epic Records were seemingly inactive. Through a series of label moves, restructuring, and dissolving imprints, Outkast and A Tribe Called Quest were label-mates. LaFace/Arista rolled into Jive, which restructured into Epic. Both groups had fans and media... Read more

June 26, 2017 Video

Big Boi Shows His Boomiverse Is Filled With Space Aged Funk (Audio)

For the last 25 years, Big Boi has been one of Hip-Hop's leading proponents of Funk music. Multiple times, the Outkast co-founder has even worked with "Dr. Funkenstein" himself, Parliament-Funkadelic's George Clinton. Since 2010, stepping into his solo catalog, Daddy Fat Sax struck a hit with some futuristic funking around... Read more

June 13, 2017 Audio

Outkast & UGK Redefined Southern Rap. A New Song Shows Their Work Isn’t Done (Audio)

In the early 1990s, both OutKast and UGK made some incredible records. From Atlanta, Georgia and Port Arthur, Texas, these two duos used Funk, Blues, Rock & Roll to create their brand of Hip-Hop colorful, unpredictable, and highly authentic. Both acts wanted the rest of the Rap map to know... Read more

June 9, 2017 Audio

Big Boi, Run The Jewels & Danger Mouse Dare Competition To Keep Up (Audio)

Since 2013's "Banana Clipper," Run The Jewels' Killer Mike has cemented the fact that even with his latest brand of music, mentor Big Boi fits into the fold nicely. On single, "Kill Jill," Daddy Fat Sax welcomes Mike Bigga to his lates party-starter. The Dungeon Family vibe is alive and well,... Read more

May 18, 2017 Audio

Big Boi, CeeLo & Organized Noize Unite For A Dungeon Family Reunion (Audio)

UPDATE: The official music video for "We The Ones": ORIGINAL MAY 6 POST: Last week, Hip-Hop celebrated Outkast and Organized Noize with the 23rd anniversary of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. That LaFace Records classic was a true collaboration between Andre 3000, Big Boi, and the production trio of Sleepy Brown, Ray Murray, as... Read more

May 6, 2017 Audio, Video

J. Period Releases A Mix Of Mashups & Classics Celebrating 23 Years Of OutKast (Audio)

Today (April 26), OutKast's debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik turns 23 years old. The 1994 full length introduction of Andre 3000 and Big Boi was one for the ages. Deemed the "Best New Artists" at the following Source Awards, 'Kast raised the profile of Atlanta, Georgia's contributions to Hip-Hop simply by creating... Read more

April 26, 2017 Audio, Mixes

Big Boi Is Releasing A New Album. His Song With Killer Mike & Jeezy Is A Monster Start (Audio)

While Big Boi has stayed more active in music than his OutKast partner Andre 3000 since they split, it's been 5 years since Daddy Fat Sacks released a solo album. In 2015, he teamed with Phantogram for their joint LP, Big Grams, but that was very much a collaborative project in... Read more

April 20, 2017 Audio

Raekwon Discusses His New Album, Working With OutKast, His Wu-Tang Classics & More

For nearly 25 years, Raekwon has been an elite source of inventive Rap music. The Staten Island MC made his debut on the classic Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by transmitting some of that album's most memorable lines and verses. Following, Rae' pivoted in a different direction with a cinematic... Read more

March 7, 2017 Food for Thought

Jay Z Creates A Playlist Of MCs Who Should Join Him In The Songwriters Hall Of Fame (Audio)

Yesterday (February 22), Jay Z made history, again, by becoming the first Hip-Hop artist chosen to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. As one of the most successful and prolific MCs of all-time, with 21 Grammys, 100 million records sold and 13 number one albums under his belt,... Read more

February 23, 2017 Audio, News

Outkast Affiliate Mr. DJ Makes A Funky Beat In Stankonia Using Dilla’s Donuts (Video)

Outkast Heads know Mr. DJ. Not only is the Georgia veteran the mixmaster on stage when Andre 3000 and Big Boi do their rare shows, he's been with the group for more than 20 years. Mr. DJ is also the third member of Earthtone III (fka Earthtone Ideas), the production... Read more

January 13, 2017 Video

This Throwback Playlist Celebrates The Hip-Hop That Is Never Played-Out. (Audio)

What is classic never goes out of style. In its 44th year, Hip-Hop music has plenty of that. There are records in five different decades that Rap music fans keep in rotation, no matter the medium (vinyl, CD, cassette, or digital). For those who are about the flows, beats, and... Read more

January 13, 2017 Audio, Throwback

Finding The GOAT Producer: Organized Noize vs. Erick Sermon. Who Is Better?

UPDATE: The original vote was within 1%, so a tie-breaker was held to determine the winner. Erick Sermon won that vote by 6%. “Finding the GOAT Producer” begins. The third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were... Read more

January 11, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Decemba Is Here. Andre 3000 Spits An Ice Cold Verse & Directs The Video

In late September, Epic Records artist Divine Council got the career push of a lifetime, care of label-mate Andre 3000. "Decemba (Remix)" escalated the remix that's about some aggressive bedroom maneuvers and stacking chips at the same time. 3 Stacks takes Divine's baton, and turns it to a Rap relay... Read more

December 1, 2016 Video

OutKast Warned About The Dangers Of Phobia 20 Years Ago…They Were Right (Audio)

To follow up Poetic Justice, John Singleton’s 1993 romantic drama starring Tupac and Janet Jackson, the Boyz n the Hood director released his third movie two years later, in 1995. Higher Learning confronted issues like racism and sexual assault through the lens of students on a fabricated multicultural college campus.... Read more

November 17, 2016 Do Remember

Nick Grant Taps Into His Outkast Influence In A Video Made By Idlewild’s Director

Many artists in the mid-2010s, quickly fill up the digital atmosphere with songs and videos, and see what sticks. Nick Grant is one MC whom the people have taken to. The South Carolina native has almost entirely done it himself, avoiding big name features—and letting his 88 mixtape, as well... Read more

November 14, 2016 Video

Pimp C Was Furious When He First Heard Andre 3000’s International Players Anthem Verse (Video)

Out of the many outstanding Andre 3000 guest verses, and there are plenty, one of the all-time greats is his opening on UGK's "International Players Anthem." As Andre raps about dropping out of the game of juggling multitudes of women to focus on the one he intends to spend the... Read more

November 3, 2016 Video

Q-Tip Details The Back Story, Title & Guests On A Tribe Called Quest’s Final Album

A Tribe Called Quest album titles are embedded in the consciousness of popular music and culture. Beats, Rhymes & Life, The Low End Theory, and even The Love Movement are expressions, themes, and reminders of specific times in art. Having announced that the Queens, New York collective completed an album... Read more

November 2, 2016 News

Outkast, Goodie Mob & Killer Mike Prove Its Still Family In The Dungeon (Video)

Last night (September 10), Atlanta, Georgia played host to the One Musicfest at Lakewood Amphitheater. As announced leading up to the event, the concert included a Dungeon Family reunion including Outkast, Goodie Mob, Killer Mike, and others. From those three entities, only Khujo Goodie was not in attendance. However the... Read more

September 11, 2016 Video

What’s The Greatest Opening Line In Hip-Hop History? Here Are 50 (Video)

Hip-Hop is built on debates. Who is the greatest MC of all-time? What's the best album? What's the best song? The arguments are endless and often simultaneously the source of great entertainment and great agita. There have been several lists that aim to settle these matters, and The Peak has released... Read more

September 2, 2016 Video

20 Years Later, OutKast’s ATLiens Is A Masterpiece Of Space & Time

True to its extraterrestrial theme, OutKast's 1996 sophomore album ATLiens was of another world. Like the "Paid In Full" vocal sample proclaimed, André 3000 and Big Boi added "new color, new dimension, and new value" to the mid-'90s Hip-Hop ethos. Arguably, this came at a time when Hip-Hop's soul needed... Read more

August 25, 2016 Food for Thought

Big Boi & Killer Mike Are Working On A Joint EP

Big Boi and Killer Mike go back. Way back. The two met in the mid-90s, while Mike was at Morehouse and Big Boi was in the early stages of changing the face of Hip-Hop, as one half of OutKast. Big Boi took Mike under his wing, eventually having him record... Read more

August 22, 2016 Fresh

Andre 3000 Calls Out MCs Who Use Ghostwriters On A New Verse (Audio)

Perhaps more than any MC in Hip-Hop history, Outkast's André 3000 knows how to make his feature guest verses count. Whether alongside UGK, T.I., DJ Drama, Goodie Mob, or DJ Unk, 3 Stacks has used just 16 or so bars to satisfy fans who have waited a decade-plus for anything... Read more

August 22, 2016 Audio, Fresh

Outkast’s Aquemini Gets Broken Down to Expose the Art in Storytelling (Video)

In his ongoing web series Lyricology 101, Andre Gainer takes a highly detailed approach to analyzing not only the lyrics but also the form and function of some of Hip-Hop's greatest hits, both old and new. He's broken down everyone from Joey Bada$$ to Eminem bar for bar, and in... Read more

August 17, 2016 Video

Big Boi Shows How To Truly Rock Off The Top In An Unreleased 2004 Freestyle (Video)

The vast majority of freestyles are not off the top rhymes. Instead, they are typically previously unheard verses, many of which ultimately make their way to albums. This is an occurrence that has shown itself time and time again, as many revered freestyles from the 90s and beyond resurface years... Read more

July 21, 2016 Audio

Big Boi & Killer Mike Conjure Up Some Of That Dungeon Family Magic On “Born To Shine” (Video)

Late last year, Big Grams (Big Boi + Phantogram) released their self-titled debut EP. The major label hybrid featured two guests: Skrillex and Run The Jewels. One half of R.T.J. is Killer Mike, who 15 years ago, burst on the scene as one of the strongest branches of the Dungeon... Read more

March 28, 2016 Video

Q-Tip Opens Up His Archive Of Live A Tribe Called Quest Recordings To Celebrate Phife Dawg (Audio)

While Q-Tip did not appear on last night's edition of his Abstract Radio show on Beats 1, he dedicated the entire episode to his fallen A Tribe Called Quest brother, Phife Dawg, and celebrated him with a 2-hour mix of live and rare Tribe recordings, from Tip's personal archives. During... Read more

March 26, 2016 Audio

How Organized Noize Created The Atlanta Hip-Hop Sound With Outkast & Goodie Mob

In looking at Rap superstars, their producers are never far behind in recognition. Rick Rubin was the musical architect that would have a hand in the success of Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, and Beastie Boys. Dr. Dre's "Midas Touch" with N.W.A., Snoop Dogg (and to a lesser extent) Tupac cleared... Read more

March 23, 2016 Food for Thought

There Are Only 8 Left. Which One Will You Name The Greatest Hip-Hop Album Of All-Time?

Last September, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: what is the greatest Rap Album Of All-Time? “Finding The GOAT Album” has considered more than 120 albums from the 80s, 90s and 2000s (40 in each), with options for... Read more

March 22, 2016 Finding the GOAT

Eric B. & Rakim’s Paid In Full vs. Outkast’s Aquemini. Which Is Better?

Last September, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: what is the greatest Rap Album Of All-Time? “Finding The GOAT Album” has considered more than 120 albums from the 80s, 90s and 2000s (40 in each), with options for... Read more

March 18, 2016 Finding the GOAT

Got DJ Skills? We Need You To Make A Finding The GOAT Sweet 16 Mix

Last September, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: what is the greatest Rap Album Of All-Time? “Finding The GOAT Album” has considered more than 120 albums from the 80s, 90s and 2000s (40 in each), with options for... Read more

March 16, 2016 Finding the GOAT

Here Is Your “Finding The GOAT Album” Sweet 16. The Bracket Just Got Real.

Yesterday (March 8) closed Round 3 of “Finding The GOAT Album.” You—the voter—definitively took 32 albums and divided them into a "Sweet 16." The last bracket took the Top 10 albums from the 1980s, the 1990s, and 2000s, respectively and included two user-generated Wild Card winners. In examining the Sweet... Read more

March 9, 2016 Finding the GOAT

Finding The GOAT: Dr. Dre’s The Chronic vs. Outkast’s Stankonia. Which Is Better?

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

March 7, 2016 Finding the GOAT

A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders vs. Outkast’s ATLiens. Which Is Better?

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

March 4, 2016 Finding the GOAT

Outkast’s Aquemini vs. Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. Which Is Better?

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

February 23, 2016 Finding the GOAT

L.A. Reid is the Man Behind Outkast & TLC. Listen To How It All Came to Be (Audio)

Antonia L.A. Reid stands tall as one of the most influential players in the music industry. Heads love him for introducing such acts as Outkast and TLC to a broad audience, but he's put in more than three decades of work into the careers of others, as well. Having essentially... Read more

February 23, 2016 Audio