Outkast

在美国东、西海岸说唱占据主流的说唱音乐市场中，Outkast是美国南方脏口说唱中极少的既获得商业成功又赢得评论界称赞的说唱乐团之一。他们的说唱不同于传统的南方脏口，在他们的音乐中，在基于南方说唱的原始思想上又大胆的进行了变革，没有了过多简单化的刺激性的内容，转而在旋律和内容上作了大的文章，使音乐的旋律更加悦耳流畅，歌词内容上也更追求深层次，也更积极一些。
　　1992年，Outkast乐团成员André3000，原名Andre Benjamin，又名Dre，另一名成员Big Boi，原名Antwan Patton，他们在美国佐治亚州首府亚特兰大市East Point地区的TriCities高中第一次相遇。两名说唱歌手开始的时候各自为战，相互竞争，最终他们互相赞叹对方的说唱才华，所以决定以组合形式来表演，并把这个组合取名为Outkast。后来他们引起了曾经为TLC和Xscape担任制作的Organized Noize Productions的注意。在高中毕业后，他们和当地的LaFace唱片公司签约。
　　1993年，在LaFace唱片公司，他们录制并发行了第一支单曲《Player's Ball》，不曾想这支单曲在发行后迅速的攀升成为说唱单曲排行榜的冠军！并且很快就被美国唱片工业协会(RIAA)鉴定为黄金单曲。由于这出人意料的成功，使他们的首张专辑制作计划列入日程。1994年，他们标题没有空格的第一张专辑《Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik》正式发行。这张专辑销量成绩喜人，冲入了Billboard 200排行榜的前20名，并且不久就被认定为白金唱片。1996年和1998年，Outkast分别发行了第二和第三张专辑《ATLiens》和《Aquemini》，两张专辑都成为了Billboard 200排行榜的亚军，并且先后被认定为双白金专辑，并且这两张专辑也初步赢得了评论界的赞誉，这为他们后来的发展奠定了基础。但是在这顺风顺水的时候，Outkast却遇到了麻烦。由于单曲《Rosa Parks》的名字，他们遭到了起诉，罪名是非法使用公民姓名权。
　　在摆平了这桩诉讼之后，乐团投入到了新专辑的制作中，Andre Benjamin也把名字从Dre改为André3000。2000年10月31日，Outkast的巅峰专辑《Stankonia》正式发行。发行之后，评论界传来了整齐划一的赞叹之声，市场上也满载而归，不仅首周冲到了排行榜亚军，而且在数月后的2001年2月6日被认定为三白金唱片，同时专辑中的单曲《Ms. Jackson》也成为了Billboard Hot 100单曲榜的冠军。
　　2001年12月，Outkast发行了一张新歌加精选的专辑《Big Boi and Dre Present...Outkast》。2003年9月23日，Outkast最新的双CD专辑《Speakerboxxx/The Love Below》正式发售。
　　凭借着专辑《Stankonia》和其中的单曲《Ms. Jackson》，Outkast曾经在2002年初的时候，分别获得了2001年度第44届格莱美奖5项提名，并最终赢得了最佳说唱专辑奖(Best Rap Album)和最佳说唱组合奖(Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group)两项大奖，在今年初举行的2002年度第45届格莱美颁奖中，凭借与Killer Mike合作的单曲《The Whole World》，Outkast再次获得了最佳说唱组合奖。(CatCobain
by John Bush
OutKasts blend of gritty Southern soul, fluid raps, and the rolling G-funk of their Organized Noize production crew epitomized the Atlanta wing of hip-hops 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 Dré and Big Boi hit number one on the rap charts with their first single, Players 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.
André Benjamin (Dré) 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 others 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 Players 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. Dré 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 albums 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 albums 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 songs language. The initial court decision dismissed the suit in late 1999.
Dré modified his name to André 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. 2003s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, a double album, debuted at number one and spawned a pair of number one singles: the Dré-fronted Hey Ya and the Big Boi-fronted The Way You Move. Three years later, as breakup rumors continued to swirl, they returned with the feature film Idlewild and an accompanying soundtrack.