Hey Ya!

Background:

“To me, that's part of the creative process. I hate it when bands fall back and say, ‘We're underground. We don't want to make money.” Because it's not really about making money; it's about exposing everybody to what you're doing and I want to do that. It's harder to be a success, globally, and be artistic, harder to have that balance than just to be artistic when nobody understands you. You can just sit at home and do it yourself and have nobody listen to you.” Andre Benjamin

American rapper, singer, songwriter, musician and actor Andre Benjamin, who uses the stage name Andre 3000, is widely recognized as a member of the hip hop duo OutKast, alongside Big Boi. Founded in Atlanta in the early 1990s, the group has released six studio albums and one greatest hits album, “Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast” (2001), which spawned the Grammy winning song “The Whole World.”

First coming to prominence with “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” (1994), OutKast's debut album which went platinum and scored the popular single “Player's Ball,” the group enjoyed even bigger success with the third album “Aquemini” (1998), which was certified double platinum by RIAA. Their fourth album was “Stankonia” (2000), which won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and nominations for Record of the Year and Album of the Year. The No. 1 hit single “Ms. Jackson” (2001) won the group a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and a Grammy nomination for Best Short-Form Music Video. Benjamin further received recognition at the Grammy Awards with the album “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” (2003) and the single “Hey Ya” (2003) from his “The Love Below” project. From the soundtrack album “Idlewild” (2006), Benjamin and his group nabbed two Grammy nominations thanks to the songs “Mighty 'O” and “Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry 'Bout Me)” as well as two Black Reel nominations. Benjamin also shared two additional Grammy nominations for his contribution to Big Boi's solo debut single “Royal Flush” (2007) and John Legend's “Green Light” (2008).

Making his feature film debut in “WaSanGo” (2001), Benjamin has since acted in the films “Hollywood Homicide” (2003), “Revolver” (2005), “Scary Movie 4” (2006), “Charlotte's Web” (2006), “Battle in Seattle” (2007) and “Semi-Pro” (2008). He was nominated for a BET Comedy Award and two Teen Choice Awards for his supporting portrayal of Dabu in “Be Cool” and received a MTV Movie nomination and a Black Reel nomination for his performance in “Four Brothers” (both 2005). He also starred with Big Boi in the film “Idlewild” (2006). On television, Benjamin has guest starred in the series “The Shield” and “About a Girl.” His voice can be heard as Sunny Bridges in the animated series “Class of 3000” (2006-2007, also an executive producer).

Benjamin was once romantically linked to musician Erykah Badu, with whom he had a son with in 1997. He is a vegan and was named PETA's “Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity in the World of 2004,” along with actress Alicia Silverstone. The same year, he was also voted by Esquire magazine to be the “World's Best Dressed Man” and his group, Outkast, was selected by Rolling Stone magazine readers as “The Best Hip Hop Artist.” Benjamin was named one of Fade In Magazine's “100 People in Hollywood You Need to Know” in 2005 and was once voted GQ Magazine's “One of the 50 Most Stylish Men of the Past 50 Years.” Benjamin has his own clothing line called “Benjamin Bixby,” which he launched in the spring of 2008. He is also a skilled painter.

In March 2009, the father of one was arrested after allegedly going 44 miles over the speed limit in Henry County, Georgia.

Andre 3000

Childhood and Family:

André Lauren Benjamin was born on May 27, 1975, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Lawrence Walker, a collections agent, and Sharon Benjamin Hodor, a real estate marketer. Raised by his single mother, Andre spent his youth living in poverty and was an aspiring criminal before he discovered music. Andre attended Willis A. Sutton Middle School and then Tri-Cities High School, a Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School located in East Point, Georgia. While in school, he learned to play the violin from his orchestra teacher and met his partner (Big Boi, born Antwan André Patton) in his sophomore year.

In 1997, Andre and his then-companion, singer Erykah Badu (born on February 26, 1971), welcomed a son named Seven Sirius Benjamin into the world. The couple is no longer together.

Andre is the childhood friend of multifaceted entertainer Fonzworth Bentley. He has several nicknames, including Ice Cold, Johnny Vulture, Cupid Valentino, Dre, and his best known, Andre 3000.

Be Cool

Career:

While in high school, Andre Benjamin met Big Boi and they formed the hip hop duo OutKast. They singed a contract with the Atlanta based LaFace Records in 1992 just before their graduation.

The debut album “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” was released on April 24, 1994. Produced by Organized Noize, it rose to No. 3 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and hit the Top 20 on the Billboard 200. The lead single, “Player's Ball,” (released on November 22, 1993) was a hit for the duo when it rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks charts, No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales, No. 12 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,” (released on June 20, 1994) peaked at No. 3 on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks, No. 14 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 41 on Billboards' Hot 100. The third single, “Git Up, Git Out,” (featuring Goodie Mob, released on October 10, 1994) peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks, No. 26 on the Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” went platinum in April 1995 and has since been regarded by a number of hip hop fans as a classic. OutKast received a 1995 Source Award for Best New Rap Group of the Year.

On August 27, 1996, Benjamin and Big Boi released the sophomore effort “ATLiens,” which cemented their reputation in the hip hop scene. The album rose to No. 1 and No.2 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums and the Billboard 200 charts, respectively. It spawned major hits with the singles “Elevators (Me & You),” “ATLiens/Wheelz Of Steel” and “Jazzy Belle.” “Elevators (Me & You)” was a chart topper on the Hot Rap Tracks, rose to No. 5 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Song chart and No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Under the production company Earthtone III, which OutKast founded with partner David “Mr. DJ” Sheats, the group produced 5 of 15 songs on the album, including the title track and “Elevators (Me & You).”

Benjamin and his music partner gained substantial mainstream popularity with the third album “Aquemini.” Launched on September 29, 1998, the album went platinum within two months of its release and was certified double platinum by RIAA on July 2, 1999. It rose to No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop and the Billboard 200 charts and was later included in the book version of Rolling Stone's “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” In 1999, the group was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for their self-written first single “Rosa Park” (#4 on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40, #19 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and # 55 on the Billboard Hot 100). The album also produced the singles “Skew It on the Bar-B” and “Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 1).”

Formerly known as Dre, Benjamin began using the pseudonym “Andre 300” in the group’s fourth album “Stankonia.” Released on October 31, 2000, the album sold over 530,000 units in the first week of its release and generally earned positive reviews from music critics. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums charts and also charted in Canada, where it peaked at No. 4. The lead single “B.O.B.,” featuring the Morris Brown College Gospel Choir, was a minor hit in the U.S. and the U.K. Benjamin and his group did not enjoy another huge success until the release of the second single, “Ms. Jackson,” on January 16, 2001. The song rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the Hot Rap Singles and the Rhythmic Top 40 and received gold certification from RIAA. It also won the group a 2002 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and a Grammy nomination for Best Short-Form Music Video. The video received a 2001 MTV Video Music nomination for Best Direction. The third single, “So Fresh, So Clean,” rose to the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. “Stankonia” won OutKast a 2002 Grammy for Best Rap Album and additional nominations for Record of the Year and Album of the Year.

In December 2001, OutKast released the greatest hits album “Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast,” which consisted of hits from their first four albums and the three new tracks “The Whole World” (featuring Killer Mike), “Movin' Cool (The After Party)” (featuring Joi), and “Funkin' Around.” While the album reached No. 18 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the Top R&B Hip Hop Albums charts and went platinum, the single “The Whole World” brought the duo their next Grammy award in 2003 for Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group. The video received a MTV Video Music nomination for Best Hip-Hop Video.

Also in 2001, Benjamin took part in the Dungeon Family group album “Even in Darkness,” alongside Killer Mike, Goodie Mob, Sleepy Brown, Witchdoctor, Backbone, and others. He also made his acting debut in the Korean film “WaSanGo.” The next year, Benjamin and OutKast were reunited with Killer Mike for the song “Land of a Million Drums,” which was used as the soundtrack of the “Scooby Doo” film (2002).

September 2003 saw the release of the album “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.” Benjamin's solo project, “The Love Below” covered musical styles like pop, soul, jazz, and funk, while Big Boi's “Speakerboxxx” was rooted in basic hip hop. “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” earned primarily good reviews from critics and was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums charts. It won a Grammy for Best Rap Album and Album of the Year and Benjamin's song, “Hey Ya,” won a 2004 Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance and Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Best Short-Form Music Video. The group also received an additional Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. “The Love Below” also generated the popular songs “Prototype” and “Roses.”

Still in 2003, Benjamin returned to acting with a supporting role in the film “Hollywood Homicide,” which was directed by Ron Shelton and starred Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett. He debuted on the small screen the following year with a guest role in an episode of “The Shield.” In 2005, Benjamin received further recognition on the big screen when he appeared in the F. Gary Gray helmed “Be Cool,” John Singleton's “Four Brothers,” and Guy Ritchie's “Revolver.” He picked up a BET Comedy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Theatrical Film and two Teen Choice nominations for Choice Crossover Artist and Choice Rap Artist in a Movie for his performance in “Be Cool.” He also received a MTV Movie nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance and a Black Reel nomination for Best Ensemble for “Four Brothers.”

Following an unaccredited part in “Scary Movie 4” (2006), Benjamin starred with his music partner, Big Boi, in the crime film “Idlewild” (2006), which was written and directed by Bryan Barber. The duo also provided music to the soundtrack of the same name. The album received rave reviews from music critics and charted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It was certified platinum in the U.S. and went gold in Canada. The songs “Mighty 'O” and “Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry 'Bout Me)” earned Grammy nominations for Best Rap Performance by Duo or Group and Best Urban/Alternative Performance, respectively.

Benjamin next provided the voice of Elwyn the Crow in Gary Winick's “Charlotte's Web” (2006), a family film starring Dakota Fanning as Fern and the voices of big names like Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey. The same year, he also began his voice starring role of Sunny Bridges on the Cartoon Network series “Class of 3000” (2006-2007), which he also produced. In 2007, Benjamin was cast with Martin Henderson, Michelle Rodriguez, Woody Harrelson and Charlize Theron in the drama film “Battle in Seattle,” which was written and directed by Stuart Townsend.

Back to music, Benjamin appeared in various remixes, including “Walk It Out,” “Throw Some D's,” The Infamous' “Billy BLAZE” “You,” Jay-Z's “30 Something” and others, including UGK's “International Player's Anthem (I Choose You),” which was nominated for a 2008 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by Duo or Group. He also contributed to Big Boi's first solo single, “Royal Flush” (2007), with Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon. The song was nominated for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Benjamin was also featured in John Legend's lead single “Green Light” (2008) from the album “Evolver.” Benjamin then costarred with Will Farrell and Woody Harrelson in the sport themed film “Semi-Pro” (2008), which was directed by Kent Alterman and written by Scot Armstrong. The same year, he also guest starred in the TV comedy series “About a Girl.”

Awards:

• Grammy: Best Rap Album, “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below,” 2004

• Grammy: Album of the Year, “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below,” 2004

• Grammy: Best Urban/Alternative Performance, “Hey Ya!” 2004

• Grammy: Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group, “The Whole World,” 2003

• Grammy: Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, “Mr. Jackson,” 2002

• Grammy: Best Rap Album, “Stankonia,” 2002

• Source: Best New Rap Group of the Year, OutKast, 1995