André 3000

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

André 3000 is actually called André Lauren Benjamin. He was born in Atlanta in 1975, where his mother raised him alone. In 1992, at sixteen, he met Antwan Patton, better known as Big Boi, in a shopping mall. Together they formed OutKast. The duo signed with the Atlanta label LaFace and made their debut in 1994 with Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.

Music and breakthrough

On ATLiens (1996) and Aquemini (1998) OutKast sought new paths, with funk, soul, trip hop and a spacious, relaxed sound. André stood out with surrealist lyrics and an eccentric style, far removed from the gangsta image in hip hop. On Stankonia (2000) he called himself André 3000 for the first time; the single Ms. Jackson became a number one hit. In 2003 came the double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, on which each member made a half of his own. André's half was built around funk, jazz and alternative pop, and he sang more than he rapped. His Hey Ya! became a worldwide hit and the album won the Grammy for Album of the Year.

Influence

After OutKast he worked mainly as a guest rapper for others and as an actor; he played Jimi Hendrix in a feature film, for instance. In 2023 he surprised everyone with New Blue Sun, an instrumental album on which he plays flute. André 3000 showed that hip hop from the American South could be just as innovative as that of New York or Los Angeles, and that a rapper can also sing and experiment.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 2023New Blue Sun
• 20257 piano sketches

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• Mixtape 6: Fear of a Black Planet^NL Reader

See also

• 7 piano sketches