André 3000

André Lauren Benjamin, known professionally as André 3000, is an American rapper, singer, record producer and actor. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he is one half of the hip-hop duo Outkast along with rapper Big Boi, which they formed in 1992.

André 3000's refusal to be pinned down—musically or personally—defines his legacy more than any single album, even *Speakerboxxx/The Love Below*, the 2003 double album where he and Big Boi essentially went their separate ways and somehow made OutKast's masterpiece. His collaboration with Erykah Badu shaped both their artistic trajectories, their partnership producing some of the most transcendent R&B-influenced hip-hop moments of the 2000s while their relationship anchored him to a creative kinship few artists experience. Born André Benjamin in Atlanta's Dungeon Family collective alongside Goodie Mob and Big Boi, he engineered a sound that married Southern funk, psychedelic production, and introspective lyricism into something that still sounds ahead of its time.