André Lauren Benjamin

Background

André Lauren Benjamin was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 27, 1975, to Sharon Benjamin, a young single mother who, according to VHl’s Driven, "raised him to be clean-cut and preppy." His father, Lawrence Walker, was a collections agent, while his mom, Sharon Benjamin Hodo, sold real estate.

Benjamin was poor. Too frequently coming up short for the rent payment, she often had to flee with her son from one residence for another in southwest Atlanta. She told VH1 that her son understood the situation and cooperated. "I would tell him," she said, "Dre, let’s go. ‘I’m ready, Mama,’ he’d say."

Education

André Benjamin attended Sarah Smith Elementary School and Sutton Middle School. Taking advantage of Atlanta’s "Minority to Majority" program, Ms. Benjamin had her son bussed to a largely white upper-middle-class school, where he could pursue his artistic interests. "The grass is always greener," she told VH1, accounting for her decision. She had noted Benjamin’s uncanny response to music and sounds when he was yet an infant. She told VH1, "The things that babies play with, he wouldn’t play with. You would just put him on the blanket, give him some newspaper and he’ll just take the paper and he’ll just crumble it… he loved the sound."

He grew up in various locations in Georgia and has attended two-four schools, including Tri-Cities High School and Northside High School. He was interested in music from a young age and formed the OutKast when he was still in high school.

In his early teens, Benjamin developed a fancy for upper-middle-class fashions. Unable to afford the Ralph Lauren shirts and other designer apparel his classmates sported, Benjamin fastened his own self-designed logo onto plain white shirts. He also developed a fondness for what is commonly perceived as "white" music - from ZZ Top to Sting, Madonna to The Smiths. Benjamin loved all music but has reported repeatedly in interviews that he was most strongly attracted to the work of Prince, the Funkadelic, John Coltrane, 2 Live Crew, and other R&B, Soul, Disco, and Rap artists.

Benjamin met Patton during his first year at Tri-Cities School for the Performing Arts, a magnet school in the Atlanta borough of East Point. They quickly became freestyle-rhyme rivals at the school, where teachers and administrators encouraged such artistic expression. Each discovering the other’s zeal for music and savvy for rhyming, they became fast friends.

Career

Benjamin and Patton began writing their own raps, which they turned into mixtapes. They initially named their outfit "2 Shades Deep," but learned it had already been taken by another group. They renamed themselves the "Misfits," which they also discovered was being used. Looking up "misfit" in the dictionary, they found the synonym "outcast," and decided to use that but keep the dictionary's phonetic "k" spelling.

Benjamin and Patton admitted later to having a bit of a wild streak as teens, and Benjamin dropped out of Tri-Cities High after his junior year. Their ambitions were strong, however, and they looked for a way into the music business. They found it when they met an Atlanta-area production team, Organized Noize, which had worked in-studio with TLC to produce their hit 1994 single "Waterfalls."

OutKast's first single, "Player's Ball," was released as a cassette single on LaFace Records in 1993, and on vinyl the next year. The record climbed to the top of the Billboard rap singles chart and stayed at No. 1 for six weeks. They became the first hip-hop act signed to LaFace, the Atlanta label run by Antonio "L.A." Reid was part of the Arista Records empire. Though they were straightforward rap artists at this early stage in their career, Benjamin and Patton were determined to shake things up. "When I look at the rap videos, it's pretty much the same video over and over," Benjamin explained once to Newsweek writer Allison Samuels. "A bunch of women in swimsuits and the guys rapping about money or jewels. Me and Big Boi wanted to change that."

OutKast has the dubious distinction of being sued by American civil-rights heroine Rosa Parks. The first single from their 1998 release Aquemini bore her name, though its lyrics did not mention her. Its chorus referred to her historic 1955 refusal to move to the back of a Montgomery, Alabama bus, where African Americans were expected to sit, which sparked a year-long bus boycott and virtually launched the civil-rights era in the United States. OutKast's song is about the entertainment industry, but its lyrics urge, "A-ha, hush that fuss/Everybody move to the back of the bus."

Parks sued in federal court, naming André ("André 3000") Benjamin, Antwan ("Big Boi") Patton, and their label, Arista, in her suit. Her lawyers argued that by using her name without her permission, OutKast had defamed her and violated her publicity and trademark rights in their song. Lawyers for OutKast and Arista counter-argued that the song was not false advertising, and had not violated her publicity rights; they also claimed that the First Amendment guaranteed the song protection under the freedom of speech rule. Parks' federal suit was dismissed in 1999, but the United States Circuit of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, reinstated some of it, and OutKast's lawyers appealed to the United States Supreme Court to block the case from going any further. In December of 2003, Supreme Court justices declined to intervene in the matter, paving the way for a trial set to begin in January of 2005.

OutKast's first full-length record, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, was released in 1994 and made it to No. 3 on the Billboard R&B/hip-hop albums chart. They emerged as one of a slew of Atlanta-based groups that were gaining national attention at the time. "Just as Ice Cube had narrated a Westside story and KRS-One told an Eastside version, OutKast ... slanged parables about their hometown" noted L.A. Weekly writer Michael Datcher. The pair gained even more listeners in 1996 with ATLiens, their follow-up. It featured more of a live-studio sound, favoring real instruments over hi-tech production effects, and had a hit single with "Elevators (Me and You)." It also had a more spaceship-esque mood, which linked them back to Clinton's 1970s-era masterpieces with Parliament-Funkadelic. "When we started doing the more experimental rap, started talking about aliens, that's when more and more white people started coming to the shows," Benjamin told New York Times writer Lola Ogunnaike.

In keeping with the New-Age vibe, Benjamin and Patton formed their own boutique label, which they named Aquemini. The word was made up of a combination of their respective astrological signs, Gemini and Aquarius. They also used it for the title of their third LP. Aquemini reached the double-platinum sales mark, thanks in part to the single, "Rosa Parks." Benjamin and Patton began heading in a new direction in the late 1990s, ditching some of the hallmarks of rap style for a more soulful sound. Though both had previously worn baggy jeans and athletic jerseys onstage, Benjamin began sporting far more flamboyant outfits, which included long blond wigs, trousers made of fur, turbans, boas, and checkered-print suits in dazzling colors. He also adopted "André 3000" instead of his longtime "Dre" tag. They remained in partnership with Reid, who took them along when he became president of Arista Records.

OutKast's major crossover achievement came finally in 2000 with their fourth release, Stankonia. The record had a certain psychedelic feel, and produced several hits, among them "Mrs. Jackson," a homage to the grandmother of Benjamin's son with singer Erykah Badu written in the aftermath of a breakup. "I probably would never come out and tell Erykah's mom, 'I'm sorry for what went down,'" he explained about the song's origin in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution interview with Craig Seymour. "But music gives you the chance to say what you want to say. And her mom loved it. She's like, 'Where's my publishing check?'"

Stankonia also put Atlanta on the musical map for good, with the numerous references to the neighborhoods of East Point and Decatur where they grew up. Critics everywhere wrote enthusiastically about it. It even earned a mention in Newsweek, with music writer Lorraine Ali asserting that it "continues OutKast's journey into the weird with a sound that lies somewhere between the jamming madness of Parliament-Funkadelic, the creme de menthe vocals of Al Green and the bumping beats of A Tribe Called Quest."

Stankonia was released in late October of 2000, just after the deadline for releases hoping to be considered for a Grammy Award nomination that year. In early January 2002, however, it was nominated in five categories, including album of the year. Weeks later, they took home Grammy statues for best rap album of 2001 and best song by a rap duo or group for "Mrs. Jackson."

Nearly three years went by before OutKast released another studio effort. The long-awaited Speakerboxxx/The Love Below made it into stores in late September of 2003, just before the all-important Grammy deadline. It was richly rewarded the following February, winning Grammys for album of the year, best rap album of 2003, and best urban/alternative performance for "Hey Ya!" The dual CD, however, was essentially two separate releases from each OutKast member. Patton's Speakerboxxx was a more traditional rap record, and had a hit that made it onto several charts, "The Way You Move."

André's The Love Below was the funkier record of the two. It originally started out as a soundtrack project that Benjamin began for a film, a love story set in Paris. Though some critics faulted it for mixing too many musical styles, others commended both records for their big-picture vision. "With Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, [Benjamin's] lonely Day-Glo lothario and Big Boi's wise-thug MC have made an LP that offers an outsize artistic vision, not focus-group 'perfection,' as the route to a mass audience," declared Entertainment Weekly writer Will Hermes.

The concept-album effort was overshadowed, however, by the massive success of "Hey Ya!" It quickly emerged the biggest hit from The Love Below and became the No. 1 downloaded song on the Internet. Its success boosted the double-album's sales to 3.5 million copies. Much of the rest of Benjamin's effort was reflective. As he explained to a writer for London's Guardian newspaper, Alexis Petridis: "In hip-hop, people don't talk about their vulnerable or sensitive side a lot because they're trying to keep it real or be tough - they think it makes them look weak. That's what the Love Below means, that bubbling-under feeling that people don't like to talk about, that dudes try to cover up with machismo."

As a solo artist, André has released 26 singles. Some of his popular singles include "Millionaire," "Royal Flush," "What a Job," and "Green Light."

He made his film debut by appearing in the 2003 film "Hollywood Homicide." He then went on to appear in the "Scary Movie 4," "Semi-Pro," "Jimi: All Is by My Side," "Revolver," and "Be Cool."

His television roles include "Class of 3000" and "The Shield." He has also launched his clothing line called "Benjamin Bixby."

Achievements

• 

  André 3000 is considered one of the most popular rappers in the world. He found considerable success after being a part of the duo the OutKast. He has also found success in acting. The OutKast is considered one of the most successful hip-hop groups ever. He was voted as the "World Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity" by PETA.
  
  In 2013, André was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award in category for the Best Male Lead. He has won six Grammy Awards out of 22 nominations.
  
  The OutKast has also won four American Music Awards, five BET Awards, and three MTV Europe Music Awards. Other awards won by him include Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards Japan.
  
  André Lauren Benjamin has been listed as a notable vocalist, an actor by Marquis Who's Who.
  
  He was chosen by GQ Magazine as one of the 50 most stylish men of the past 50 years.
  
  The Speakerboxx: Love Below album was named diamond after it sold more than 10,000,000 records in the US only in October 2004.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Be Cool

    (Starring an unbelievably hip all-star cast, including Joh...)

    2005
  • Idlewild

    (A musical set in the Prohibition-era American South, wher...)

    2005
  • Semi-Pro

    (Will Ferrell stars in Semi-Pro, an outrageous comedy set ...)

    2008
  • Battle in Seattle

    (In November 1999, Seattle broke into a full-scale state o...)

    2007
  • Jimi: All is by My Side

    (In 1966, an unknown guitarist named James Hendrix leaves ...)

    2013
  • Hollywood Homicide

    (After four members of a rap group are murdered by unknown...)

    2003
  • High Life

    (Monte (Robert Pattinson) and his baby daughter, last surv...)

    2018
  • Scary Movie 4

    (While working as a caretaker for an old woman, Cindy meet...)

    2006
  • Four Brothers

    (Four adopted brothers come together to bury the woman who...)

    2005
  • Fracture

    (An assistant D.A. becomes a crusader for justice when a m...)

    2007

• music

  • Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik 1994
  • ATLiens 1996
  • Aquemini 1998
  • Stankonia 2000
  • Speakerboxxx/The Love Below 2003
  • Idlewild 2008

Religion

André Benjamin had a strict Christian upbringing, his parents and he were members of a southern Baptist church. Later he said: "But with age, I got closer to God all while moving away from the church. Today, I have my faith without having to listen to those purveyors of nonsense."

Politics

Before the 2008 United States Presidential Elections, André Benjamin was featured in a print advert by Declare Yourself. The campaign aimed to encourage voter registration and in the adverts, he was gagged by a bow-tie.

André Benjamin came by Madison Square Garden on September 1, 2004, to do interviews for a documentary he's making for HBO on his transformation from an apolitical musician to a voter-registration activist. "This is my first vote," Benjamin, 29, said.

"What I'm doing is nonpartisan," said Benjamin, who also was at the Democratic National Convention and interviewed John Kerry's daughters. "I just want people to vote."

Views

Rapping against bass-heavy and funk-inspired beats, André 3000 offered a glimpse into the realities of a late 20th century black American South: a community filled with young people that grappled with the romanticized legacy of the progress stemming from the formal Civil Rights Movement, while speaking their truth to power in the (then) present.

He is also known as a human rights activist, supporter of different charities, such as the Multicultural Motion Picture Association’s (MMPA) Educational and Development Scholarship Fund, Prostate Cancer Foundation, and others.

Quotations: "But I am a lover of all kinds of art. And I just can't stick to one thing. I guess I could if I made myself, but I'd always be looking the other way, for other things."

"Although I hate auditioning. An audition, it's in a room smaller than this and there's producers and directors and they've seen 100 people, and they're, "OK. Go." And it feels strange. It's almost like you meet a girl and someone says, "OK, have sex right now." You don't have time to get it up."

"Looking in the mirror. They say, when you're high, you shouldn't look in the mirror. And I did. And I saw myself deteriorating and I was like; "You look terrible. You got to cut this shit out or you won't make it." And I stopped. I rarely drink, I don't smoke, so my vice is probably creating. I'm addicted to creating. And women. Oh, women."

"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."

"The world doesn't need another clothing company. But it does need a certain funk."

"Look at Scottish guys wearing kilts - you could look at them and laugh, but the way they carry themselves, how can you? You can wear some of the weirdest things and be cool. If you believe in it, that's what makes it cool."

"For me, hip-hop is about freshness. You can always hop, but you won’t always be hip."

Personality

André Benjamin once told that he is "the most nervous man in the world," unlike his alter-ego André 3000, who is "wild."

He is also considered to be funny. He claimed: "I really don't think I'm funny, but if other people think I'm funny, but if other people think I'm funny, I guess it works. I don't know anything about comedic timing, but I've heard it [mentioned] in a lot of interviews, so I guess it's working."

André gave up smoking and drinking. He was a vegan till 2014. He told: "I was a hardcore vegan for fifteen years. I've even done raw. But socially it became horrible. I was kind of just sitting at home eating a salad. You become mean. That's not good for you."

Physical Characteristics: André Benjamin has six tattoos and he regrets having them. He even had thought of removing them but decided not to do this because of scars.

He has a mole on the left side of his nose.

His height is 1.78 m tall, and his weight is 72 kg.

Interests

• piano, saxophone, fashion, painting

• Politicians

  Martin Luther King

• Artists

  Jimmy O’Neal

• Music & Bands

  De La Soul, the Brand Nubians, A Tribe Called Quest, George Clinton, Sly and the Family Stone, Kid Cudi, Young Thug, Future

Connections

Andre Lauren Benjamin was in a relationship with Erykah Badu in 1996. He has also dated Keisha Spivey, Vashtie Kola, Joi, Da Brat, Rezonda “Chilli” Thomas, and Shannyn Sossamon. In 2008, he was in a relationship with Tiffany Lamos.

Andre has a son named Seven Sirius Benjamin with Erikah Badu, the son was born in November 1997.

Father:

Lawrence Harvey Walker

Mother:

Sharon Benjamin-Hodo

Son:

Seven Sirius Benjamin

ex-girlfriend:

Еrуkаh Ваdu

In 1996, Andre officially started dating the singer, Erykah Badu. She gave birth to their son, Seven Sirius Benjamin, in November 1997. Their relationship also seemed to have come to an end in the same year.

Friend:

Antwan Andre Patton

colleague:

Woody Harrelson

colleague:

Robert Pattinson

Acquaintance:

Steven Tyler

colleague:

Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg

Acquaintance:

Ashton Kutcher

Acquaintance:

Kanye West

Acquaintance:

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

References

• Dirty South: OutKast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop
  2011
• Hey Ya!: The Unauthorized Biography of Outkast
  2004
• Outkast Mad Libs
  2016
• Outkast
  2007
• Third Coast: Outkast, Timbaland, and How Hip-hop Became a Southern Thing
  2007