Image by Warren Cochrane
Nothing has been the same since the ATLiens landed with their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik in the early ‘90s. Living up to their name, Outkast’s arrival was an invasion of New York-dominated hip-hop, and they received an onslaught of boos when they accepted their ‘95 Source Award for Best New Rap Group. The South had somethin’ to say, and their catalog became a sonic force with otherworldly production that still remains light-years ahead.
Big Boi and ‘Dre won a rare Album of The Year Grammy for their last full-length Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in 2003, yet continue to be the center of G.O.A.T. discussions decades later. Forever trending on Twitter due to their elite lyricism and pristine delivery, it’s clear that Outkast is everlasting. Read on to discover six moments that nearly happened in the duo’s unparalleled history, from Super Bowls to Frank Ocean collaborations.
Outkast Turned Down Performing at the 2004 Super Bowl.
Long before all-stars Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop, Kendrick and Mary J. Blige were drafted in to perform at the Super Bowl, Outkast nearly brought hip-hop to the forefront during its illustrious 2004 halftime show. Following in the footsteps of Queen Latifah and Nelly who performed at the 1998 and 2001 Super Bowls respectively, ‘Kast almost went down in the books as the first rap duo to grace the NFL stage.
“We were supposed to perform at the Super Bowl,” Big Boi shared in a 2015 ESPN interview. “We had two songs: ‘The Way You Move’ and ‘Hey Ya!’ ‘Dre didn’t want to split the songs up. He didn’t want to cut the songs. He wanted to do both songs. So, they was like, ‘Y’all can’t do it.’ He wanted to perform both songs in full and they didn’t give us enough time to do it so we passed.”
Big Boi admitted he was “in his ear a lot” trying to coax ‘Dre, but the halftime slot was eventually granted to Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson who endured a barrage of controversy after the infamous “Nipplegate” wardrobe malfunction.
“[‘Dre’s] son told him, ‘Daddy, you should’ve performed at the Super Bowl.’ We look at it now and laugh, but hopefully they’ll invite us back,” he added.
With Outkast’s final performance together dating back to 2014, rumors of a reunion at Super Bowl LIII resurfaced when Big Boi was asked to appear at the 2019 halftime show in Atlanta along with Maroon 5 and Travis Scott. Ultimately, fans were met with disappointment when André wasn’t involved.
Regardless, the duo remains close and was spotted at a 2021 Oregon Ducks’ football game cheering on Big Boi’s son, Cross Patton, and attended an Atlanta Braves’ game together in 2019. (Fun fact: Outkast’s Stankonia cover was also reimagined for the Braves’ 2019 All-Star campaign).
Needless to say, Outkast’s relationship transcends artistry. “He’s like my brother,” Big Boi continued. “I grew up with him. I slept on his bedroom floor when we were in high school when I moved to Atlanta. So, it’s bigger than music for us...We still have a close bond to this day and our friendship is bigger than anything that we’ve done with music.”
Outkast Was Planning an LP and TV Show Dedicated to Rosa Parks
Many a day has passed since reports of an upcoming Outkast album kept the Internet ablaze. After crossing over with the release of their eleven times platinum Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, rumors swirled that their next project, 10 The Hard Way, would be a return to hardcore hip-hop. Set to drop in June of 2004, Big Boi shared some major features on the project that never materialized.
“We’ve been trying to do a song with Anita Baker [as well as] Sade, maybe if we can find her. They say she’s crazy, so I don’t know what’s going on,” he said.
Aside from filming their long-awaited musical crime drama Idlewild in 2006, André and Big Boi also planned on paying homage (again) to Civil Rights leader, Rosa Parks. Though Parks sued Outkast for use of her name on their 1998 Aquemini single, the duo hoped to clear the air by dedicating a TV special and tribute LP to the then-deceased icon.
Outkast’s manager, Blue Williams, explained the duo’s vision. “We’re trying to do a tribute special for her and get a lot of entertainers involved,” he stated. “Then turn the special into a DVD we can put in the schools and let teachers have it to show kids. It’ll be performances, people speaking on there, a history montage. A nice special that would give her just due especially for people who don’t know what she did. I thought it would be a great way to show we always had good intentions.”
Though neither manifested and speculation about a breakup became prevalent, André did his best to address the group’s status at a news conference for Idlewild. “The future of Outkast, we’re not saying what we’re going to do next,” he said. “As far as the rumors, I guess you’ve got to say, like, we’ve been doing it for 12, 13 years; we ain’t shot nobody, we ain’t killed nobody, we ain’t slapped nobody, we ain’t been to jail or sleeping with Paris Hilton. What can you talk about?”
Outkast Was Almost In Kris Kross' "Jump" Video
Both repping Atlanta with a trademark style, young hip-hop duos Kris Kross and Outkast almost appeared side by side in the early 1990s for the “Jump” music video.
During a RapRadar podcast episode, producer and Organized Noize member Rico Wade revealed that Outkast had the opportunity to show up as extras in the visual. “[‘Jump’] was right there in our immediate circle. Just so happened we missed the video. Outkast would have been in the video. We probably would have been in the video, but we had a meeting with Bryant Reid,” he recalled.
The reach of “Jump” was so expansive, it landed Kris Kross TV appearances, a Sega CD video game, and an opening slot for Michael Jackson on his Dangerous Tour. Signed by Jermaine Dupri to his So So Def label after he discovered the teens in Greenbriar Mall, the ATL pioneer also divulged that he almost signed the Mighty O to his imprint as well.
While speaking to Ebro in the Morning on Hot 97, Dupri detailed his rise in the South and claimed that his influence was even greater than Andre and Big Boi’s. “The part that people miss that makes me say that is that Outkast tried to sign to So So Def, so what does that mean?” he challenged. When asked why the deal never transpired, the business mogul explained he never received ‘Kast’s phone calls.
“They said they was callin.’ I never got the call.” Dupri went on to clarify that he would have “one hundred percent” signed them had he known.
Outkast Was Supposed to Collab With 2Pac
It may be hard to picture West Coast rap deity Tupac Shakur leaping through a limo partition just to meet Outkast, but that’s exactly what happened.
“The first time I met Tupac, we were opening for him in Ohio and he was pulling up to the hotel in a limousine, and he jumped through the partition of his limo and threw the car in park because the driver wouldn’t stop because he wanted to holler at me and ‘Dre,” Big Boi told Reddit. “He almost tore up the transmission in the limo. Real life.”
Not only did Pac have enough respect for the ATL duo to pull such a random stunt, but he also planned to team up with them in the studio. Speaking to HipHopDX in 2013, Big Boi recounted their first meeting. “It was a good feeling, and after that we spoke and were supposed to do some music together. He’s one of the realest dudes I’ve ever met,” he stated.
In 2016, a hand-written letter penned by Pac surfaced and affirmed his collaboration with Outkast on a compilation album entitled One Nation. Intended to bring the East and West Coast together, other acts set to appear on the project included Scarface, Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun, Greg Nice, and E-40.
Cee-Lo Green Might Have Been the Third Member of Outkast
Best known by the mainstream for his earworms (“Crazy”/ “F*ck You”) and appearing as a judge on singing competition show The Voice, Cee-Lo Green has been woven into the fabric of hip-hop culture since his days with the Dungeon Family. The collective has included Atlanta artists Killer Mike, production trio Organized Noize, and Future (cousin of producer Rico Wade), as well as seminal rap group Goodie Mob.
Immediately making waves with their stellar 1995 debut Soul Food, the crew’s rapper and vocalist Cee-Lo appeared alongside Big Boi on “Dirty South” while André guested on “Thought Process.” Other Outkast collaborations (including “Black Ice” from the Mob’s sophomore album Still Standing and “Liberation” off of Aquemini) also proved that their chemistry was undeniable.
With such a strong dynamic, Big Boi and Dre considered making Cee-Lo an additional member of Outkast at one point. During a ThisIs50 interview, Daddy Fat Sax confirmed he almost joined the group. “Yeah, kinda, sorta,” he stated after being asked if the rumors were true. “Like he was hanging out with us. Cee-Lo and me go way back, so you know, kinda. For a brief minute.”
After being asked why it didn’t work out, he elaborated, “Me and ‘Dre was just together more. We would see Cee-Lo sometimes, but not all the time. Me and ‘Dre was just together day in, day out.”
Big Boi and Andre 3000 Almost Reunited on Frank Ocean's "Pink Matter"
The struggle for an Outkast reunion was beyond real—even in the 2010s. With Big Boi signed as a solo artist to Def Jam and Outkast on Jive Records, tracks like “Lookin for Ya” and the Grammy-nominated “Royal Flush” with Raekwon were scrapped from Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty.
“Basically it boils down to Jive Records. That’s how they do it. Jive Records told me my album is a piece of art, and they didn’t know what to do with it. So I moved it over to Def Jam. And now Jive is trying to block ‘Dre from being on my record. We can’t be on songs together now,” Big Boi told GQ in 2010.
Stepping out solo, André stunned audiences with a morose, yet ultra-smooth verse on Frank Ocean’s “Pink Matter” from Channel Orange in 2012. Initially set to feature Outkast, the duo agreed that their reunion should take place on their own album instead of another artist’s LP. With Big Boi busy at work on his 2012 sophomore effort, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, he decided to contribute his own verse to the “Pink Matter” remix a year later. Fans were hyped to hear the two trade bars again, but André released a statement to clarify that the track wasn’t an official Outkast song.
“I was approached as a solo artist by [Frank Ocean]. I discussed musical direction with each artist and completed my verses. It was after that when Big Boi’s name came up. I never want to mislead our audience—I worried that some would think these were Outkast collaborations,” he told Spin.