OutKast

Big Boi and Dre went to high school together in East Point, Atlanta[?], and battled each other (lyrically) on a regular basis. They eventually teamed up, and were pursued by Organized Noize[?], a group of local producers who had made hits for TLC and Xscape. OutKast signed to LaFace[?] and released "Player's Ball[?]", which hit #1 on the Rap Chart. Their full length debut was Southernplayalisticadillakmusik[?] (1994; see 1994 in music); the pair won Best New Rap Group[?] at the Source Awards[?] (1995; see 1995 in music)). ATLiens[?] came out in 1996 (see 1996 in music) and hit #2 on the charts.

Aquemini (1998; see 1998 in music) also reached the number 2 position on the charts. Though the album had no singles, it was widely praised as an innovative, unique and refreshing album full of gangsta rap with a progressive vision. In 1999, OutKast was sued by Rosa Parks over one of the album's songs, "Rosa Parks[?]". She felt the song misappropriated her name, and also objected to some of the song's obscene language. The song's lyrics were largely unrelated to Parks, save for a line in the chorus: "Ah ha, hush that fuss / Everybody move to the back of the bus". The initial lawsuit was dismissed. Parks hired lawyer Johnnie Cochran[?] to appeal the decision in 2001, but this too was denied, on First Amendment grounds.

The pair's fourth album, Stankonia[?] (2000; see 2000 in music) was released to excellent reviews and debuted at #2. It included The single "Ms. Jackson", which is about Dre's breakup with singer Erykah Badu and became a crossover hit. Other successful singles from the album included "So Fresh, So Clean" and "B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)". All three songs' videos had heavy MTV2 airplay. OutKast also won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for that song, and another Grammy for Stankonia as Best Rap Album.

In 2002, they released a greatest hits album, Big Boi and Dre Present... OutKast[?], which contained three new songs including the single, "The Whole World", which won the Grammy Award for the 2002 Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.