Introduction: Questlove or: How One Man Shook Up the Rock Hall Nominating Committee

 Ever since his appointment to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s nominating committee in the Fall of 2013, Questlove became one of the committee’s most influential members. He championed the candidacies of eventual inductees Hall & Oates, Bill Withers, N.W.A, and Janet Jackson (still waiting on Chaka Khan and Sonic Youth…). His passionate pleas for these artists are truly inspiring and remarkable. But his promotion to the committee proves he’s no slouch—he’s almost an encyclopedic figure when it comes to his knowledge of popular music. He often serves as an interviewee in many documentaries, participates in conversations, and authored several books. He is even an adjunct instructor at NYU, so I guess we should start calling him Professor Questlove. He’s also one of the most in-demand people in the music business, often collaborating with various artists, and his band The Roots has served as the house band for Jimmy Fallon’s late-night show for the better part of a decade. Questlove’s active social media presence keeps us Rock Hall Watchers on our toes. He’s fighting the good fight for the artists he admires and adores. But seriously, when does this man have time to sleep?

Last fall, Questlove served as one of the co-executive producers of Hip-Hop: The Songs That Shook America (2019), a six-part docuseries with each episode chronicling a song’s significant to both the genre and American popular at large. Providing an overview of the artist’s life and career that would eventually lead to the song’s creation, Hip-Hop is an often-fascinating look at the evolution of an art form and how these songs resonate with listeners today. Granted, sometimes the series’ claims and stances are a bit grandiose and underexplored, but it’s still worth watching. Episodes have focused on Kendrick Lamar (“Alright”), Run-DMC (“Rock Box”) and Queen Latifah (“Ladies First”). The fourth episode focuses on a group who recently became eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame two years ago: the mighty OutKast.

OutKast, the pioneering and highly successful duo from Atlanta, would pave the way for southern hip-hop artists to gain wider acceptance and assimilation into American popular culture. The episode focuses on their breakthrough single “Elevators (Me and You)” (1996), the duo’s first top-20 pop hit (peaking at #12). The song’s twangy sound and laid-back instrumentals breathed new life to a genre often saturated in excess. Shockingly, OutKast’s label LaFace Records and its founder L.A. Reid did not like the single and initially wanted it cut from their sophomore album ATLiens. Against LaFace’s wishes, OutKast defiantly took the record to a local radio station to play it live on the air (on a show hosted by future rapper Ludacris) and become a local hit. This tactic gave LaFace enough confidence to release “Elevators” as the lead single for OutKast’s upcoming album ALTiens.  Both the album and its lead single would become an enormous success and established OutKast as a dominant force in hip-hop.

While some hip-hop purists (paging Chuck D) believe OutKast could wait a few more years for Rock Hall consideration, I strongly disagree. Regardless of genre, OutKast remains one of the most commercially successful and critically-acclaimed artists of the past three decades.  This blog explores the lives and careers of OutKast and why they deserve more serious consideration for the Rock Hall. I believe OutKast is one of the few currently-eligible hip-hop artists who could waltz right into the Rock Hall on their first nomination, which is something typically reserved for some of the genre’s martyr-like figures (e.g., 2Pac and the soon-to-be-inducted Notorious B.I.G.). Heck, OutKast should’ve been nominated and promptly inducted in their first year of eligibility two years ago (for the class of 2019).

Two Dope Boyz: An Overview of OutKast’s Life and Career

To fully appreciate and understand the music of OutKast, it’s essential to understand the American South—in particular, Atlanta—in the immediate post-Civil Rights years. Located in the center of the southeast, Atlanta has often served as a city of opportunity for African-Americans and widely hailed as “a city too busy to hate.” By the 1970s, African-Americans became the majority population and, as a result, gained more political and social influence. Maynard Jackson became the city’s first black mayor in 1973 and consciously wanted to ease the racial divisions plaguing Atlanta (and the American South as a whole). Atlanta would attract the attention of many non-local businesses who sought after the city’s inexpensive rent costs and labor expenses. Out-of-state citizens became flooding the city thanks to the city’s rapid job growth and opportunities and cheaper cost of living. Jackson also oversaw the rebuilding of Atlanta’s international airport, which ensured the airport met regulation standards and cost the city a whopping $500 million. But sometimes good things take time and would help Atlanta thrive in the proceeding decades.  

During this time of economic and social recovery, Democratic governor Jimmy Carter rose to national prominence as a major political candidate in the post-Watergate years. When Carter announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party’s presidential primary in 1974, he was considered a dark horse to win the nomination. Although he was a Georgia senator in the 1960s and served as the state’s governor in the early 1970s, Carter lacked the name recognition and initially struggled to find support on a national level. He, however, slowly gained traction over the next year and eventually secured the Party’s nomination in mid-1976. He would later defeat Gerald Ford and become the 39th President of the United States. A United States Navy sailor who would later take over his family’s peanut farm, Carter’s rise to prominence shows how Georgia remains a land of hope and opportunity.

While Atlanta was transforming its image throughout the 1970s, a significant portion of Georgia’s population remained poverty-stricken. Both members of OutKast came from low socioeconomic families and often struggled to survive on the outskirts of the city. Both boys are also a generation removed from the struggles their families faced during the Civil Rights movement. Antwan Patton, aka Big Boi, was born on February 1, 1975 in Savannah. The youngest of four brothers, Patton’s parents divorced when he was a teenager and lived in one of the poorest sections of the town. Despite his tough upbringing, Patton excelled academically and maintained one of his school’s highest GPA averages. Patton also became more interested in music as a teenager and his family enrolled him at the Tri-Cities High School for the Performing Arts in East Point.

Andre Benjamin, aka Andre 3000, was born on May 27, 1975 in Atlanta. The only child of unwed parents, they separately early in his childhood and his mother would raise him. In stark contrast to the chaotic environment of Patton’s household, Benjamin was introverted and largely kept to himself. In his adolescent years, Benjamin became more interested in the arts and joined several school clubs. Noticing her son’s talents at an early age, Benjamin’s mother also sent him to Tri-Cities as a way to express his creativity as a young artist.

Although Patton and Benjamin attended the same high school and even ran in the same social circles, the two boys did not know each well until late in their tenures at the school.  At the mall one day, they would meet by chance and instantly became close friends. Although they both enjoyed stylish clothing, science-fiction novels, and horror movies, their mutual love of music is what bonded them. Both grew up in households listening to an eclectic variety of music throughout their childhoods. The funk records of George Clinton, James Brown, Sly Stone and Prince significantly impacted their musical tastes and creative decisions later in their careers. Growing up during the Golden Age of Hip-Hop in the 1980s and early 1990s, both boys also bonded over their love of hip-hop. But they were dissatisfied with the mainstream rap scenes from the east and west coasts at the time. Taking a cue from the socially-conscious lyricism and mic styles of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, they began working as a musical duo while they were still teenagers.

Realizing their musical talents at an early age, Patton and Benjamin began performing at local talent shows and rap battles to gain further experience and hone their craft. During this time, they developed their stage names: Big Boi (Patton) and Andre (Benjamin; later added 3000 to his name). But they struggled to find a good name for their group. They initially chose “2 Shades Deep” and “The Misfits,” but both names were already taken. They wanted a name signifying their individuality and perceived difference from their peers. After all, these two boys were anything but normal. One day, they flipped through the pages of a dictionary and looked for synonyms for the word “misfit.” They saw the word “outcast” and gleamed. They changed phonetic spelling (‘replacing the ‘c’ with a ‘k’) to ensure originality but also to make sure no one else had used it beforehand. They were now known as OutKast.

At just 17 years old, they attracted the attention of local independent label LaFace Records, a subsidiary of Clive Davis’ Arista Records created in 1989. The Atlanta-based label focused almost exclusively on up-and-coming hip-hop and soul artists. Overseen by L.A. Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds (hence LaFace), they signed the likes of TLC, Toni Braxton and Usher to their first record contracts. Before meeting Reid and Edmonds, OutKast initially developed a scheme to sell drugs to fund their studio recordings. Those plans thankfully fell through and they signed with LaFace while they were still in high school. Before the deal was finalized, Big Boi completed his studies and considered studying child psychology at NYU. Meanwhile Andre would drop out of high school.

Not exactly sure what to do with their latest signees, LaFace executives decided to release their debut single “Player’s Ball” on the holiday-themed album A LaFace Family Christmas (1993). OutKast were disappointed and felt LaFace were sabotaging them. The song, which focuses on the gathering of pimps in Atlanta, became a surprise hit and spent 6 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Rap Singles chart. More importantly, “Player’s Ball” became OutKast’s first-ever top-40 pop hit (peaking at #37). The song’s success gave LaFace the confidence to allow OutKast to work on their debut LP. Released in April 1994, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik became a watershed moment in the history of hip hop: the album’s funky sounds, innovative rhyming techniques, outlandish humor and intelligent songwriting made them stand out from their peers. A proudly Southern record, the album became one of the first to gain significant traction from that region of the country on a national level. Within a year, the album was certified platinum.

When OutKast first broke onto the scene, hip-hop was almost entirely dominated by artists from the east and west coast music scenes. Beyond the likes of the Geto Boys and Arrested Development, southern hip-hop was largely perceived as novelty music (e.g., 2 Live Crew, Kris Kross) and not held in the same esteem as their regional counterparts. Southern hip-hop was almost non-existent on the charts and often taken seriously by musicians and critics alike. Rejecting the violent and often misogynist tendencies of many hip-hop artists of that era, OutKast sought to express the plights of black life—both positive and negative aspects—in America. OutKast’s music is also proudly and defiantly southern, something that was almost nonexistent at the time.

Southern hip-hop’s disconnect from their east and west coast rivals reached a crossroads moment at the 1995 Source Awards, a night that forever changed the landscape of the genre. Often considered the hip-hop equivalent of Rolling Stone and Spin, Source was the biggest hip-hop magazine in the mid-1990s and even in awards’ infancy (this was only the 2nd-ever annual ceremony), this was considered a big deal for those artists. At the height of the tensions between east and west rappers, the room was already tense before the nominees for Best New Artist were presented. But when OutKast were announced as the winners, the audience booed them out of the room. Unhappy with the reception by their peers, Andre took the microphone and proclaimed: “The South’s got something to say.” Those words, in many ways, would serve as OutKast’s mission statement to prove their peers that they could prove their naysayers wrong and motivated them to be better.

While finishing their first major national tour and working on their sophomore album ATLiens (1996), both Andre and Big Boi underwent some major changes in their personal lives. Although Andre dropped out of school before signing his first record contract years earlier, he found time to obtain his GED and adopted a vegan diet to live a healthier life. He also dressed more flamboyantly, ditching the baseball jerseys he often sported in the duo’s earliest music videos and performances. Big Boi, on the other hand, would also complete his degree and have his child with then-girlfriend Sherlita.

Thanks to the success of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, LaFace gave OutKast more creative control for their next album. Remember, OutKast were high school students when they signed with LaFace, so they still absorbing their new fame and also developing their craft as lyricists. A play on the words “Aliens” and “Atlanta,” ATLiens represents the group’s detachment and isolation from their peers—both from the citizens of their hometown and also their musical peers. With the Source Awards incident still fresh in their minds, OutKast wanted to prove their detractors wrong and ensure longevity. Largely inspired by George Clinton’s use of Afro-futurism in the works of Parliament-Funkadelic (both visually and sonically), ATLiens is when OutKast would develop their signature sound. They continued to use introspection as a way to navigate themes such as extraterrestrial life, acceptance, positivity, pride, hustlers and illicit drugs. Thanks to their crossover pop hit “Elevators (Me and You),” ATLiens would debut at #2 on the Billboard Albums chart and go double-platinum by the end of that year. OutKast escaped the sophomore slump and became more of a permanent fixture in mainstream popular music.

On their third album Aquemini (1998), which combines both members’ zodiac signs, OutKast continued exploring themes of isolation and the human condition within an Afro-futuristic framework. More importantly, Aquemini is when OutKast further experimented their sound—they emphasized improvisation and used live studio musicians (e.g., guitarists, pianists, horn players, harmonica players) from a wide range of musical backgrounds (e.g., rock, gospel, blues, progressive rock). Given their experimental way of creating music, it’s not surprising OutKast takes their time to create new music. Big Boi, in a 2013 interview with XXL, observes: “It usually takes us two to three years to make a record because we take our time; we ain't giving you that fast food, trying to meet a deadline. It ain't done until it's done sonically.” For OutKast, quality far outweighed quantity.

Although there were no huge crossover hits this time around, Aquemini debuted again at #2 on the Billboard Albums chart and would also go double-platinum. It’s also an important album because mainstream publications such as Rolling Stone and Pitchfork gave Aquemini glowing reviews. Although they are already well-liked by critics, reviewers began putting the duo in high esteem as among the most acclaimed musical acts of their time. The album’s lead single “Rosa Parks,” which took its title from the iconic Civil Rights icon, resulted in a much-publicized lawsuit. In 1999, Parks’ estate sued OutKast and LaFace for not asking permission to use her name in that song.  Despite the song’s title, Parks’ name is nowhere to be found in the lyrics. Parks’ estate also objected to the vulgar language featured in the song and felt it could tarnish the Civil Rights icon’s legacy. The case would become very complicated and messy—initially getting dismissed in November 1999, but Parks and her estate hired attorney Johnnie Cochran to appeal the decision. The case “Parks v. LaFace Records” would get reexamined again a few years later and eventually dragged on until 2005. An undisclosed settlement was made from OutKast and LaFace to Parks’ estate. The lawsuit would become one of the defining cases of artists’ rights in the last few decades.

Given the continuing success of their first three albums, LaFace would give OutKast even more creative control for their fourth alum Stankonia (2000). The duo’s producers Organized Noize, who produced the bulk of their songs beforehand, would only contribute a few tracks to the album. OutKast took the reins and oversaw the album’s production work. Around this time, Andre would slightly alter his stage name to “Andre 3000.” Stankonia features several hit songs including “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad),” “So Fresh, So Clean” and “Ms. Jackson.” The latter would become the duo’s first #1 pop hit and became one of the year’s biggest hits. Like their last 2 albums, Stankonia would debut and peak at #2 (notice none of their albums reached the top spot yet) and would eventually sell 4 million copies. At the 2002 Grammys, OutKast were nominated for 5 awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year (“Ms. Jackson). They would win 2 Grammys in the Rap categories which finally gave them the industry recognition they deserved.

In December 2001, OutKast released their first greatest hits compilation Big Boi and Dre Present… featuring three new songs including the hit “The Whole World” (a collaboration with rapper Killer Mike), which would win the 2003 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Like all of OutKast’s prior albums, it would go platinum. Besides Eminem and Jay-Z, OutKast were unquestionably the most popular hip-hop act on the planet at the turn of the new century.

Despite being at the peak of their popularity, rumors surfaced that OutKast might split up. Although they began venturing to different side projects and began traveling separately, they each began working on solo records. Realizing they had to fulfill their contractual obligations to LaFace, they decided to release both solo records under the OutKast name. After Stankonia, they needed to release three more albums and the double-album counted as two. This laid the foundation for their fifth studio album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003). Speakerboxxx, Big Boi’s contributions, largely followed the sounds of funk-based southern hip-hop that made OutKast famous. The Love Below, Andre 3000’s output, is more of a radical departure from OutKast’s prior records. There’s very little rapping on The Love Below and instead encompasses elements of pop, rock, soul and jazz.

“Hey Ya,” from The Love Below, was released as the first single becoming an instant smash and quickly climbing to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (staying there for 9 weeks). During 2003-04, it was impossible to escape “Hey Ya” because it was everywhere, literally. “Hey Ya” was that big of a hit and became one of the most iconic songs of the new century. “The Way You Move,” a Big Boi track featuring a collaboration with rapper Sleepy Brown from Speakerboxxx, dethroned “Hey Ya” to become #1 on the Hot 100 (a rare feat that very few accomplished). “Roses,” the only song on The Love Below to feature both members of OutKast, was also a top-ten hit. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below would become OutKast’s most successful album. By the end of 2004, the album was certified diamond, meaning the album sold over 10 million units and added yet another rare distinction to a blockbuster year.

With one more album under obligation to LaFace, they worked quickly on their next (and perhaps final) album. Taking musical risks is something OutKast have done throughout their career, but they decided to make a musical—something most fans and critics didn’t see coming. Set in 1935 Atlanta, Idlewild (2006) is the story of two friends growing up in the Depression-era town. A 2006 HBO film adaptation of Idlewild featured an all-star cast including OutKast, Terrence Howard, Cicely Tyson, Patti LaBelle and Ving Rhames. The film got mixed reviews and barely broke even with its $10 million budget. Although Idlewild went go platinum by the end of that year, the album did not come close to matching the diamond-certified smash from a few years prior.

After Idlewild, OutKast drifted further apart and took an extended hiatus. In 2007, Big Boi announced plans to release his first album outside of the OutKast moniker. Disputes between Big Boi and Jive Records over creative differences significantly delayed the album’s release. Transferring the album to Def Jam, Sir Lucious Left Foot was finally released in the summer of 2010 and debuted at #3 on the Billboard album charts. Despite high critical praise, the album received a lukewarm response from the general public and quickly fell off the charts. Big Boi would continue working with artists on various projects throughout the 2010s, most notably on Janelle Monae’s breakthrough hit “Tightrope” (2010).

Andre 3000, on the other hand, focused more on his acting career. Even when he was still an active member of OutKast, he acted in several movies including Hollywood Homicide (2003), Be Cool (2005), Four Brothers (2005) and Semi-Pro (2008). He would play one of his musical idols in a Jimi Hendrix in 2013, which would result in a Best Actor nomination from the Independent Spirit Awards. He recently co-starred in the AMC anthology series Dispatches from Elsewhere (2020- ), co-starring Jason Segal and Sally Field. But Andre 3000 did not entirely abandon his music career. After Outkast’s hiatus, he collaborated on tracks featuring Jay-Z, Beyonce, Frank Ocean, John Legend and even Big Boi (on the tracks “Royal Flush” and “Lookin for Ya.”).

Not performing together onstage in nearly a decade, OutKast announced they would be one of the headliners at the 2014 Coachella music festival to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album. The strong ticket sales for OutKast’s Coachella set led to an additional 40 music festival performances by the end of the year. The performances would only fuel speculation on a new OutKast album in the works. Back in 2011, their record contract with LaFace was transferred to Epic Records, which is where their former boss L.A. Reid currently works, and there’s still two albums left on their contract. While OutKast never officially broke up, they made it clear in several interviews and social media posts there’s no new music coming anytime soon. But never say never.

Don’t Hush That Rock Hall Fuss: Why OutKast Deserves to Be in the Rock Hall

Geographically, mainstream hip-hop was defined by the east and west coasts from its origins to the early 1990s. The genre’s most prominent stars emerged from those regions and received the most extensive media attention. This makes sense given the genre’s origins, particularly in the New York area. But other regions were starting to develop their own unique rap scenes. Southern hip-hop, in particular, was in the midst of an identity crisis. Many of the region’s artists wanted to develop a unique and accessible sound while also being taken seriously by their peers. Much of the hip-hop coming from the south emphasized the “booty-shaking” party music that many detectors saw as novelty records. In other words, music without much substance. 

While they weren’t the first southern rappers, OutKast shifted the geographic landscape of hip-hop more than anyone else. Their group name symbolically captures how ostracized southern rappers felt during this time. When Andre 3000 proclaimed “the south got something to say” at the 1995 Source Awards, notice he said the “South” and not just Atlanta. Rather than just mentioning his hometown, he consciously wanted his region’s music represented and appreciated on a national level. The South, at least from OutKast’s perspective, is not limited to physical space. Southern identity is a state of mind, almost like a meditation on how to survive as young black men in the modern South. They opened the floodgates for southern rappers to gain visibility and would eventually became the genre’s epicenter in the next decade.

Lyrically, OutKast greatly differed from other east and west coast artists at the time. Much of hip-hop’s lyrics centered on violence and chauvinism, which led many in the mainstream to critique the genre’s excessive tendencies. OutKast’s music expresses the positivity of their environment (regardless of struggles) and embracing their southern roots. They are a sharp contrast from the gangsters and pimps that dominated mainstream hip-hop. Taking a cue from the freestyle raps of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, OutKast spoke of social consciousness to comment on the plights of black life in America at the end of the 20th century. They focused on a number of topics including inner-city poverty, masculinity, southern identity, science-fiction and alienation. You can dance and sing along to OutKast’s songs, but their songs are full of social and political commentary. There’s even a scholarly monograph by Dr. Regina N. Bradley on the horizon, so now OutKast is now receiving serious academic attention.

Alongside Arrested Development and The Fugees, Outkast became the preeminent alternative hip-hop act in the mid-to-late 1990s and gave it crossover appeal (something A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul severely lacked). Given this trajectory, it’s easy to see how OutKast paved the way for future alternative hip-hop stars such as Kayne West, M.I.A. and Kendrick Lamar to reach wider audiences. OutKast was also supremely influential to the development of the Dirty South movement in the mid-to-late 1990s and throughout the 2000s. Ludacris, Lil Wayne, Lil Jon Juvenile T.I. and many others found success thanks in large part to OutKast’s rise to notoriety.

In many ways, OutKast’s musical legacy closely follows the trajectory of important American funk music throughout the late 20th century. Their musical heroes—James Brown, Sly Stone, Prince and especially George Clinton—inspired OutKast to produce some funky-sounding records and develop a unique sound. OutKast initially relied on the G-funk sounds, especially from the west coast, that saturated mainstream hip-hop at the time. But over the next few albums, OutKast and their producers Organized Noize would rely less on sampling and instead original live instrumentation for their studio recordings. These records are deeply rooted in African-American musical traditions and genres such as soul, gospel jazz, and funk.

Critics absolutely love OutKast, almost to the point I’d label them critical darlings. OutKast received glowing reviews from Rolling Stone and Pitchfork over the years, something that strengthens their chances to appear a Rock Hall ballot someday. I’d argue they are one of the most acclaimed artists in hip-hop history and also modern popular music as a whole. Appearing on Rolling Stone’s ‘best-of’ are often good indicators for any prospective Rock Hall candidate. Both Stankonia (#361) and Aquemini (#500) appear on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums list. If the list is updated again, I’d guarantee Speakerboxxx/The Love Below would also make an appearance. The crossover hit “Hey Ya!” ranked at #182 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs, one of the highest charted singles from this century to appear on this list. Last year OutKast was nominated for the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which shows industry recognition for their songwriting skills.

OutKast remains one of the most commercially successful artists in hip-hop history, having sold over 25 million records over a six-album run. Every OutKast album was certified platinum and each album outsold the next one (with the exception of Idlewild). OutKast’s commercial peak occurred in 2003 with the release of the double-album Speakboxxx/The Love Below. Thanks in large part to the success of the hit singles “Hey Ya” and “The Way You Move,” the album was certified diamond (more than 10 million copies sold) a year after its release. Just 92 albums have achieved diamond status since the RIAA started tracking those numbers in 1991. As of 2020, only 10 hip-hop albums are diamond-certified including current Hall of Farmers 2Pac and the Beastie Boys. Behind only Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP (2000), Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is the second best-selling hip-hop album in American history. That’s an amazing accomplishment in its own right.

OutKast has also won several industry awards throughout their legendary career. They won 6 Grammys (out of 17 nominations). In 2001, “Ms. Jackson” won the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (also nominated for Record of the Year) and Stankonia won Best Rap Album (also nominated for Album of the Year). After the blockbuster success of Speakerboxxx/The Love Album, it went on to win both Best Rap Album and Album of the Year in 2004. Shockingly, Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) is the only other hip-hop album to win Album of the Year at the Grammys. Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Eminem, and a host of other hip-hop giants cannot claim this distinction (yet).

OutKast should unquestionably be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They check every box for Rock Hall consideration: critical acclaim, commercial success, highly influential on future rappers and utter originality. In the last 15 years, the Rock Hall’s nominating committee has nominated at least one hip-hop artist starting with Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five in 2005. During that span, there have been 7 hip-hop inductees enshrined into the Rock Hall, most recently the soon-to-be inducted Notorious B.I.G. elected in his first year of eligibility. Although the nominating committee usually puts forth only one hip-hop artist on the ballot each year, the backlog of worthy artist never-nominated continues to grow. Trendsetters and innovators such as A Tribe Called Quest, Salt N Pepa, De La Soul, Queen Latifah, Boogie Down Productions and Wu-Tang Clan have yet to receive nominations.

Of all the yet-to-be-nominated names listed above, I think OutKast stands the best chance to get a nomination the soonest and probably could get inducted on their first try. OutKast is widely liked by music fans across different demographics. I know lots of people who generally do not like hip-hop yet own at least one OutKast record. Just like Dr. Dre’s The Chronic (1992), the Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill (1986), 2Pac’s All Eyez on Me (1996) and Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) [most of whom are Rock Hall inductees themselves; Eminem isn’t eligible for a few more years], there’s a good shot there’s at least one OutKast album in most music fans’ homes. That speaks volumes for OutKast’s legacy as one of the genre’s constant hitmakers and talented forces in contemporary popular music.

But given the Rock Hall nominating committee’s tendency to nominate only one hip-hop artist per year, it further clogs up the backlog of the genre’s artists. Sure, the idea of “clearing the lane” can be beneficial (as seen in this past year), but what if the voters keep passing on the sole hip-hop representative each year? LL Cool J, for example, has received 5 nominations in the past decade and the last two times he was the only rapper on the ballots (and failed each time). Although he should already be a Rock Hall inductee, the nominating committee has continued to put him on the ballot as the sole representative and run the risk that there might not be a rapper inducted. That plan, of course, backfired and the backlog of worthy hip-hop artists continues to grow. I think OutKast stands as good, if not better, of a chance than other hip-hop act to get into the Rock Hall in the next few years. The last two hip-hop inductees were, after all, from the 90s so I think OutKast has a decent shot. 

Conclusion: The Whole World is Waiting for Another OutKast Reunion

Even though OutKast embarked on a 2014 reunion tour (mainly at festivals, most notably a headlining gig at Coachella), a 2015 Key & Peele skit parodied the often-asked question: When will OutKast collaborate again? It’s an age-old question that I’m sure frustrates the duo anytime they’re interviewed. In the skit, a barista tells Big Boi how OutKast changed her life. But when asked about about a possible reunion, he simply answers, “people grow apart.” There’s probably truth to that statement. As he takes his seat at the coffeeshop, the flamboyantly-dressed Andre 3000 waltz into the shop and spots Big Boi. Things quickly turn weird when Andre 3000’s eccentricity is on full display, much to Big Boi’s chagrin. The skit quickly became an internet sensation and Big Boi mentioned it on Twitter. In an interview with Pitchfork, Big Boi clarified, “It was way off, but it was funny as hell.” The Key & Peele skit proves Big Boi can laugh at the ridiculousness of the topic. Let’s just hope that OutKast doesn’t watch the latest episode of Saturday Night Live featuring Pete Davidson as “Andre 2000.” Davision’s skit is mildly funny, but it’s something that’d only make Andy Samberg blush.

In all seriousness, I hope OutKast reunites again soon. Even if it’s just another tour and no new recordings, it’s better than nothing. But Andre 3000, in an interview with Rolling Stone, said he “felt like a sell-out” and had “nothing new to say” on that 2014 reunion tour. Despite Andre 3000’s critiques, OutKast performed to jam-packed audiences wanting to these hip-hop icons again. Maybe another reunion is on the horizon, but I venture to guess that’s not happening anytime soon. Perhaps the next time these two perform again is at their eventual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, which I believe will be happening sooner rather than later. They are unquestionably one of the most popular, influential and inventive artists in the history of hip-hop. They are trendsetters who defied expectations and created some of the most memorable music of our time. But just like any other prospective candidate for the Rock Hall, they need an advocate in the room at the annual nominating committee meeting. An OutKast nomination will undoubtingly happen in the next years. Maybe the committee will make OutKast wait until after LL Cool J (will it ever happen, like for real?), Jay-Z (eligible this coming year) and Eminem (the year after that) get inducted first. It’s a shame the committee seems to only put one hip-hop artist on the ballot in the last several years. But I’d rather see just one inducted than none at all. If nothing motivates the committee to put OutKast on the next ballot, Andre 3000’s potential flute solo is something the world is waiting to hear.