“The South got something to say,” declared André 3000 during his acceptance speech at the 1995 Source Awards in New York City. That statement from one-half of OutKast became the catalyst for southern Hip Hop’s dominance over the next three decades.
OutKast had just won the trophy for New Artist Of The Year (Group) to a chorus of boos from the NYC-heavy crowd inside the Paramount Theater. André 3000’s proclamation about his home region became iconic as OutKast went on to have a legendary career.
The Source magazine’s former co-owner Raymond “Benzino” Scott recently sat down with Ray Daniels for The GOATs and Underdogs Podcast. Part of the discussion centered around André 3000’s Source Awards comments.
“The reason why André 3000 said what he did, I’ma have to tell y’all this story. When they was giving OutKast 4.5 mics, I remember, I didn’t understand it, I didn’t understand the music,” explained Benzino. Andre and Big Boi’s 1994 album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik received a 4.5/5 score from The Source.
Benzino added, “And I was the one who kinda raised some situations up at The Source, I’m gonna admit it. I think it got to OutKast. And I think that’s why André said what he said. I think that was kinda directed toward me.”
OutKast’s André 3000 & Big Boi Found Mainstream Success
Big Boi did seem to take issue with The Source failing to give OutKast’s debut studio LP a perfect score. On the “Skew It on the Bar-B” song, the Atlanta emcee rapped, “I gotta hit The Source, I need my other half a mic because that Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was a classic, right.”
OutKast did eventually attain the coveted 5-mic rating for 1998’s Aquemini. Their third studio LP was just one of nine albums to earn The Source‘s perfect rating between 1990-1998. Big Boi and André 3000 also found critical and commercial success with 2003’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below double-album.
The Recording Industry Association of America certified Speakerboxxx/The Love Below as 11x-Platinum. The project’s singles “Hey Ya!” and “The Way You Move” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Plus, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below became only the second Hip Hop release to win the Grammy Award for Album Of The Year.
OutKast has taken home a total of six Grammy Awards, including two victories in the Best Rap Album category. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below won Best Rap Album in 2004. Prior to that, 2000’s Stankonia won Best Rap Album at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards.
