Andre 3000 Turns 46 Today!

Happy Birthday to the One and Only Andre 3000

Given his elusiveness, there is almost never a chance to write about Mr. Benjamin so, let’s celebrate the life he’s lived so far!

The Mouth of the South

The ATLien has accomplished more in his 20 years of rap than almost any other member of the culture.  In 1994, Dre and Big Boi released their first album as OutKast, ‘Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.’  This turned the tides in Hip-Hop as they won Best New Rap Group at the 1995 Source Awards, the single biggest day in Hip-Hop since DJ Kool Herc’s party.  This moment ignited East Coast vs. West Coast, but 3k made history by letting everybody know that “the South got something to say”.  He was right.  As the East and West competed, the South would serve as a breath of fresh air from the suffocating tension.

3 Stacks and Big Boi continued to elevate the culture and music in general with their next two releases, ‘ATLiens’ and ‘Aquemini.’  These are two of rap’s best albums and maybe still the best to ever come from the south.  While Big Boi held down the group in terms of keeping everything Hip-Hop, Andre 3000 innovated new ways to rap.  With all sorts of flows and lyricisms that had yet to be heard, his performance on ‘Aquemini’ (album, not just the song) is one of the best rap performances to this day.  These albums also assisted their Dungeon Family members to make their way into the spotlight, helping to project Cee-Lo Green’s career.

“So Fresh, So Clean”

Releasing ‘Stankonia’ in 2000, 3K established himself as the only one of his kind.  His flows became as cosmic as the sounds on the album.   Everybody and their mom sang along with his hall of fame verses on ‘Ms. Jackson.’   After their next album, ‘Speakerboxxx/The Love Below,’ came out, 3K became a household name after making the constantly played ‘Hey Ya.’

After beginning his acting career with OutKast’s movie, ‘Idlewild,’ Dre has been in numerous shows and movies since, even playing Jimi Hendrix in a biopic!  He even started his own show on Cartoon Network called “The Class of 3000”.  With the legendary Erykah Badu, Dre has a son named Seven Sirius Benjamin who looks and acts like his father.  Additionally, he’s a known animal rights activist, winning the PETA title of “World’s Sexiest Vegan.”

A solid acting career recognized activism, and the best discography in Hip-Hop (as OutKast) is a light way to describe Mr. Benjamin’s success.  These achievements are simply highlights among all he’s done for the culture, music, and the world.  For that, we say thank you and happy 46th birthday to the legendary Andre 3000.

Today is also the 46th birthday of Jadakiss and would have been the 50th birthday of the late, but legendary Left Eye.

Written by Jason Heilbronner