Here Are 45 Facts About Andre 3000

André 3000 is arguably one of the most enigmatic figures in hip-hop. As one-half of the Grammy Award-winning duo OutKast, Three Stacks has become a vital, respected voice in Southern rap coming from Atlanta.

Born André Lauren Benjamin, the ATL rapper caught rap fans' attention with his supreme flow and sheer magnetism on ’Kast’s stellar albums, including ATLiens in 1996, Aquemini in 1998 and Stankonia in 2000.

But it wasn’t until the duo released their fantastic double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, in 2003, that André was more widely recognized for his musical abilities as both a thoughtful lyricist and producer. On The Love Below, André conveys his vulnerability as he explores the pitfalls of love and relationships. The album earned OutKast three Grammy Awards in 2004: the coveted Album of the Year honor, Best Rap Album and best urban/alternative performance for the catchy, doo-wop-inspired track “Hey Ya!”

After OutKast disbanded around 2007, André became more of a Renaissance man. He has dabbled in music production, acting and fashion designing. On production, he has worked with fellow rappers Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Travis Scott and R&B singer Frank Ocean on their respective music projects.

As far as acting, André has appeared on both the big screen and small screen. He recently co-starred in the AMC drama series Dispatches from Elsewhere. In the fashion world, Three Stacks developed his own apparel line called Benjamin Bixby, a preppy ready-to-wear collection, in 2009. In 2019, André launched his own sneaker collection with the heritage footwear company Tretorn.

It's clear André 3000 is not just a rapper, but a creative who’s not afraid to explore his individuality in any medium. In honor of André 3000, who celebrates his 45th birthday on May 27, XXL highlights 45 facts that you may not have known about the rapper.

See 45 Facts About André 3000

André 3000 and Big Boi came up with several different names before calling themselves OutKast. They initially wanted to call themselves 2 Shades Deep or The Misfits but settled on OutKast after reading a dictionary entry for the word “outcast” and its synonym “misfit.”

André 3000 attended Tri-Cities High School for the Performing Arts where he formed a musical partnership with Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. "Big Boi and I were just fans of the music of the time and enjoyed rhyming," André told the Recording Academy in 2019. "I'm from the South. I lived it, saw it, and just spit it back out."

His initial rap name was Black Wolf before he changed it to Dré and then later André 3000. Big Boi was Black Dog.

When it comes to influences, André 3000 looks to an esteemed rapper. His early rap influence was Rakim. The God MC's smooth delivery and flow inspired him to rap at school talent shows in Atlanta during his teenage years.

Working hard has been part of André 3000's life since he was a teen. His stepfather gave him his first job screen-printing shirts in a shop. At age 13, he got a job working at the Apparel Mart in downtown Atlanta.

After performing two showcases for LaFace Records and being turned down twice, André 3000 was ready to quit rap and go to college. But at the behest of Big Boi, he performed one more audition for LaFace, and they were eventually signed to the label.

André 3000 quit smoking and drinking after the release of OutKast's 1994 debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.

His production savvy was heard early on. André 3000 first started getting involved in studio production with OutKast's 1996 sophomore album, ATLiens.

Being far-out has always been part of André 3000's vision. He came up with the term "ATLiens" and Organized Noize producer Rico Wade loved it. Subsequently, the unique word became the title of OutKast's second album.

André 3000 once dated Keisha from the R&B group Total in 1993. According to Dré, Keisha dumped him. "I was almost celibate for about a year. I was really fucked up over it," he said in 2003 about the breakup.

He thinks of family first. André 3000's stepfather, Reverend Robert Hodo, played the harmonica on OutKast's hit song "Rosa Parks."

A Beyoncé video inspired Three Stacks to use the "shake it like a Polaroid" ad-lib on "Hey Ya." André 3000 also played all the instruments except for the bass guitar on this song.

The Love Below has a deep meaning. André 3000 created the project as a concept album about a one night-stand that gets dark and twisted before it turns into true love. He had to tone down the narrative on the album, but said in a 2003 interview, “If you listen closely to the interludes and pay attention to the lyrics, you can still follow the story.”

André 3000 has a son named Seven Sirius Benjamin with R&B legend Erykah Badu. The rapper and Badu split in 1999, when Seven was a toddler. The former couple still remain friends.

The man is creative outside of the music. André 3000 was set to create a merchandise line for R&B legend Anita Baker, but another T-shirt company jacked his idea and started selling tees. Andre had to scrap his plan.

When a rapper makes a song about you, you know you made some kind of impact on their life. André 3000 did just that when he addresses Erykah Badu’s mother, Kolleen Maria Wright, following the couple’s breakup on OutKast's 2000 single, "Ms. Jackson."

He initially submitted the "Rosa Parks" beat to Diddy's R&B group Total, but they didn't use it.

The rapper has received comparisons to the Purple One. In a 2015 interview, Scarface called André 3000 the "Prince Rogers Nelson of Hip-Hop" and described the OutKast rapper as "fucking brilliant."

It's no secret André 3000 is a talented actor. He made his acting debut in the 2003 action comedy film Hollywood Homicide, co-starring Master P, Kurupt, Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett.

Seven years ago, André 3000 played the late iconic rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix in the John Ridley-directed 2013 film, Jimi: All Is By My Side. He admitted he was a "shit guitarist" and kept it real when being faed with having to play the guitar with his left hand (he's right-handed). "Left-handed anything is just horrible," he shared in a 2014 interview. "I don’t mean to be vulgar, but it’s like if you masturbated with your right hand all your life and then you switch it up, it’s totally opposite. It throws you off."

André 3000 was supposed to be featured on Kendrick Lamar's classic album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, but couldn't do it because he was filming Jimi: All Is By My Side.

André 3000 voiced the character of Elwyn the Crow in the 2006 animated film Charlotte's Web.

Being called "smart" by a music mogul is an honor that André 3000 can certainly appreciate. In a 2016 interview, former LaFace Records cofounder L.A. Reid said that Three Stacks was his favorite artist. "No one fascinates me more than André," he said. "Artists don't become great by being dumb, they are smart. Really smart. He's one of the smartest."

He's got something in common with Marshall Mathers. André 3000 and Eminem once nerded out over their love for Bay Area hip-hop collective the Hieroglyphics.

André 3000 loves playing the Mayan double flute. The OutKast member was first spotted playing the instrument at airports and while roaming around in Philadelphia during the summer of 2019.

Fashion and lifestyle continue to play a part in André 3000's career vision and creativity. The rapper launched his own sneaker collection with footwear brand Tretorn in 2017.

André 3000 cites Rage Against the Machine as the inspiration for OutKast's bombastic song "B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)."

His mother, Sharon Benjamin-Hodo, died one day after his 38th birthday in 2013. In May of 2018, André paid tribute to his late mother with a pair of songs, “Me&My (To Bury Your Parents)” and “Look Ma No Hands." The veteran rapper also lost his father, Lawrence Walker, less than a year later, in February of 2014.

He initially produced The Love Below track "Prototype" for Janet Jackson, but felt that the song would feel realer if he performed it.

In a 2019 discussion with Rick Rubin on his podcast Broken Record, André 3000 revealed that he was diagnosed with social anxiety and hypersensitivity disorder.

Initially, André 3000 was supposed to narrate Travis Scott's sophomore album, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, but ended up spitting a verse on the opening track, "the ends."

Not everyone gets a collab with Three Stacks. In 2002, André 3000 allegedly turned down collaborating with Moby possibly because of his tit-for-tat feud with Eminem at the time.

The ATL MC has earned himself an 11-times platinum album with Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.

André 3000 produced Aretha Franklin's reworking of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" for the late Queen of Soul's covers album, Aretha Sings the Great Diva Classics.

Atlanta is the freedom land for André 3000. "And one thing I can say about Atlanta is you can do anything from Atlanta," he affirmed in a 2014 interview. "Like, I think it would've been harder for us to come out from New York because they would've expected us to do a certain thing. We would have to be bound to a certain thing. We would have to rap a certain way, you know. So I think Atlanta is almost like a freedom land because we had no ties to anything. It was just open, like, open field."

André 3000 has a co-production credit on Kanye West and Kid Cudi’s 2018 collaborative album Kids See Ghosts. Three Stacks is listed as a co-producer on the LP's second track "Fire."

After living in his hometown of Atlanta for the majority of his life and even moving to Dallas to be closer to his son, the MC wanted a fresh start in the Big Apple. "I guess why most people move to New York City: a change, a new start," he said in a 2017 GQ interview. My kid went off to college, and my parents died—both of ’em within the last six years. I was like, I’ve kinda outlived Atlanta. It’s not like I go to the studio—I’m just sitting around wasting time and doing stuff I’m not supposed to be doing."

Honesty is the best policy for André 3000. When it comes to his work, the OutKast rapper admits he lacks the focus and confidence to make a new solo album.

There is plenty of platinum and gold in André 3000's life. As part of OutKast, Three Stacks has quite a few RIAA-certified accomplishments. Six singles are gold, two videos are platinum, one single is platinum, three albums are platinum, two albums are two-times platinum, one album is four-times platinum and one album is 11-times platinum.

Like many rappers, André 3000 got dripped out in gold, but the twist is he deaded all his jewelry when the girls around his way started teasing him. "When I signed my first contract with a record company at the age of 17, I raided the jewelry stores of Atlanta and covered myself with rings, chains and rhinestoned belt buckles," he shared in an interview earlier this year. "I was a traveling hardware store, what people call a 'boogy': a redneck pretending to be a nabob. I even went as far as having my teeth redone in 18-carat gold. he girls in the neighborhood started teasing me, saying things like: “Hey dude, where’d you find such a small bumper?” So I ended up getting rid of everything that was shiny and threw it into the nearest gutter."

As part of OutKast, André 3000 has 25 songs, either released as the group or as a featured guest, on the Billboard Hot 100.

André 3000 dropped out of high school in his senior year. Since he was embarking on a rap career, the Down South rhymer went to night school between ATLiens sessions and earned his GED.

Both André 3000 and Big Boi were told by LaFace Records executive that they should fix their 1996 hit song "Elevators (Me & You)" because he wasn't too keen on it. That same L.A. Reid wasn’t a fan of “Elevators” and wanted the group to fix it. Believing in their work, André and Big Boi took the song to Atlanta radio station Hot 97.5 and had the station inundated with requests to hear the song.

When a movie director travels from France to Atlanta to try to get André 3000 to be part of a project, his acting skills are considered top-notch. Director Claire Denis wanted André to act in her 2018 sci-fi thriller High Life so she did what was needed to get some face time with him after his team wasn't into the idea initially. “We went to Atlanta and we had a meeting in a restaurant and he was there, and Queen Latifah came to check on us,” she said in a chat with Inverse. “And then, he said yes. I’m surprised because I didn’t think he would. His spirit was so easy.”

OutKast fully embraced the outsider status and coined the term "ATLiens" in the process, which ended up being the title of their 1996 sophomore album. For André, he flipped the meaning of an alien to something more positive. "Being an alien is just being yourself, when people don't understand you," André shared in a 2014 interview. "We just trying to let everybody know there's a place for everybody in this world. You just gotta find yourself, and be true to yourself. That's how you get prosperous and happy."