Ali Condon
It's been almost a decade since we last saw Outkast perform together, but we're still playing their tunes at every party - so where did they go?
The iconic hip-hop duo, comprising of Andre 3000 and Big Boi, dropped hit after hit during their heyday, all while redefining an entire genre, winning countless coveted awards, and putting the city of Atlanta on the map.
After releasing six stellar albums and a collection of unforgettable singles like 'Ms Jackson', 'So Fresh, So Clean', and 'Hey-Ya', Outkast soon pretty much disappeared, and people still aren't over it.
Even today, years since anyone's heard from the duo, and with Andre 3000 and Big Boi building their own successful solo careers, fans are asking what ever happened to Outkast?
Advert
"What happened to Outkast? I mean, where are they?", asked one fan just weeks ago on Twitter.
"What happened to Outkast?" echoed another just a few months earlier. "Yeahhhh imma need an ole fashioned VH1 Where Are They Now or a Behind the Music special."
And a third wondered not too long ago: "Am I really dumb but what happened to Outkast ? They were one of the biggest groups in the Noughties then they just disappeared."
If you were wondering the same question yourself, then let me fill you in.
After some pretty decent commercial success from their first few records, Outkast released their penultimate album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in 2003.
It was essentially a double album - Speakerboxx being only Big Boi songs, while The Love Below featured mostly tracks from Andre 3000.
It was the duo's biggest commercial success and even went diamond, selling more than ten million copies.
Tracks from the album included 'Roses', Dracula's Wedding', and, of course, 'Hey Ya!'
Despite the unbelievable success of this record, the double album concept would be the beginning of the end for Outkast.
.png)
In 2006, they released their sixth and final album Idlewild, which served as a soundtrack album for their musical film of the same name.
After that album dropped, fans wouldn't get to see the duo work together too often. They'd seemingly gotten a taste for working solo, and wanted to see what else they could do.
While Big Boi went on to release two solo albums, Andre 3000 guest featured in songs by artists like John Legend, Chris Brown, Frank Ocean, Beyoncé, Drake, and Jay-Z - to name just a few.
With both Andre 3000 and Big Boi enjoying such successful solo careers, fans were sure they'd never see an Outkast reunion.
And it did seem that way until 2014, when they got back together to headline Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, alongside Arcade Fire and Muse.
And as if that weren't exciting enough, it was later confirmed that Outkast would embark on a tour that spring and summer, performing at over 40 festivals worldwide, including Wireless Festival in London and Bestival in Isle of Wight.
.png)
The tour eventually wrapped at Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans in October 2014, marking the last time fans have ever seen Outkast play together.
The duo resumed their hiatus and returned to their individual solo careers.
And, unfortunately, it looks like we probably won't see another Outkast reunion any time soon.
In an interview with Fader later that year, Andre admitted that the tour made him feel like a 'sell-out'.
He said: "Honestly, just, you know - I didn't wanna do the tour. We hadn't performed in 10 years. It was old songs."
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]