André 3000

Did You Know?

• Benjamin posed for a Declare Yourself ad campaign by David LaChapelle, with his mouth gagged by a bow-tie to encourage youth voter registration for the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
• At Sutton Middle School, he was a member of the Ritz Players drama club and first acted in the 7th grade, playing Avery in Charlotte's Web.
• Benjamin signed with Epic Records to release his debut studio album New Blue Sun (2023), an instrumental flute recording nominated for Album of the Year at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.

Musical career

Benjamin met Antwan 'Big Boi' Patton in 1992 at Lenox Square shopping mall when both were 16 and attending the same high school. They formed Outkast, originally called 2 Shades Deep, after bonding over unique fashion tastes. Benjamin initially used the stage name Black Wolf, inspired by blues musician Howlin' Wolf. Shortly after graduating, Outkast signed with LaFace Records and released their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik in 1994.

The single 'Player's Ball' helped the album achieve platinum certification, and Outkast was named Best New Rap Group of the Year at the 1995 Source Awards. For their second album ATLiens (1996), LaFace granted more creative control. After a trip to Jamaica, Benjamin abandoned cornrows for a natural look, adopted eccentric fashion, became a vegetarian, and stopped smoking marijuana. The album reached number three on the Billboard 200, selling over 350,000 units in its first two weeks.

On ATLiens and Aquemini (1998), Outkast incorporated trip hop, soul, jungle, and funk. Benjamin's lyrics took on a surreal, space-age quality, portraying the duo as extraterrestrials. During this period, he took up guitar, painting, and began a relationship with singer Erykah Badu.

Artistry

Benjamin's early hip-hop influence was Rakim, who inspired him to rap at school talent shows. He was also heavily influenced by A Tribe Called Quest, calling Q-Tip a father figure to himself, Kanye, and Pharrell. Various emcees have praised his technique: k-os noted his intricate songwriting and flow; Fredro Starr highlighted his ability to change flow unpredictably; David Banner called him one of the best lyricists despite his Southern drawl. Billboard described him as an eccentric emo crooner and elite rapper after Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.

Henry Adaso noted that Benjamin developed a reputation for stealing the show with guest appearances. He has been ranked among the greatest rappers by several publications: Billboard placed him sixth, The Source and About.com ranked him 13th, and Complex ranked him 10th best of the 2000s. Benjamin began producing on ATLiens and co-founded Earthtone III with Big Boi and Mr. DJ. On Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, he played multiple live instruments including keyboards, guitar, acoustic guitar, and tenor saxophone.

He has produced for Aretha Franklin, Frank Ocean, and Kids See Ghosts. Scarface called him the 'Prince Rogers Nelson of Hip-Hop'.

Acting career

Benjamin has appeared in films and television series including Families, The Shield, Be Cool, Revolver, Semi-Pro, and Four Brothers. He played Percival in the Outkast film Idlewild (2006) and voiced a crow in the 2006 adaptation of Charlotte's Web. From 2006 to 2008, he voiced Sunny Bridges in the animated series Class of 3000, which he also produced. He appeared in the basketball comedy Semi-Pro with Woody Harrelson and Will Ferrell, and starred in Battle in Seattle (2007) about the 1999 WTO protests.

Benjamin was a member of Quentin Tarantino and Lawrence Bender's production company A Band Apart until its 2006 closure, then formed his own company, Moxie Turtle. In 2013, he portrayed Jimi Hendrix in All Is by My Side, earning a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He had a recurring role as Michael LaCroix on the second season of American Crime in 2016. In 2018, he starred in Claire Denis' first English-language film High Life.

Based on the documentary The Institute, he co-starred with Jason Segel in the 2020 AMC series Dispatches from Elsewhere as Fredwynn.

Personal life

Benjamin was in a relationship with singer Erykah Badu from 1995 to 1998; they have a son, Seven Sirius Benjamin, born November 18, 1997. In 2004, PETA voted him the World's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity alongside Alicia Silverstone. He was a hardcore vegan for 15 years but stopped because it became socially difficult. In 2019, he shared that he had been diagnosed with social anxiety and hypersensitivity disorder a few years prior.