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When it comes to making your personal idiosyncrasies work for you, rapper/actor Andre 3000 is a study. Known for his left-of-center sense of style and music, Andre 3000 has made being different cooler than being apart of any cool kid crew in school. Ever since entering the rap game with his partner-in-rhyme Big Boi collectively known as Outkast, Andre 3000 has made reinvention of self seem like a cake walk.When Andre 3000 and Big Boi debuted in 1994, they were two young teenagers wearing baggy clothes and spitting rhymes about life in the south. They were truly pioneers in hip-hop because during that time, nobody looked at the south as a real voice in the hip-hop movement. Andre 3000 changed all of that at the 1995 Source Awards. While everyone was concerned about the East coast/West coast beef brewing between Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records, Andre 3000 told the audience, “Y’all look out because the south got somethin’ to say.” After that night, everyone paid attention to the raw lyricism of Outkast, but they especially loved Dre’s spaced-out rhymes that were rooted in a universally human experience.
Over the years, Andre 3000 went from a baggy jeans and football jersey-wearing rapper to a rapper/singer who could be seen rocking platinum blonde wigs, football pads and furry pants. Along with his look, his goals changed. By 2002, Three Stacks was tired of making music that had to fit the mold of Outkast’s sound so he decided to record a solo album where he sang. Because Big Boi had also been working on a solo project, Andre had an idea that proved brilliant and history making. Andre said he and Big Boi should sell their solo albums as one double album. The move won the duo plenty of awards for “Speakerboxx/The Love Below” including the Grammy for Album of the Year, which made them the first rap group to take home the honor.
Throughout his career, Andre 3000 has dared to be different and that has helped him succeed in all aspects of his life and career which has influenced a younger generation of artists. Andre 3000 is a leading man because he has proven that following your instinct and sticking to your guns will always get you the success you’re looking for.
