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Full Name:Andre Benjamin
Birth Name:Andr? Benjamin
Famous As: Rapper
Date of Birth: May 27, 1975
Place of Birth: Atlanta, Georgia
Height: 5' 10
Nationality: American
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Relationships: Erykah Badu
Son(s): Seven Sirius Benjamin
Education: Graduated from Tri-Cities High School in East Point, Georgia

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video From the album "Waiting To Inhale" in stores now........ *10/14/08...Devin's fifth album "Landing Gear", one album deal ... Picture

Title: Devin The Dude ft. Snoop Dogg & Andre 3000 What A Job
Description: From the album "Waiting To Inhale" in stores now........ *10/14/08...Devin's fifth album "Landing Gear", one album deal ...

video www.hardknock.tv In this interview Talib Kweli speaks about Jean Grae and his top 5 Emcees. Check out part 2 where Talib talks about his trip to ... Picture

Title: Talib Kweli reflects on his top 5 artists Andre 3000 and Jean Grae
Description: www.hardknock.tv In this interview Talib Kweli speaks about Jean Grae and his top 5 Emcees. Check out part 2 where Talib talks about his trip to ...

video Just a video i put together...you be the judge :) Picture

Title: Lil Wayne Vs. Andre 3000
Description: Just a video i put together...you be the judge :)

video Check out this interview we did with Will Ferrell and Andre 3000 about their new film "Semi Pro," while they played a little basketball Picture

Title: Will Ferrell and Andre 3000 show basketball skills
Description: Check out this interview we did with Will Ferrell and Andre 3000 about their new film "Semi Pro," while they played a little basketball

video to me two of the greatest rappers alive Picture

Title: andre 3000 ft jay z 3000 something
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video Follow Me On Twitter www.twitter.com/spanky316tn Be Sure To Follow Me On Twitter and tweet me on your thoughts of the video Andre 3000 Top 5 ... Picture

Title: Outkast Appreciation,Andre 3000 Top 10 Verses
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video Highlight on the Creative half of Outkast, Andre 3000 with the deep track "Chronomentrophobia". I do not own the song or the pictures ... Picture

Title: Is Andre 3000 the Greatest MC of all time?
Description: Highlight on the Creative half of Outkast, Andre 3000 with the deep track "Chronomentrophobia". I do not own the song or the pictures ...

video TLC featuring Andre 3000 "Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes" off the album "CrazySexyCool". Picture

Title: TLC ft. Andre 3000 Sumthin Wicked This Way Comes
Description: TLC featuring Andre 3000 "Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes" off the album "CrazySexyCool".

 

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Andre Benjamin Biography

Andre Benjamin
extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

André 3000

André 3000 at the 2007 Comic Con in San Diego, California.
Background information
Birth name André Lauren Benjamin
Born May 27, 1975 (1975-05-27) (age 34)1
Origin Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genres Hip hop, funk, soul, alternative rock
Occupations Musician, actor, rapper, dancer, singer
Instruments Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, violin
Years active 1991–present
Labels LaFace
Associated acts Big Boi, OutKast, Dungeon Family, Erykah Badu, Sleepy Brown, Fonzworth Bentley, Kelis, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, TLC

André Lauren Benjamin (born May 27, 1975),1better known by his stage name André 3000 (and sometimes simply Dre), is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor, best known for his work in the group OutKast.

Contents

Early life

Benjamin was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Sharon Benjamin Hodor, a single mother who sold real estate, and Lawrence Walker, a collections agent.23 He is of African American and Native American descent.4 Being an only child and growing up in Decatur and Buckhead, Benjamin saw many different lifestyles related to clothing and music that he combined throughout his career. He attended Willis A. Sutton Middle School, and Tri-Cities High School, where orchestra teacher Mrs. Natalie F. Colbert taught him how to play the violin.

Music career

In high school, Benjamin (who was then performing as "Dre") met Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. After a few lyrical battles, the two teamed up to form Outkast. Shortly after graduating high school, the duo were signed to the Atlanta-based LaFace label and released their debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, in 1994. Buoyed by the success of the single "Player's Ball", the album went platinum by the end of the year and Outkast was named Best New Rap Group of the Year at the 1995 Source Awards.

On their next two albums, ATLiens and Aquemini, Outkast experimented with their sound by adding elements of trip-hop, soul, and jungle. Benjamin's lyrics in particular took on a more surreal, space-age tinge. At this time Benjamin took up the guitar and painting and became involved with singer Erykah Badu.

Outkast's fourth album, Stankonia, saw Benjamin take on the new name of Andre 3000 (largely to distinguish himself from Dr. Dre) and increased the group's crossover appeal with the single "Ms. Jackson", which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written in the aftermath of Benjamin's breakup with Badu and was a fictionalized account of the disintegration of their relationship.

In 2001, Outkast released a greatest hits album, Big Boi and Dre Present... OutKast, which contained three new tracks. One track, "The Whole World", won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Later that year, Benjamin participated in the Dungeon Family group album, which saw a number of prominent Atlanta-based hip-hop groups combine into a supergroup.

In 2003, Outkast released Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, a double album which highlighted the differences in the musical styles of the group's two members. Benjamin's half of the album, The Love Below, garnered the most attention from mainstream audiences, with the popular singles "Hey Ya!" and "Roses". The album's fourth single and video (Benjamin's third), "Prototype", was released shortly after. Big Boi's Speakerboxxx spawned the #1 hit "The Way You Move" and the relatively successful "Ghetto Musick". The Love Below was, unlike Speakerboxxx, an exercise in funk, jazz, and alternative music, featuring mostly sung (instead of rapped) vocals from Benjamin.

He returned to rapping in 2007, after a long time away from the genre, appearing on various remixes, including "Walk It Out," "Throw Some D's," The Infamous' "Billy BLAZE" "You," Jay-Z's "30 Something," and a few original songs such as UGK's "International Players Anthem", Devin the Dude's "What A Job", Fonzworth Bentley's "Everybody", and Big Boi's single "Royal Flush". He also appeared on John Legend's latest album, Evolver, on the track "Green Light", which was released on October 28, 2008. Prior to the release, Benjamin commented: "It's going to be a surprise for a lot of John Legend fans, because it is a lot more upbeat than John is — than people think John is. I was actually happy to hear it. This is a cool John Legend song."

Benjamin has stated that he is making a solo rap album, and that the response to his remixes is part of the motivation for it.5

Film career

Benjamin has made appearances in Families, The Shield (he plays Robert Huggins, a character that originated in an episode titled “On Tilt” from Season 3 in 2004), Be Cool, Revolver, and Four Brothers. He was also cast as Percival in Idlewild, released on August 26, 2006. He is currently shooting a movie with Big Boi for HBO. He is also currently working on an as-of-yet untitled project, filming on location in Louisiana and is being produced by Chesley Seals and Kat Hantas. He voiced a crow in Charlotte's Web, a movie adaptation of the 1952 children's book. As of November 2006, he voices "Sunny Bridges," a prize-winning musician who gives up touring to teach at his alma mater, in Class of 3000, an animated series he produced on Cartoon Network. He has also worked with Esthero on a promotional version of "Jungle Book" which was on a Wikked lil' grrrls sampler, but never made it to the actual album due to issues with Esthero's label, Warner Bros.. The following year, he appeared in the basketball comedy Semi-Pro, with Woody Harrelson and Will Ferrell. He also starred in the 2008 film Battle in Seattle, a film about the 1999 Seattle World Trade Organization protests.

Benjamin was a member of Quentin Tarantino and Lawrence Bender's production company A Band Apart until its close in 2006; he then formed his own company, Moxie Turtle.

Fashion

He launched the "Benjamin Bixby" clothing line in spring of 2008, inspired by college football circa 1935.6

Personal life

In 2004, alongside Alicia Silverstone, Benjamin was voted by PETA to be the 'World's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity.7 He has a son with ex-partner Erykah Badu named Seven Sirius Benjamin. Long time mentor to Los Angeles visual artist and fashion designer JaQ Dutch, who Andre's unique style is emulated by.8. He is also childhood friends with Fonzworth Bentley.

He was arrested in Henry County, Georgia in March 2009 after being caught driving his car 109 mph in a 65 mph speed zone.9

Politics and endorsements

Benjamin posed for a bondage-themed print advertising campaign by Declare Yourself, a campaign encouraging voter registration among youth for the 2008 United States presidential election.10 In the ads by photographer David LaChapelle, he has his mouth gagged by a bow-tie in a symbolic function.11 The ads drew national attention.10

Filmography

Films

Year Film Role Notes
2003 Hollywood Homicide Silk Brown
2005 Be Cool Dabu
Four Brothers Jeremiah Mercer
Volcano High Kim Yung Soo Voice only
Revolver Avi
2006 Idlewild Percival
Charlotte's Web Elwyn the Crow Voice only
Scary Movie 4 Jack Uncredited
2007 Fracture George
Battle in Seattle Django
2008 Semi-Pro Clarence 'Coffee Black' Malone

Television

Year Show Role Notes
2004 The Shield Comic Book Store Owner then later politician, Robert Huggins two episodes, including series finale episode
2006-2007 Class of 3000 Sunny Bridges Twenty Six episodes
2008 About a Girl Security guard Single episode

Video games

Benjamin provided his voice for the 2005 video game L.A. Rush.

References

  1. ^ a b "André 3000 hid away on his 30th birthday". Contactmusic.com. 2005-09-22. http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/story/andre-3000-hid-away-on-his-30th-birthday. Retrieved 2009-09-23. 
  2. ^ OutKast Biography - Making music in high school, Debut single went to number 1
  3. ^ Dysfunktion Junction - TIME
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ Andre 3000 reveals a solo album is on the way @ Ground Up HipHop - Hip Hop news, reviews and mixtapes
  6. ^ Spring Fashion 2008 - André Benjamin Launches New Clothing Line, Benjamin Bixby - New York Magazine
  7. ^ PETA world's sexiest vegetarian 2008
  8. ^ jaqdutch.wordpress.com
  9. ^ Andre 3000 Arrested TMZ, March 30, 2009
  10. ^ a b Barrett, Liz. "Jessica Alba with a young boy nude 'Only you can silence yourself' voter campaign." Celebrity News Examiner, September 12, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.
  11. ^ "Declare Yourself gallery." DeclareYourself.com. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.

External links

v • d • e
OutKast
André 3000 • Big Boi
Studio albums
Other albums
Singles
"Player's Ball" · "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik" · "Git Up, Git Out" · "Elevators (Me & You)" · "ATLiens" · "Jazzy Belle" · "Rosa Parks" · "Skew It on the Bar-B" · "Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 1)" · "B.O.B." · "Ms. Jackson" · "So Fresh, So Clean" · "The Whole World"  · "Land of a Million Drums" · "Hey Ya!" · "The Way You Move" · "Ghetto Musick" · "Roses" · "Prototype" · "Mighty O" · "Morris Brown" · "Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry 'Bout Me)" · "Hollywood Divorce" · "The Train" · "Royal Flush" (credited as Big Boi featuring André 3000)
Featured singles
Related articles
v • d • e
Dungeon Family
Groups
Members
See also