You'd have to search far to find a group that's more revered over the past 20 years of popular music. OutKast has been one of rap's most celebrated acts from the moment two teenagers from Atlanta dropped an album called southenrplayalisticadillacmuzik in 1994. From there, André Benjamin and Antwon Patton have never looked back. They've also never stood still: over the next decade-plus, OutKast kept upping the ante for musicality and creativity; while always challenging themselves to never repeat what worked the last time around.
ATLiens introduced sci-fi themes and much more atmospheric musical approach; Aquemini saw the duo becoming more in-command of their own sound, going so far as to form the production company Earthtone III with Mr. DJ. By the 2000s, OutKast had become uniquely polished while maintaining their reputation for innovation; hit albums like Stankonia and the Grammy-winning Speakerboxxx/The Love Below made them global icons and placed them at the forefront of popular music.
They haven't done much of anything as a unit since 2006s ambitious movie/soundtrack Idlewild, but the legacy of OutKast is just as omnipresent today as it has ever been. Both in the uniquely mythologized persona of André 3000 and in the endlessly creative output from Big Boi.
But don't ever sleep on just how brilliant their discography is. Here's an attempt at narrowing down the 25 Dopest OutKast songs.