http://www.outkast.com

Enemies make the best friends. After various 'wars of words' in their Atlanta high school, Andre Benjamin and Antwan Patton began to respect each other and developed Outkast. Barely graduates, they had a a deal with local label LaFace. The two based their sound on basic hip-hop, only made it less aggressive; with a positive message; melody and intricate lyrics. The combination worked.

"Player's Ball" came out as a single in 1993 and hit #1 on the rap charts and went gold. Outkast's debut full-length, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, came out a year later - it charted admirably, and was certified platinum.

Outkast was named the Best New Rap Group of the Year at the 1995 Source Awards. They followed up this honor with ATLiens in 1996. Like its predecessors, this album also charted and was a platinum seller.

Problems showed up with the release of Aquemini in 1998. The album contained a song titled "Rosa Parks." Outkast was sued by the civil rights leader herself, on the grounds of using her name to promote their music while she found some of the song's lyrics offensive. An appeal is still out there, as Outkast release Stankonia (2000).