Outkast burst upon the national scene with their joyous, giddy, and insanely infections single "Hey Ya!" in 2003. Yet Outkast's duo of Andre 3000 and Big Boi had been recording their unique and inimitable brand of hip-hop, spiced with tantalizing dashes of funk, soul, rock, pop, jazz, blues, and electronic music since 1992. In fact, the album from which "Hey Ya!" was drawn was Outkast's fifth full-length record. The video for the song, as well as other videos made for subsequent cuts from the album released as singles, established Outkast's reputation as a band with a wildly creative artistic sensibility, a sweet-natured joy in music-making, extravagant visual flair and fashion sense, and a musical style that collapsed all categories and soared far above and beyond the usual genre boundaries. In an age of increasing corporate sameness in pop, hip-hop, and rock releases, Outkast was an invigorating, heady blast of helium and an exhilarating and disorienting introduction to their musical funhouse. While Andre 3000 and Big Boi have both dabbled in acting and pursue solo musical projects, they insist the band is still together. It is certainly to be hoped so, for the future of quality American music may depend upon it.
