History YMMV / OutKast

* VindicatedByHistory: "B.O.B" was not a hit when it came out, not charting at all on the Hot 100 and missing the Top 40 on the R&B chart. Some urban-formatted radio stations decided not play it because they perceived it to be an anti-war song, while others skipped it because its mixture of multiple genres didn't gel well with the rest of their playlist. By the end of the 2000s, several publications hailed it as the best song released in the entire decade and it's now considered to be one of [=OutKast=]'s greatest achievements.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: ''Southernplaylisticadillacmuzik'' is still considered to be one of the greatest hip-hop debuts of all time and is treated as required listening for anyone getting into the genre, but younger listeners may have some difficulty grasping just how revolutionary the album was. Prior to its release, Miami bass was essentially the South's ''only'' contribution to hip-hop, and most of the acts under that mantle were one-hit wonders, with 2 Live Crew, the only consistently charting act, probably having been saved from that status solely because their extremely sexually explicit lyrics continually kept them in the news with a widely-publicized obscenity case. ''Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik'', on the other hand, deliberately eschewed the electro-based party elements of the aforementioned genre in favor of far more substantial funk, soul, and gospel-based compositions that created an entirely new sound and proved that there was more to the South than Miami bass, and it was enough to take [=OutKast=] from virtual unknowns to one of the biggest rising stars in hip-hop[[note]]Arrested Development also played a role in establishing the South as a credible artistic force and probably helped get [=OutKast=] signed to [=LaFace=], but [=OutKast=] ultimately eclipsed them in popularity and did far more to get the region's name out there.[[/note]].

** Andre 3000's single "Hey Ya" got an insane amount of critical acclaim, frequently ranking amongst '''greatest songs of all time''' lists.

* BrokenBase: After ''Stankonia'' was released. Some insist ''Aquemini'' was their last good album. ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' took it to the next level, especially ''The Love Below''. And there are also arguments about who the better member is: Andre 3000 or Big Boi.

* FauxSymbolism: You'd think a song which heavily features the phrase "bombs over Baghdad" in its chorus to be some kind of commentary on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_no-fly_zones the enforcement of the no-fly zones over Iraq]], right? Nope; Andre has said in an interview it was just a phrase that happened to stick to his mind from a newscast.

** This is Andre 3000's raison d'etre of recent years. He hasn't released any solo tracks and generally appears on around 3-5 tracks a year, and every appearance has been widely acclaimed. These appearances include being on tracks by T.I. ("Sorry"), B.o.B. ("Play the Guitar"), Young Jeezy ("I Do") and Music/{{Drake}} ("The Real Her"). His appearance on Music/LilWayne's ''Tha Carter IV'' track "Interlude" with Music/TechN9ne (another frequent OneSceneWonder) was widely praised as a highlight in both rappers' careers and as a key moment on an otherwise-boring album. Big Boi is this as well sometimes, but not to the same acclaim as Andre (partly because Big Boi has dropped 2 solo albums, for one thing).

** "Hey Ya" can come across as this, mainly due to LyricalDissonance and nostalgia.

** When the duo won Best New Rap Group at the 1995 Source Awards, they were met with disdain and boos from the crowd, and even the announcement of the win itself came off as reluctant.[[note]]The votes were cast by only [=DJs=] and mom-and-pop retailers "in the trenches" of the community and intimately involved, so the win came as a genuine surprise to many.[[/note]] The crowd was deeply invested in the rivalry between the dominant east coast and the up-and-coming west coast, with southern hip-hop being seen as a nonstarter and the red-headed stepchild of the rap community; Andre famously declared while accepting the award that "the South got something to say." Not only would [=OutKast=] go on to become one of the most successful groups of all time (even moreso than many of the acts booing them), southern hip-hop itself became so popular and acclaimed that it overtook the coasts as being the defining influence of the genre.

* MemeticMutation: The whole bridge towards the end of "Hey Ya!"
-->''What's cooler than being cool?\\
Ice cold!\\
I can't hear ya! I say, what's cooler than being cool?\\
ICE COLD!\\
Alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright okay now ladies!\\
Lend me some sugar! I am your neighbor!\\
Shake it like a Polaroid picture!''
** The mishearing of "I'm sorry Ms. Jackson, I am for real" as [[https://i.redd.it/w4atrqg3v4n21.jpg "I'm sorry Ms. Jackson, I am four eels"]].

* RetroactiveRecognition: As part of Goodie Mob, Music/CeeLoGreen guests on many of their songs. This was before he became known as part of Gnarls Barkley or for his own solo work. Music/JanelleMonae also appeared on a few songs on ''Idlewild'' (including the music video for "Morris Brown") several years before they released their debut album (''Idlewild'' released the same year Monae was signed to Bad Boy Records through their connection with Big Boi).

* RetroactiveRecognition: As part of Goodie Mob, Music/CeeLoGreen guests on many of their songs. This was before he became known as part of Gnarls Barkley or for his own solo work. Music/JanelleMonae also appeared on a few songs on ''Idlewild'' several years before they released their debut album.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: "B.O.B", a song released in 2000, stands for "[[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror Bombs Over Baghdad]]".

* AudienceALienatingPremise: Big Grams, Antwan's collaboration group with indietronica band Phantogram, wasn't able to reach anything further than a niche audience. The combination of Southern Rap and shoegazey glitch-pop was too odd to fit on either the urban or alternative formats. The ones that did listen to it, generally liked it, however.

* AudienceALienatingPremise: Big Grams, Andre's collaboration group with indietronica band Phantogram, wasn't able to reach anything further than a niche audience. The combination of Southern Rap and shoegazey glitch-pop was too odd to fit on either the urban or alternative formats. The ones that did listen to it, generally liked it, however.

* AudienceALienatingPremise: Big Grams, Big Boi's collaboration group with indietronica band Phantogram, wasn't able to reach anything further than a niche audience. The combination of Southern Rap and shoegazey glitch-pop was too odd to fit on either the urban or alternative formats. The ones that did listen to it, generally liked it, however.

** A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLvkoYB_AVI fast-paced remix]] of "I Like the Way You Move" appeared in ''Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005''. To say it's catchier than the original is an understatement.

* FandomRivalry: The band are friends and rivals with Goodie Mob, and both have collaborated on each others' work often. There's less friendly rivalry with other Hip-Hop duos, namely; Mobb Deep, Black Star, UGK and 8Ball & MJG.

* RetroactiveRecognition: As part of Goodie Mob, Music/CeeLoGreen guests on many of their songs. This was before he became known as part of Gnarls Barkley or for his own solo work. Music/JanelleMonae also appeared on a few songs on ''Idlewild'' several years before she released her debut album.

* AcclaimedFlop: While it wasn't commercially successful as its predecessor ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' along with none of the singles being huge hits, ''Idlewild'' was well-received by critics.

** The {{Mondegreen}} of hearing "I'm sorry Ms. Jackson, I am for real" as [[https://i.redd.it/w4atrqg3v4n21.jpg "I'm sorry Ms. Jackson, I am four eels"]].

** ''Aquemini'' was given the coveted 5 Mics from ''TheSource's'' review, ''Stankonia'' was regarded as the best album of 2000, and ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2004.

** "Hey Ya" can come across as this, mainly due to LyricalDissonance and nostalgia

* Values Dissonance: Some of the lyrics on "Jazzy Belle" were changed due to homophobia.

* MisattributedSong: "B.O.B.," or at least a rock remix thereof, is often credited to Music/RageAgainstTheMachine.

** ''Aquemini'' was given the coveted 5 Mics from ''TheSource's'' review, ''Stankonia'' was regarded as the best album of 2000, and ''Speakerboxx/The Love Below'' won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2004.

* SampledUp: The Stankonia skit ''Cruisin in the ATL'' is the sampled chorus of a locally released [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnPKCM9O7lc song]] by Southside Soul from 1999. This was not widely known outside of Atlanta until Youtube, and in fact doesn't even have a Discogs page.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: "B.O.B", a song released in 2000, stands for "[[TheWarOnTerror Bombs Over Baghdad]]".