OutKast has been inducted into the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Atlanta rap duo accepted the honor, presented by Childish Gambino, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday evening (Nov. 8).
“Your influence echoes in everything, in every artist I love,” Gambino said before presenting André 3000 and Big Boi with the prestigious honor. “Atlanta is not the music mecca it has become without you. There is no Childish Gambino without you. There is no South without you. So tonight, we honor two visionaries who turned differences into a dynasty. Two brothers who showed the world you don’t have to choose. Just respect each other and love each other. Ladies and gentlemen, the truly undeniable OutKast.”
When Big Boi and André hit the stage to give their acceptance speech, they engaged in a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who would go first. Big Boi kicked things off by running through a list of names they wanted to thank.
“First, ooh Lord, I want to thank the Most High for sure having us here tonight and for me meeting my brother from day one for sure,” Big Boi said.
During Three Stacks’ speech, which he said he freestyled, he got emotional when recalling how OutKast started out in a small room in the Dungeon Family studio. André was inspired by Jack White of The White Stripes mentioning “little rooms” in his own Rock Hall acceptance speech.
“One thing that Jack said, man, Jack, he’s one of my favorites, man. We love you, man. One thing he said, he said something about little rooms. And we started in a little…,” André paused to collect himself while getting emotional. “Little rooms. Great things start in little rooms.”
Big Boi went on to celebrate the induction by performing sans André a medley of OutKast hits with Tyler, The Creator, J.I.D, Killer Mike, Janelle Monáe and Doja Cat.
Though OutKast was the only hip-hop group to be inducted this year, Salt-N-Pepa was also honored with the Musical Influence Award, along with the late rock singer Warren Zoven.
OutKast join a growing list of rappers to be included in the Rock Hall over the past two decades, including Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, N.W.A, Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z, Eminem, Missy Elliott and others. Last year, A Tribe Called Quest received the special honor.
Arguably the greatest hip-hop duo of all time, OutKast helped put Southern hip-hop on the map in 1994, with their debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. The ever-evolving pair would go on to release numerous critically acclaimed projects, including ATLiens (1996), Aquemini (1998), and Stankonia (2000). Their 2003 double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2003, and is certified diamond.
