Most frequent collaboratorSleepy Brown · 42 tracks
GenresSouthern Hip HopProgressive rapPsychedelic rapFunkSoulAlternative Hip Hop
Artist
94%
Authorship
Holds writing credit on 129 of 137 tracks
Did OutKast write their own songs?
Yes. OutKast are credited on about 95% of their catalogue, with André 3000 and Big Boi both writing their own verses. On their early albums the production team Organized Noize co-wrote and produced with them, which adds outside names, but the raps are the duo's own. Songs like 'Ms. Jackson,' 'B.O.B,' and 'Hey Ya!' are their work.
By the Numbers
6
Studio Albums
137
Tracks Credited
94%
Self-Written
over 20 million
Records Sold
14
Years Active
144
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 129 / 137 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
Across all 137 tracks: how many OutKast wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
OutKast has a writing credit94%
28%
66%
6%
Sole author38tracks28%
Co-written91tracks66%
Outside writers8tracks6%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
OutKast's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 137 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)94%
Composer (music)94%
Producer51%
Performer92%
Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on
Percentage of all 137 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.
Member
Period
Lyrics
Music
Production
Performance
André 3000
1992-2006, 2014, 2023
77%
77%
29%
77%
Big Boi
1992-2006, 2014, 2023
74%
74%
15%
73%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
OutKast's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 94%
88%
93%
88%
96%
95%
100%
1994Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
1996ATLiens
1998Aquemini
2000Stankonia
2003Speakerboxxx / The Love Below
2006Idlewild
Early · 91% written
Mid · 93% written
Late · 97% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
90%
1990s
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, ATLiens +1 more
97%
2000s
Stankonia, Speakerboxxx / The Love Below +1 more
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
Where OutKast sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
OutKast
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. ON Organized Noize · RW Rico Wade · RM Ray Murray · MD Mr. DJ · EI Earthtone III
The Authorship Story
Data Insight
OutKast's songwriting split changed significantly across their catalog. Early work saw both members co-writing nearly everything alongside Organized Noize, who functioned as full creative partners. By Stankonia, producer David Sheats (Mr. DJ) became a frequent third co-writer under the Earthtone III alias. On Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, the two discs diverge sharply: Big Boi's side is collaborative, while André 3000's The Love Below is almost entirely self-authored, with 13 of its 21 tracks credited to André Benjamin alone, making it one of the most solo-authored major-label hip-hop albums of its era.
Quick Facts
Album of the YearSpeakerboxxx/The Love Below won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2004
GrammysWon six Grammy Awards over their career
Highest-certified rap albumSpeakerboxxx/The Love Below is diamond-certified and the best-selling hip-hop album ever
Two writersAndré 3000 and Big Boi each write their own verses and shape their own sides
Organized NoizeThe Atlanta production team co-wrote and produced their early classics
Creative Fingerprint
A duo that wrote its own world: OutKast are credited on about 95% of their catalogue, with André 3000 and Big Boi writing their own verses, joined early by the production team Organized Noize as full creative partners.
The Story
OutKast is an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1992, consisting of André 3000 (André Lauren Benjamin) and Big Boi (Antwan André Patton). One of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed groups in hip-hop history, they pioneered Southern hip-hop alongside production trio Organized Noize and helped establish Atlanta as a hip-hop capital. Their six studio albums chart a remarkable artistic evolution from funky Southern rap through experimental psychedelic soul.
Awards & Recognition
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below won the Grammy for Album of the Year (2004)
'Hey Ya!' won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is diamond-certified and the highest-certified hip-hop album of all time
Won six Grammy Awards and sold over 20 million records
Frequently Asked Questions OutKast
Did OutKast write their own songs?
Yes. OutKast are credited on about 95% of their catalogue, with André 3000 and Big Boi both writing their own verses. On their early albums the production team Organized Noize co-wrote and produced with them, which adds outside names, but the raps are the duo's own. Songs like 'Ms. Jackson,' 'B.O.B,' and 'Hey Ya!' are their work.
Who wrote 'Hey Ya!'?
'Hey Ya!,' from The Love Below (2003), was written and produced entirely by André 3000. It was a solo creation on his half of the double album, and it became one of the biggest and most inventive pop songs of the decade.
Who are the members of OutKast?
OutKast are André 3000 (André Benjamin) and Big Boi (Antwan Patton), two rappers from Atlanta. Each writes his own verses, and on Speakerboxxx/The Love Below they even split into two solo albums, one led by each member.
Who wrote 'Ms. Jackson'?
'Ms. Jackson,' from Stankonia (2000), was written by André 3000, Big Boi, and their collaborator David Sheats. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the duo's signature songs, aimed at the mother of an ex-partner.
Did OutKast win Album of the Year?
Yes. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2004, a rare win for a hip-hop record. It was part of a six-Grammy career for the duo.
Organized Noize is the Atlanta production team that discovered OutKast and produced their early albums, co-writing much of the music. They were central to the group's early sound before André and Big Boi took on more production themselves.
What genre is OutKast?
OutKast make Southern hip-hop, funk, and soul that stretches into psychedelic and progressive rap, from the smooth 'So Fresh, So Clean' to the frantic 'B.O.B' and the pop of 'Hey Ya!'
OutKast