25 Things You Didn't Know About OutKast

Hear stories about Andre 3000 and Big Boi you've (probably) never heard before.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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OutKast became one of the biggest groups in hip-hop history through a more traditional grind. After signing with L.A. Reid and LaFace Records when the duo was only 17, they built their following, year after year, by releasing albums that spoke for their evolving worldviews and maturation as men. Each record built on the lessons of the previous one; each release was a bold statement and an unselfconscious reach for an ever-increasing audience.

By the time of the group's last full album, 2003's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, OutKast had become one of pop music's biggest phenomena, racking up Grammy awards and watching the ball roll to their first feature film. It was also the beginning of the end, as they diversified, worked on solo projects, and moved on.

With yesterday being the anniversary of their group's debut, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, we found oursleves thinking about the interesting and unexplored stories from their careers. You may know a lot about OutKast, but here are some you didn't. Click below to check out 25 Things You Didn't Know About OutKast.

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They had two names before settling on OutKast.

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Andre, Cee-Lo and Sleepy Brown planned on forming a band called Pimp Trick Gangsta Clique.

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Big Boi had a 3.68 GPA and planned on studying Child Psychology at NYU before rapping popped off.

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A studio excutive tried to convince OutKast to make Idlewild a 48 Hours style film set in Atlanta.

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Big Boi has a strip club, equipped with a pole, mirrored walls, and a raised, lighted floor in his house in Fayette

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Tim Melchor, who had been Stevie Wonder's bodyguard, was OutKast's tour manager.

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Guitarist Zafar Salik Saood, who had performed and written songs with Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, served as Andre's personal music tutor in the early 2000s.

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When Andre was "10 or 12," he smashed a copy of "When Doves Cry" on the sidewalk because the b-side "God" "really s

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Big Boi's "Unhappy" was about his parents' relationship.

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In high school, Andre taught Big Boi how to roll his first joint.

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Andre 3000 claims to have had his heart broken twice.

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The second girl to break Andre 3000's heart was Keisha Spivey from the group Total.

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OutKast recorded their debut in a studio owned by Bobby Brown.

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They planned to sell dope to get studio money, but were signed at age 17 to LaFace instead.

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In 2008, Big Boi performed in a stage production called Big with the Atlanta Ballet.

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In 2004, OutKast appeared on Buckwild, a show on Playboy TV.

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As of 2003, both Andre and Big Boi owned apartment complexes run by their mothers in Cartersville, Georgia.

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Andre played every instrument on "Hey Ya" except for the bass.

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Andre told Big Boi he would no longer tour after the group toured with Lauryn Hill in 2002.

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"Player's Ball" came about when the duo was offered a spot on a Christmas album.

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Idlewild was originally written as a video treatment by Andre and director Bryan Barber, and was not intended to be a $27 million film.

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Legendary actor Ben Vereen joined the Idlewild cast because his daughter was a huge OutKast fan.

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"Ms. Jackson" is a reference to Erykah Badu's mother.

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Andre 3000 credited talking about Aliens with sparking white people's interest in the group.

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Rosa Parks sued OutKast for use of her name in 1999, and the lawsuit dragged on for six years before the group and

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