Key Takeaways
- Ovrkast. says he "NEVER SIGNED any agreement" to change his stage name and remained cooperative while asking for an alternative that would work.
- OutKast's trademark company sued the Bay Area rapper for infringement, unfair competition, and allegedly breaking a settlement that required him to retire the Ovrkast. name.
- The company seeks an injunction, profits, damages, legal costs, and destruction of branded materials, while Ovrkast. has 30 days after service to respond in federal court.
Ovrkast. has spoken out following news that OutKast are suing him for trademark infringement, among other claims tied to his stage name.
On Wednesday (September 23), the Bay Area rapper and producer (real name Silas Wilson) took to X to share his side of the story in a since-deleted post.
"For the record, I NEVER SIGNED any agreement," he wrote. "It was verbal, and I did not ignore their date. I went back and asked politely for a name change that would work. I was cooperative every step of the way and I am an artist in the middle of a rollout with priorities."
On September 16, High Schoolers LLC, the company holding the trademark rights tied to André 3000 and Big Boi as OutKast, filed a lawsuit against Wilson. The 31-page complaint claims trademark infringement, unfair competition and a broken settlement agreement that was supposed to retire the Ovrkast. name by July 15.
By the filing's account, the dispute started with a cease-and-desist in June 2025, followed by an arrangement for Wilson to record and perform as "Overkxst" and scrub the old spelling from his website, streaming profiles, domain and merchandise.
That handover date slid to July 15, 2026. A breach notice went out August 5 with an August 11 cure date, and the suit landed more than two months after the alleged mid-July breach.
In another X post on Wednesday, Ovrkast. asked for some grace relating to the matter.
"Theres a lot that I've been dealing with emotionally/mentally this past year behind closed doors regarding this whole situation," he wrote. "So before you criticize please remember that I am the newer and younger artist trying to figure my way."
High Schoolers LLC wants a permanent injunction, Wilson's profits, damages, legal costs and the destruction of any clothing or marketing material carrying the disputed name.
Wilson's legal team has 30 days from being served to respond in Georgia federal court, where OutKast's lawyers have demanded a jury trial. His accounts and his newest music are still running under the Ovrkast. name.
