Atlanta’s Outkast to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Atlanta rock band the Black Crowes were also one of the original 14 nominees for this year’s class announced in February.

More than 1,200 journalists, historians and music industry professionals voted for this year’s inductees. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, established in 1983, nominates artists who are 25 years out from the release of their first commercial recording.

Other honorees this year include Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon in the musical influence category; Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Carol Kaye in the musical excellence category; and Lenny Waronker will receive the Ahmet Ertegun award.

With the addition of Outkast and Salt-N-Pepa, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is continuing to expand its honors to rap acts. The hall didn’t start awarding rap artists until 2007, with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five being the first to be inducted. Since then, rappers like Jay-Z, Eminem, Tupac Shakur, a Tribe Called Quest and Missy Elliott have been added.

Reps for Outkast or the Black Crowes could not be immediately reached for comment. But Outkast thanked the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on social media shortly after the announcement.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens also shared the news on social media, congratulating Outkast on the honor.

“As an ATLien myself, I could not be more proud of my favorite group of all time—both personally and for the cultural contributions they have made to further Atlanta’s presence on the global stage,“ the mayor wrote on Instagram. ”In 1995, they reminded the world that the South got somethin to say—lyrics and beats that resonated beyond zip codes, modern verse that inspired and spoke for communities often without a voice."

Outkast is the first Georgia-bred act to be inducted since R.E.M. in 2007.

If André 3000 and Big Boi decide to perform at the induction ceremony, it would mark one of the only times they’ve reunited onstage since their 2014 farewell tour.

They made an appearance during the Dungeon Family reunion at 2016’s One MusicFest. But André 3000 hasn’t seemed interested in an Outkast reunion as of late.

“I knew when I was, like, 25, that at a certain age I wouldn’t want to be onstage doing those songs,” the rapper and flutist told Rolling Stone. “They required a certain energy. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of looking back. I’m just not.”

André 3000 and Big Boi met while attending Tri-Cities High School in East Point. They eventually formed a relationship with production group Organized Noize and started recording music in the “dungeon” aka the basement of Rico Wade’s mom’s home in Lakewood Heights.

Outkast dropped their debut album, “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,” in 1994—introducing the masses to their soul and funk-infused southern rap style. Their second album, “Aquemeni,” was released in 1998.

With their third album, “Stankonia,” the duo earned their first Grammy awards—for best rap album and best rap performance (for “Ms. Jackson”).

The duo’s 2003 LP “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” is the best-selling rap album of all-time and is the last rap project to win the Grammy for album of the year.

“Idlewild,” the group’s last album, was released in 2006. Since then, the pair have seemed more focused on their respective solo careers. Big Boi has released a string of albums, including 2021’s joint album with Sleepy Brown, “Big Sleepover.”

In 2024, André 3000 dropped his first solo project, the multi-instrumental “New Blue Sun,” which showcased the rapper’s new role: flutist. It was nominated for album of the year at this year’s Grammy awards, losing to Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Nov. 8. It’ll be streamed live on Disney+, with an ABC special to follow.