The Fashion Odyssey of André 3000

Twenty years ago, the release of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994) signalled OutKast’s arrival, with it not merely being an album, but a declaration that Southern hip-hop had a new standard-bearer. André 3000, born André Benjamin, emerged as not just a musical innovator but as one of the first non-conventional and non-conforming figures of hip-hop. His sartorial choices were as striking as his lyrical wordplay, introducing a level of sophistication and elegance that had not been commonly associated with the genre at the time. The oversized baseball jerseys, jeans, and a grey fur Kangol in the “Player’s Ball” video set André’s ’90s rapper uniform apart and foreshadowed the experimental journey ahead, with this debut marking the genesis of a style odyssey that would see André evolve from a Southern hip-hop sensation to a global fashion icon. Read more at Pause.