Big Boi Bio: More Than Just One Half of Outkast

Big Boi is one half of the legendary rap group Outkast and was instrumental in bringing Southern hip-hop into the mainstream. He had a legendary run with Outkast that lasted for nearly 20 years, and he’s since gone on to have a successful solo career. Big Boi has helped create some of the most iconic hip-hop records of all time and will go down in rap history as one of the most unique and creative lyricists of all time.

I’ve been listening to Big Boi for years since discovering Outkast as a teenager. My favorite Outkast albums are Stankonia and Aquemini, but Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty is an underrated solo album, in my opinion. Here’s a look at the life and career of Big Boi.

Big Boi Quick Facts

Full Name Antwan André Patton
Birth Date February 1st, 1975
Birth Place Savannah, Georgia
Nick Name Chico Dusty, Daddy Fat Sacks, Sir Lucious Left Foot
Nationality America
Zodiac Sign Aquarius
Siblings James Patton, Jason Patton, Marcus Patton
Children Cross Patton, Bamboo Patton, Jordan Patton
Partner / Spouse Sherlita Patton
Most Successful Songs / Albums Hey Ya, Ms. Jackson
Earnings $2.5 million
Net Worth $35 million
Social Media @bigboi
Awards 6 Grammy Awards (with Outkast), 1 Soul Train Award
Last Updated 10/19/2022

Big Boi Birthplace

Savannah, Georgia

Big Boi was born in Savannah, Georgia on February 1st, 1975. He spent the first half of his childhood in Savannah but later moved to Atlanta to live with his aunt.

Big Boi Parents

Big Boi is the son of Rowena Patton and Tony Kearse. His father was a sergeant in the Marine Corps and served in Vietnam, and his mother was a retail supervisor. His father, Tony, passed away in 2004, and Big Boi wrote the song Tremendous Damage from his second album, Vicious Lies and Rumors, about the passing of his father.

Big Boi Early Life

Big Boi is one of five children and spent the early part of his life in Savannah, Georgia, before moving to Atlanta to live with his aunt Renee. Big Boi credits his grandmother with inspiring his love of music, as she introduced him to all kinds of music from an early age, which inspired his versatility.

He initially attended Hershel V. Jenkins School in Savannah but transferred to a visual and performing arts magnet school called Tri-Cities High School when he moved to Atlanta. He met fellow Tri-Cities High student Andre Benjamin, aka Andre 3000, at Lennox shopping mall in Atlanta, and the two quickly became friends. They would begin freestyling in the school cafeteria and competing in local rap battles and eventually joined forces to form the group Outkast.

Big Boi Professional Career

Founding Outkast

 

Andre and Big Boi started building a buzz for themselves in the local rap scene and met the production team Organized Noize, who was already well-known in the music industry for creating hits for the R&B group TLC. They then teamed up with Organized Noize and Goodie Mobb (their classmates at Tri-Cities) to form the Dungeon Family.

They caught the attention of legendary music executive LA Reid who signed Outkast to his label LaFace Records in 1992. Their first official appearance was on TLC’s What About Your Friends remix.

They released their first official single Player’s Ball at the end of 1993, which had a unique and funky style that was a hit with audiences and quickly shot to number one on the Billboard Hot Rap tracks chart.

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

They quickly followed up with their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik in April 1994. The project was entirely produced by Organized Noize and featured appearances from other members of the Dungeon Family. Now considered a classic, the album laid the foundation for the evolving sound of Southern Hip Hop.

While not my favorite Outkast project, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik definitely has a unique sound, and was unlike anything that came before it. The funky and hard-hitting production perfectly complimented Andre and Big Boi’s rapid-fire rhymes and helped give birth to a whole new subgenre of hip-hop.

The album’s success won Andre and Big Boi best new group at the 1995 Source Awards. At the time, the East Coast – West Coast rivalry was in full swing, and there was tension between many of the artists in attendance. During the conflict, Andre took the stage and announced that “the South’s Got Something to Say” after being booed by the audience. The statement became an iconic moment in hip-hop history and soon came to fruition.

The group returned in 1996 with the album ATLiens. Following the success of their debut, the label gave them a larger budget and more creative control. ATLiens was less funk-inspired and more laidback and ethereal, taking inspiration from the sounds of dub and reggae. The album was a hit and peaked at number three on Billboard, selling 350,000 copies in the first week. It also helped them gain more exposure outside of the South and earned them the respect of more East and West Coast artists.

ATLiens is a great album, in my opinion, and saw Outkast starting to come into their own creatively. It was a project that was distinctly Southern and sounded simultaneously classic and futuristic. Some of my all-time favorite Outkast songs are on the album, including Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac), ATLiens, and Wheels of Steel. It’s one of many classic albums in the group’s discography.

Aquemini

Aquemini

The group returned in September 1996 with their third album, Aquemini, a combination of their two Zodiac signs Aquarius and Gemini. The album reached the number two position on Billboard and was eventually certified double platinum. Aquemini featured an even more experimental sound than their previous album, borrowing from elements of soul, funk, gospel, trip hop, psychedelic rock, and more. The project was immediately recognized as an instant classic and often ranks among the best albums of all time.

In my opinion, Aquemini is a near-flawless album and a musical and lyrical masterpiece. Andre and Big Boi touch on poverty, addiction, individual freedoms, and human relationships in a way that is both poignant and entertaining. The production is also otherworldly and features a mix of live instrumentation and programmed sounds. It’s a true classic in the genre of Southern Hip Hop and helped break down the door for rap artists to be more experimental and free-flowing.

Stankonia

Stankonia

Outkast was such a seminal group because they never let their sound get stale and always continued to experiment and innovate while remaining true to their roots. They returned in October 2000 with their fourth studio album, Stankonia, which many consider their most important album.

It featured a much more refined and commercial sound that borrowed from elements of EDM, funk, rave music, psychedelia, and rock. But their style was far from watered down, and although it had more mainstream appeal, it was still an artistic triumph. It featured the hit singles Ms. Jackson, Bombs Over Bagdad, and So Fresh, So Clean, which are some of Outkast’s most iconic tracks. It was also a massive commercial success, selling over 530,000 copies in its first week, and won Best Rap Album at the Grammys.

Stankonia is my favorite Outkast album because it offers the perfect blend between conscious and commercial hip hop. Andre and Big Boi simultaneously celebrated and critiqued American culture and touched on themes of racism, sexuality, politics, and misogyny. It’s a true rap classic and has earned its spot among some of the greatest albums of all time.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

After the massive success of Stankonia, the group decided to go in a different direction for their 5th album. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was released in September 2003 and featured a solo album from both artists under the Outkast name. Big Boi’s Speakerboxxx was a more traditional rap record that featured the funk-inspired Dirty South sound Outkast had made famous. Andre’s Th Love Below was more experimental and influenced by R&B, rock, and soul than hip-hop. Despite not being a true group project, it was their most successful album commercially and even won album of the year at the Grammys.

While Speakerboxxx/The Love Below has some fantastic moments, it’s not among my favorite Outkast albums. I prefer Andre and Big Boi side by side rather than on separate tracks because I think they complement each other so well. But it’s still a fantastic album and proved that they could each hold their own as solo artists.

Outkast released their sixth and final album Idlewild in 2006. The project was a soundtrack to a musical film directed by Bryan Barber, which stars the two artists. The film and the soundtrack received mixed reviews from critics but showed that the group was willing to continue taking creative risks.

Following the release of Idlewild, Outkast would go on hiatus while Big Boi embarked on a solo career, and Andre largely withdrew from the spotlight.

Big Boi Solo Career

Sir Lucious Left Foot: the Son of Chico Dusty

Big Boi released his first official solo album Sir Lucious Left Foot: the Son of Chico Dusty, in July 2010. The album was a smash hit with critics and did well commercially, sparking the Top 40 hit Shutterbugg. The album featured heavy bass lines and funk-inspired grooves with production from organized Noize, Scott Storch, Salaam Remi, and even Andre 3000. Big Boi’s effortless lyricism is also immediately evident and features a healthy blend of social commentary and club anthems.

Sir Lucious Left Foot is my favorite Big Boi solo project and proved that he could hold his own as a rapper outside Outkast.

Big Boi would return two years later with a follow-up record called Vicious Lies and Rumors, which features appearances from T.I., Ludacris, Kelly Rowland, A$AP Rocky, Kid Cudi, Killer Mike, and many more. The project also received generally positive reviews from critics and sold 30,000 copies in its first week.

Following the release of that album, Big Boi took a break from music to focus on other projects. Outkast briefly reunited in 2014 to perform at Coachella and a few other music festivals. However, they resumed their hiatus after the final performance.

Big Boi returned in 2017 with the album Boomiverse, featuring appearances from a long list of legends, including Killer Mike, Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane, Pimp C, Curren$y, Snoop Dogg, and many more. The album was well received by fans and critics and proved Big Boi could continue to deliver quality music 25 years into his career.

Big Boi Video

Big Boi Family

Big Boi is one of five children and has three brothers, James, Jason, and Marcus Patton, as well as a sister. He also has three children- two boys named Cross and Antwan II, aka Bamboo Patton, and a daughter named Jordan Patton.  

Jordan is a graduate of Auburn University and started her own record label Purple Ribbon Kidz with the help of her father. Cross Patton is a running back at the University of Oregon, and Bamboo is pursuing a degree at the New School in New York City.

Big Boi Dating and Relationships

Big Boi was married to Sherlita Patton for 20 years. Sherlita graduated from Clark University in Atlanta and worked as a realtor for many years. The couple was married in 2002 but recently called it quits after 20 years. The court documents stated that there was “no reasonable hope of reconciliation” between them.  

Big Boi Controversies

In August 2011, Big Boi was getting off a cruise when he attracted the attention of drug dogs at the Port of Miami. Officers discovered MDMA and Viagra in his luggage, and he was arrested but later released on a $16,000 bond.

In 2019, Big Boi performed at the Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show. He faced some backlash for participating in the event after Colin Kaepernick had been fired for protesting during the National Anthem.

Big Boi Net Worth

Big Boi has an estimated net worth of $30 million. With Outkast, he released six studio albums, five that went platinum and one that went gold, for a total of 25 million records sold. He’s also released three solo albums and has continued to tour and sell merchandise.

He’s also done some acting work in films like Idlewild, Superfly, and Who’s Your Caddy? In 2009, he started an RV Rental company with Janice Faison Ahmed called Celebrity Trailers which supplies vehicles to professionals in entertainment and sports. He’s also a registered pitbull and French Bull Dog breeder with a 40-acre ranch outside Atlanta.

Big Boi Famous Quotes

  • “Knowledge is the power, the cowards get devoured.” – Big Boi 
  • “The music is first and foremost everything – no egos, no attitude, nothing – it’s about the music.” – Big Boi
  • “I’m into creating something that I’ve never created before.” – Big Boi

Big Boi Discography

Idlewild 

With Outkast

  • 1994 – Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
  • 1996 – ATLiens
  • 1998 – Aquemini
  • 2000 – Stankonia
  • 2003 – Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below
  • 2006 – Idlewild 

As a Solo Artist

  • 2010 – Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
  • 2012 – Vicious Lies and Rumors
  • 2017 – Boomiverse 

Collaborative Albums

  • 2015 – Big Grams (with Phantogram)
  • 2021 – The Big Sleepover (with Sleepy Brown) 

Big Boi FAQ

Question: Is Big Boi Still in Outkast?

Answer: At the moment, Outkast is on an indefinite hiatus. He and Andre 3000 are still close and communicate frequently, and they even reunited for a performance at Big Boi’s son’s graduation. However, Andre’s musical output has slowed down over the years, and Big Boi has continued with a solo career. But they’ve maintained that Outkast is still alive, despite the long hiatus. 

Question: Does Big Boi Still Rap?

Answer: Yes, Big Boi is still active in the rap game. Although he doesn’t drop as much as when Outkast was in its prime, he still works on music and release projects. His latest solo album came in 2017, and he released a collaborative album with Sleepy Brown called the Big Sleep Over.

Question: How Did Big Boi Meet Andre 3000?

Answer: Andre and Big Boi met at Lennox Mall in Atlanta as teenagers. They both attended the same performing arts school, Tri-City high. They bonded over their love for music and founded Outkast not long after.

Sources

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