How Big Boi started rapping
Big Boi’s career has been a progressive and interesting one with many twists and turns. However, as one half of the iconic duo Outkast, the emcee (real name Antwan Patton) still raises intrigue in music circles, and as a solo artist, his material retains the quality it did in the 1990s.
The rapper had a strange yet exciting rise to fame. With his origins firmly rooted in the early 1990s, he formed Outkast with Andre 3000 when Atlanta became a newly established hip-hop hub. With New York and Los Angeles-based acts running the charts, the ’90s saw the rise of the south, and Outkast assembled as a new wave of creatives began to emerge from the Georgia city.
In 2021, Big Boi made an appearance on the 10 Questions show with Kyle Brandt to talk about the early days of Outkast, where he explained how he met Andre 3000, detailing, “We just started hanging out. It was a group of maybe five of us, we were all new to the school [Tri-Cities Performing Arts High School], and we would hang out at lunchtime.”
Recalling how they bonded at Andre’s house, Big Boi continued, “We’d go back to Dre’s house because he used to do airbrushing on clothes, so he would airbrush our jean jackets. Me and my brother used to go over there for Dre to cut our hair. He was a great artist, so we just hung out. Then, we had the same taste in music and style and one day, we were just like, ‘Let’s do it.’”
Outkast burst into the mainstream in the mid-1990s when Atlanta rap wasn’t very popular. That said, they got booed off the stage at the 1995 Source Awards. Recounting the experience, Big Boi told Brandt, “It was motivation, man! It’s a good thing they did that because all it did was put a battery in our back. Look who won that year – Snoop, Biggie, OutKast. Powerhouses.”
He continued: “That motivated us to go make ATLiens and really come back and f*** s*** up. So, we appreciate it. Also, it [helped us] kick down the door for Southern lyricists and let it be known that we’re spitters down here too.”
However, in addition to having a successful music career, he has also found success as a dog breeder in recent years. The emcee is the owner and operator of Pitfall Kennels, located outside of Atlanta in Fayetteville. The business is located on over 25 acres of land and specialises in pit bulls, selling American Bulldogs, English Bulldogs, and French Bulldogs.