The performance Outkast’s Big Boi is most proud of
The career of Big Boi 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.
Big Boi had a strange yet exciting rise to fame. With his origins firmly rooted in the early 1990s, he formed Outkast with André 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.
From ATLiens to Aquemini, Stakonia, and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, Outkast’s growth and evolution saw their experimental Southern soul-infused music soar up the charts until, eventually, the pair became unstoppable. André 3000 and Big Boi were producers, so their art highly represented their influences.
Outkast performed all over the US at festivals like Coachella and even award ceremonies like The Grammys. The duo explored new realms with each of their projects and, as such, acquired six Grammy awards and six BET awards. Years later, they are still relevant and considered one of the most innovative hip-hop acts ever.
One of Big Boi’s biggest performances was at the 2019 Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show. The Super Bowl is one of the most-viewed televised events in the US and draws over 110 million viewers annually on average.
The Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show was headlined by pop-rock band Maroon 5. However, it also saw two rap acts on the album. The Utopia creator Travis Scott and, of course, Outkast’s Big Boi. The NFL match between the New England Patriots and LA Rams, which took place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, saw Maroon 5 perform tracks such as: ‘Harder to Breathe’, ‘This Love’, ‘Sugar’, and ‘Moves Like Jagger’.
Travis Scott performed his Diamond-certified hit ‘SICKO MODE’, and Big Boi delivered ‘The Way You Move’ featuring Sleepy Brown and ‘Kryptonite (I’m on It)’ which was initially released alongside Killer Mike, BlackOwned C-Bone and Rock D.
In 2019, there were many anti-NFL sentiments and protests concerning the suspension of civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick. That year, other musicians, including Cardi B and Rihanna, refused to perform in order to show solidarity. However, in the lead-up to his performance during an appearance on HOT 97.0’s Ebro In The Morning, Patton defended his decision to take up the offer, stating, “With the NFL protests, people say they’re protesting, but at the same time, it’s selective protests.”
He highlighted the hypocrisy, continuing, “So you got people playing fantasy football. You’re not so supposed to be doing that. People gambling on the games. You’re not supposed to be doing that. People going to the game. How you going to protest, and you’re still participating?”
The rapper concluded, “If Julian Edelman was the only motherfucker out there running routes, and it was no black players on the field, ain’t no way in hell I would’ve performed at the Super Bowl. But the city was there, everybody was there. You can’t just pick and choose and be selective. You’re either all in, or you’re all out … I’mma think for myself, and I’mma do what I know what I wanna do. And do what’s right for me and my people.”
Big Boi was proud to represent his city on the Super Bowl stage, and in an interview with The Guardian, he claimed that the Super Bowl and the Grammys were the best performances of his career, explaining, “The Super Bowl was one. And the other one was the album of the year performance we did at the Grammys. It was crazy to perform with Earth, Wind, and Fire.”