Hey Ya!: The Unauthorized Biography of Outkast [Paperback]

Chris Nickson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2004

Since 1994 OutKast have been reinventing the rules of hip-hop, blending different styles of music into a Southern style that is wholly their own, soulful, outrageous, and addictive. They've captured the hearts of fans and music critics alike, and have achieved records and scaled heights in the music world that most artists can only dream of.

The full story of OutKast has never before been told. Now in Hey Ya! you'll go behind the scenes into the world of Big Boi and Andre 3000, from their start as teenage hopefuls in Atlanta to their international rise to fame. Along the way you'll learn about the creative forces that have kept them on the cutting edge of hip-hop for a decade, and keep them pushing forward into tomorrow. From their first breakthrough with "Player's Ball" to their six Grammy wins, their upcoming movie and more, Hey Ya! Is the ultimate look at two of the most creative forces in music today and is the definitive guide to everything OutKast!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Andre Benjamin and Antwan Patton, better known as OutKast's Andre 3000 and Big Boi, have earned themselves a large and devoted audience with their quirky, well-crafted hip-hop. Each of their six albums has gone platinum, and they began 2004 holding both the number one and number two spots on the Billboard Top 100. British writer Nickson, who's churned out unauthorized celebrity bios (of Mariah Carey, Will Smith, Lauryn Hill, Brad Pitt, etc.) with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine, culls this serviceable fan-pleaser from interviews and reviews in the mainstream press, covering OutKast's successes and setbacks and offering a few gratifying stories from their personal lives (both Andre and Big Boi are devoted fathers and have been refreshingly responsible in their business and personal dealings). OutKast's successes have been many: six Grammies, nine million copies sold (so far) of their double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, and five top 40 singles. The setbacks have been fewer but certainly well documented: Andre's breakup with Erykah Badu, with whom he has a child; the lawsuit brought by civil rights hero Rosa Parks over a song bearing her name. Nickson's volume is precisely what it needs to be, no more and no less: a neatly packaged tribute to a popular phenomenon, released at the apex of the group's fame.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Chris Nickson was born and raised in Leeds, England. A well-known music journalist and author, he's written many celebrity biographies as well as being a frequent contributor to numerous music magazines.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (August 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312337353
• ISBN-13: 978-0312337353
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #902,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm the author of the Richard Nottingham books, historical mysteries set in Leeds in the 1730s and featuring Richard Nottingham, the Constable of the city, and his deputy, John Sedgwick. The books are about more than murder. They're about the people of Leeds and the way life was - which mean full of grinding poverty for all but the wealthy. They're also about families, Nottingham and his and Sedgwick, and the way relationships grow and change, as well as the politics, when there was one law for the rich, and another, much more brutal, for everyone else.

Why Leeds? It's where I was born and raised, and that puts a place in your bones. You know it the way you can never quite know anywhere else...

In addition to this I'm also a music journalist, reviewing for magazines and online outlets, something I've been doing since the mid 1990s, specializing these days in world and roots music.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good initial look inside one of music's legendary acts, October 7, 2004

By 

Patrick L. Randall (Silver Spring, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hey Ya!: The Unauthorized Biography of Outkast (Paperback)

Don't be deceived by the subtitle which says that "Hey Ya!..." is the `unauthorized' biography of the visionary Atlanta Hip-Hop group, OutKast. Don't expect any Kitty Kelley-style revelations. This is only unauthorized because it wasn't written in direct cooperation with the band and to attract buyers with enticing `unauthorized' label. In truth, "Hey Ya!" is nothing more than a 190 page glowing review of OutKast. None of this, however, is a knock against the book because, at its core, it's a fascinating look at the beginnings and evolution of one of the true landmark groups in music today.

From their earliest days after meeting in high school, Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000) and Antwan Patton (Big Boi) set out to make music on their own terms, seeking to be evolutionary and revolutionary. Whereas most hip hop acts were sticking to tired formulas and unoriginal beats and techniques, this duo (which quickly adopted the appropriately title name, OutKast) kept pushing the envelope and trying create something new. This biography deconstructs the group by showing some of their earliest musical influences like, understandably, Run-DMC and George Clinton and the more unlikely Kate Bush (a personal favorite of Big Boi's). It reveals how the two principles disparate styles didn't disrupt the music, but rather enhanced. It gives a nod a to OutKast's earlier supports like Atlanta's Dungeon Family studios and the Organized Noise studios. Most importantly, the author, Chris Nickson, spends most of his effort analyzing how OutKast evolved musically (and stylistically) with each progressive album. Instead of resting on what worked before, OutKast kept taking risks and it made a difference in how they were viewed and in their legacy.

While "Hey Ya!..." may not be a packed with amazing revelations, it still gives fans a good opportunity to get inside this seminal hip hop act. The information is strong and gives fans a stronger connection with this OutKast.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars U gotta have this if you luv Outkast!!!, May 10, 2005

By 

Henry Cooper ""Still One Me"" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hey Ya!: The Unauthorized Biography of Outkast (Paperback)

I always been a fan to Outkast since I first got introduced to them back in '01 (now makes my 4th yr. as a Outkast fan), I know they had albums put out back then be4 the 2 big breaktroughs of STANKONIA and SPEAKERBOXXX (2 of my best favorites to incl. along in my CD collection or music collection for example). They were the 1st rap songs to bring a lotta songs that deals w/ the cities of Atlanta and Jonesboro for example.

I once dubbed them as the Steely Dan of Hip-Hop b/c of the rock group back in the '70s (alongside Donald Fagen and Walter Becker). They a varied mix of jazz, R&B, funk, gospel, blues, funk, Latin, electronic, etc. They can do it all kinds. Believe I'm a real fan of music of all kinds myself. This will get you in the groove if u grab this if u're a fan to rap, R&B/old school, jazz, and/or other types of music.

If u're a fan to Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Barry White, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Charlie Parker, Steely Dan, John Mayer, The Roots, Tribe Called Quest, The Neptunes, Jay-Z, Goodie Mob, Kanye West, Nelly, Alicia Keys, Patti Labelle, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, N.W.A., Twista, Cee-Lo, R. Kelly, among others, u must-have this book if u're truly a fan to this group.

They both took home Grammys for Best Rap Album and Record of the Year from their multi-platinum best-selling double CD SPEAKERBOXXX/THE LOVE BELOW, which means they taking on a new level in the world of music (black and white).

I'll love to checkout their latest movie which I been awaiting on "A Life an Idlewild" premiering on HBO ASAP. They probably had that change. Maybe not, we'll have to see about it. Well big up to my group Outkast for doing such a good job.