André 3000 is an American rapper, singer, musician, flautist, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for being one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Outkast, alongside fellow Atlanta-based rapper Big Boi. Benjamin is widely considered to be one of the greatest rappers of all time and has been ranked as such by publications including Billboard, Complex, The Source, and About.com. As part of Outkast, the duo released six successful studio albums, which contained hit singles including “Ms. Jackson”, “Roses”, “So Fresh, So Clean” and “Elevators (Me & You)”, among others. Such activity earned him an additional Grammy Award among seven nominations as a solo artist. Outside of music, Benjamin has acted in films and television series. In 2022, Benjamin further played Fredwynn on the AMC series Dispatches from Elsewhere, and was featured adaptation of the Don DeLillo novel of White Noise.
Birth Name
André Lauren Benjamin
Nickname
André 3000, Andre 3K, 3000, Dre, 3 Stacks, Johnny Vulture, Ice Cold
Profession
Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Record Producer, Dancer, Actor
Genre
Hip hop, funk, jazz, R&B
Instruments
Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, bass clarinet, kalimba
Labels
Epic, LaFace, RCA Records
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
André 3000 was born on the 27th of May 1975, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
Age
He’s currently 48 years old.
Sun Sign
Gemini
Ethnicity
Black
He has Haitian-American ancestry.
Religion
Christianity
Education
André went to the Sarah Smith Elementary School. Later, he studied at the Sutton Middle School. For his high school education, he got enrolled at the Northside High School and Tri-Cities High School.
Family Details
- Father – Lawrence Harvey Walker (Collections Agent)
- Mother – Sharon Benjamin-Hodo (Real Estate Agent)
- Siblings – He is the only child.
Marital Status
Single
Girlfriend / Spouse
André 3000 has dated –
- Erykah Badu (1996-1997) – In 1996, Andre officially started dating the singer, Erykah Badu. In November 1997, She gave birth to their son, Seven Sirius Benjamin. Their relationship also seemed to have come to an end in the same year.
- Karrine Steffans (2001) – In her memoirs, the former model and video vixen, Karrine Steffans, claimed that Andre had a sexual encounter with her.
- Christina Milian (2005) – In 2005, Andre was romantically linked with his “Be Cool” co-star Christina Milian for a couple of months.
- Sky Nellor (2006) – In August 2006, the American media revealed that he was having an affair with Australian actress, Sky Nellor. He had brought her along as his date for the premiere event of the movie, OutKast: Idlewild. He left with her in the same car after the event. It was also reported that this affair led to an end of his relationship with Eufaula Garrett.
- Melyssa Ford (2008) – In 2008, Benjamin was in a relationship with model and actress, Melyssa Ford. However, their relationship barely lasted a couple of months.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 5 feet 10 inches
- In centimeters – 178 cm
- In meters – 1.78 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 72 kg
- In Pounds – 159 lbs
Body Build
Slim
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Hair Color
Black
Shoe Size
He wears a size 11.5 (US) shoe.
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Benjamin became known for his work with the hip hop duo, Outkast, which released a couple of platinum-certified studio albums. As an actor, he has worked in popular TV shows and films such as Families, The Shield, Semi-Pro, Revolver, and Four Brothers. He was also cast in the lead role of Jimi Hendrix in the biographical movie, All Is by My Side. He has also done extensive work as an animal rights activist.
Singing Debut
In 1994, André’s debut studio album with Outkast was Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik which was released. The album was eventually certified as platinum in the United States. In 2018, he released his debut EP Look Ma No Hands as a solo artist. In November 2023, he released his debut solo studio album titled New Blue Sun.
Film Debut
In 2001, Lauren had his first film onscreen role in the English version of the Chinese action comedy movie Hwasango as voice artist and he made his theatrical film debut as Harrison Ford in the thriller action comedy movie Hollywood Homicide (2003).
Television Debut
In 1994, Benjamin landed his first role in television by appearing as himself in the music talk show, Soul Train.
Brand Endorsements
André has done endorsement work for several brands such as Gillette, Tretorn, Benjamin Bixby.
André 3000 Net worth
André 3000 has an estimated net worth of $35 million dollars as of 2024.
Social Media Profiles
- Instagram – andre3000
- YouTube Channel – André 3000
Some Lesser Known Facts About André 3000
- André was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the only child of real-estate seller Sharon Benjamin and collections agent Lawrence Harvey Walker. His single mother raised him in Atlanta, East Point, and Buckhead.
- In high school, in 1992, Benjamin (who was then performing as Dré) met Antwan “Big Boi” Patton at the Lenox Square shopping mall when they were both 16 years old.
- Benjamin and Patton soon formed the rap group 2 Shades Deep and recorded in a basement studio. In 1992, They formed the rap duo Outkast. The duo explored the G-Funk variation of gangsta rap and the profane hip-hop version of the US South, Dirty South.
- His popular stage name André 3000 was introduced with the release of Outkast’s fourth album, Stankonia.
- In 2000, Andre began acting. He had appearances on television programs like The Shield, Hollywood Homicide, and Four Brothers. He and Big Boi released a musical film starring OutKast in a fictitious Depression-era 1935 setting in 2006.
- In 2004, he was voted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as the sexiest male vegetarian. He later turned vegan and he eventually discarded vegan lifestyle after having followed it for more than a decade. He felt it was making it difficult for him to socialize.
- In 2008, he announced the launch of his clothing line under the label of Benjamin Bixby. He revealed that he had taken inspiration from college football circa 1935 for his designs.
- In 2019, Benjamin shared that he was diagnosed a few years prior with social anxiety and hypersensitivity disorder.
