André Benjamin Trademarks

André Benjamin is a rapper, producer, and actor. He is most famous as half of the rap duo Outkast with Big Boi.

Originally from Atlanta Georgia, André Lauren Benjamin was born on May 27, 1975. He is the son of Sharon Benjamin and Lawrence Harvey Walker. He had no brothers or sisters and was raised by his mother around the Atlanta, Georgia area. He attended several high schools including McClarin Success Academy and Tri-Cities High School. It was during his high school years that he met Antwan Patton, also known by his rap name “Big Boi.” Initially, they met at the Lenox Square shopping mall and the two became fast friends.

Together they formed the rap duo of Outkast. They were signed to the LaFace label, which at the time was part of Sony Music Entertainment. With the backing of LaFace, they released their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik in 1994. Singles from the album included “Player’s Ball,” “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,” and “Git Up, Git Out.” “Player’s Ball” went to number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 while “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” peaked at number 74. “Git Up, Git Out” failed to break onto the Billboard Hot 100.

Outkast released its second studio album in 1996 called ATLiens. This album was a greater critical and commercial success than their first album, and it debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200. It included “Elevators (Me & You),” “ATLiens,” and “Jazzy Belle.” All three singles were hits and spent significant time on the US Hot 100.

Their third studio album went platinum and was released two years later. Aquemini (1998) contained the singles “Skew It on the Bar-B,” “Rosa Parks,” and “Da Art of Storytellin’ (Pt. 1).”

Stankonia was the fourth Outcast album and was released in 2000. The album’s singles included “B.O.B.,” “Ms. Jackson,” and “So Fresh, So Clean.” The album would win Best Rap Album at the 2002 Grammy Awards. Stankonia also produced the duo’s first number-one hit, “Ms. Jackson.” This album was also responsible for the introduction of one of Benjamin’s best-known personas, Andre 3000.

In 2002, they also released their greatest hits album which had the new track “The Whole World.” It won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

The duo released a double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, in 2003. The fifth studio album by Outcast, it highlighted each of the performers in the duo. Benjamin’s “The Love Below,” “Hey Ya,” “Prototype,” and “Roses” were all popular singles. The album won Grammy’s for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album.

Their sixth album was Idlewild (2006). It was released as an album and was also the soundtrack of the group’s movie of the same name. The album debuted in the second spot on the Billboard 200. It had the singles “Mighty O,” “Morris Brown,” “Idlewild Blue (Don’tchu Worry ‘Bout Me),” “Hollywood Divorce,” and “The Train.”

After this, Benjamin has worked on many solo projects and has appeared in the work of many other artists including music by Jay-Z, UGK, Q-Tip, Young Jeezy, and Kesha. Some of these songs include “What a Job” (2007) with Snoop Dogg, Party (2011) with Beyonce, and “I Do” (2012) with Young Jeezy. His most recent solo release is “Life of the Party” with Kanye West, released in 2021.

Outside of music, Benjamin has also worked as an actor in both movies and television. His first television appearance was on Martin in 1995. Later he appeared on The Shield, Class of 3000, American Crime, Brad Neely’s Harg Nallin’ Sclopio Peepio, and Dispatches from Elsewhere. He has also appeared in more than 25 films. Some of those films include Four Brothers (2005), Revolver (2005), Scary Movie 4 (2006), Battle in Seattle (2007), and The Andre 3000 Documentary (2018).

In 2009, André Benjamin obtained a federal trademark registration for “ANDRE 3000” for downloadable audio and video recordings of music and prerecorded compact discs.

André Benjamin has submitted many applications for federal trademark registrations. Most of the trademark applications are connected to his Ant Capsule Collection, which features products such as clothing, stickers, and posters. The Ant Collection is based on a sketch drawn by Benjamin, featuring a reading ant, clothed in a rugby shirt.