10 Things Andre 3000 Made Popular (Sort Of)
There's no questioning Three Stacks.
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Spottieottiedopaliscious - Let's face it, Andre 3000 is a trendsetter. What Kelis was representing in terms of music and style, Andre was definitely doing for the fellas. Although it took a while for cats to catch on, he eventually set the new standard for lyricism and overall flyness. Peep his trend game and The Message that he's spread.(Photo: John Rogers/Getty Images)
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1. Throwback Jerseys - Before everyone was rocking throwback jerseys during the early 2000s craze, Andre was sporting them along with Big Boi in the mid-'90s in OutKast's music videos. By the time Jay Z was telling men to take off the jerseys in 2003, Andre had already left them and started three other trends. (Photo: Mr DJ via Instagram)
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2. Rockin' Suspenders - Andre has always been an individual when it comes to style and expression. So of course when he started rocking suspenders with his outfits, it gave everyone else the OK to try and swag out their looks with them as well. Andre was just trying to look like a Southern gentleman; everyone else was trying to look like Andre. (Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
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3. Making an Emo Album - Be clear — there's nothing wrong with making an emotional album. Heck, most rap albums are really emotional albums with thinly veiled messages about masculinity in an attempt to offset the reality that the emcee has something to get off their chest. For Andre, his turn was The Love Below, but there was no false attempt at making himself seem tougher than he already was. He was a single guy inspired by relationship that didn't quite turn out so well. If you're a fan of Kanye's 808s and Heartbreaks or pretty much any Drake album, the blueprint can be found in The Love Below. (Photo: Universal Records)
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4. Da Art of Guest Verses - Since the last Outkast album dropped, Andre has not gone completely off the radar. He made it a habit of dropping guest verses for certain rap artists, bringing in rays of brilliant hip hop sunshine just when you thought things were getting whack. Google songs like "The Real Her," "Sixteen" and "Int'l Player's Anthem (I Choose You)" for reference. (Photos from left: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images, John Gunion/Redferns)
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5. Untraditional Baby Names in Hip Hop - Before Blue Ivy, before North, before Future Jr., there was Seven Sirius. (Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
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6. Dating Someone on the Same Wavelength - OK, this one is a little but more abstract, but hear us out. Andre and Erykah seemed like the perfect duo. This is more pertinent to the context of when they dated, before Nas and Kelis married (and divorced), before Jay and Bey were officially an item (he had the flyest chick in the game wearing his chain) and before Swizz and Alicia were together, these two kind of had rap nerds enchanted by their union. (Photo: Courtesy of Universal Records)
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7. Being a Hip Hop Hipster - When Andre was at his prime in the early 2000s, he began to push his self-expression to new levels. He was a "hipster before it was mainstream" literally, encouraging independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and creativity. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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8. Men Wearing Dresses/Skirts - OK, so that's a pic of Kanye West, but hear us out. Andre was the first to do it. Back in 2000, when doing promo pictures for Outkast’s fourth studio album, Stankonia, Mr. 3000 donned a dress. It is now becoming more and more popular to see men in hip hop in dresses and skirts, or as Kanye calls them, kilts. (Photos from left: Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post)
Photo By Photos from left: Kyle Gustafson/For The Washington Post
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9. Eccentric Head Wear - Long before #PharrellsHat sold to Arby’s for $44,000 at a charity fundraiser, Andre was always wearing big, wide brimmed hats. From bucket hats to cultural headgear, Andre is the leader of innovative headwear. (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage)