Atlanta, Georgia, was so far removed from hip-hop's centres of influence when Big Boi and André 3000 got together that they named their group Outkast and their second album ATLiens, loudly proclaiming their underdog status. By the time they'd conquered the pop charts with hits like “Hey Ya!”, the pair had thoroughly convinced the world that the South had something to say. Throughout it all, they never stopped being proud eccentrics, warping funk and soul into electro-rap, experimenting with outlandish flows and always speaking from the heart in disarming, surprising ways.