Key Takeaways
- Donald Glover honored OutKast at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, reflecting on their influence on his creative journey.
- André 3000 and Big Boi gave personal speeches, joined by the Dungeon Family in a rare onstage reunion.
- Performances by Doja Cat, Tyler, the Creator, Janelle Monáe, and others paid tribute to OutKast’s musical legacy.
Donald Glover took the stage at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony to induct OutKast — the trailblazing Atlanta duo who helped change Hip Hop forever. The moment felt full-circle for the fellow Georgia native, who described how the group’s debut project, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, shaped his understanding of what it means to be an artist.
“When I first played this album, I heard De La Soul, Pharcyde, Kilo Ali, Funkadelic, Living Color, Eddie Hazel, Prince,” Glover said at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. “But I also heard the kid I ride the bus with and the uncle that gives you $10 when he’s drunk. It showed me that being an artist really means you just need to be an observer.”
Glover celebrated OutKast’s unmatched influence, recalling André 3000’s famous “the South got something to say” declaration. “You don’t have to scream, you don’t have to yell,” he told the crowd. “You just have to be undeniable.” He ended with heartfelt words that drew cheers: “There is no Childish Gambino without you. There is no South without you.”
When Big Boi and André 3000 accepted their honor, they were joined by nearly the entire Dungeon Family — a reminder of the community that built them. After a friendly round of rock, paper, scissors, Big Boi kicked things off with gratitude, running through a list of names he wanted to thank on behalf of OutKast — from family to longtime collaborators. He made sure to shout out Savannah and Atlanta before turning to his partner: “I wanna say, especially to my brother right here... Man, thank you for making me be the best I can be, man. Going toe to toe on the records. And iron sharpen just to be the best man… Love you, man.”
André delivered a moving speech that reflected on family, sacrifice, and humble beginnings. “When I heard that we were being inducted, I was like, ‘Man, this is great, because we’ll be able to be in the same company with a lot of people we grew up with, a lot of bands that influenced us, [a] whole lineage of people,’” he said. Fighting back emotion, the 50-year-old referenced a remark made earlier in the evening by fellow inductee Jack White: “Jack is... man, he’s one of my favorites, man. We love you, man. But one thing that he said, he said something about little rooms. And we started in a little room... Great things start in little rooms, that’s it.”
The ceremony also included a star-studded tribute to the duo’s legendary catalog. Big Boi and JID set the tone with “ATLiens.” Doja Cat performed “Ms. Jackson,” Tyler, the Creator did “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad),” and Janelle Monáe did an acoustic version of “Hey Ya.” Big Boi then returned to the stage, this time accompanied by Sleepy Brown, for their 2003 collaboration “The Way You Move. He also brought out Killer Mike, as well as the rest of the performers, to close things out with “The Whole World,” from Big Boi and Dre Present… OutKast.
OutKast’s six studio albums produced classics like “Hey Ya!,” “Ms. Jackson,” and “The Way You Move,” earning them six Grammy Awards and cementing their legacy as one of music’s most innovative duos.
The night also honored another groundbreaking Hip Hop act: Salt-N-Pepa. Introduced by Missy Elliott, who called them “the bricklayers to the foundation that holds Hip Hop together,” the trailblazing trio made history once again as they accepted the Musical Influence Award. During their speeches, Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, and DJ Spinderella used the moment to advocate for artist ownership, reminding fans that their fight to reclaim their masters is still ongoing.
OutKast and MUNDIAL celebrate 25 years of Stankonia with a soccer jersey
To mark the 25th anniversary of their game-changing album Stankonia, OutKast teamed up with MUNDIAL magazine to drop their first-ever soccer jersey. The sleek black design features a U.S. flag and the group’s logo, with “Forever Eva” — a nod to their hit “Ms. Jackson” — printed underneath. The back proudly reads “Stankonia” with the No. 25 in bold. Fans can also purchase matching long-sleeve and short-sleeve tees and a hoodie emblazoned with “so fresh” and “so clean.”