André 3000 (born André Benjamin on May 27, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an African American hip hop artist and producer; one half of the successful and avant-garde hip-hop duo OutKast. He is also known by the aliases "Dre" (his original moniker), "Possum Jenkins", "Dookie", and the reversed "Benjamin André".

André was born in Atlanta and raised in poverty by a single mother. He met Antoine "Big Boi" Patton, his future OutKast partner, when the two attended Tri-Cities High School in East Point.

André dated neo soul musician Erykah Badu for several years, and has chronicled the relationship and its breakup in various OutKast songs, including "Ms. Jackson," the second single from the album Stankonia. The song is addressed to Badu's mother--Badu's mother's given surname is Jackson). André has also written songs about his turbulent youth, including his experiences as a drug dealer before his days in OutKast.

In 2003, Outkast released Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, a double album that highlighted the differences in the musical styles of the group's two members. André's half of the album, The Love Below, ganered the most attention from mainstream audiences, with the popular singles "Hey Ya!" and "Roses". The album's fourth single and video (Andre's third), "Prototype" was released shortly after, whereas Big Boi's Speakerboxxx has seen the release of the hit "The Way You Move" and most recent single "Ghettomusik." The Love Below was, unlike Speakerboxxx, an exercise in funk, jazz, and alternative music, featuring mostly sung--instead of rapped vocals from André

André has moved into the film world and has made appearances in The Shield and Get Shorty. He is currently shooting a movie with Big Boi for HBO before moving on to star in the dramatic role of a yet untitled film set to shoot in Louisiana, produced by Chesley Seals and Kat Hantas.