If you haven’t run into OutKast’s André 3000 playing the saxophone or flute at an Atlanta gas station, or been lucky enough to witness one of his random pop-up gigs, you’re missing out. Like the many John Lewis sightings over the years at the airport or within Congressional District 5 before his passing, spying André 3000 out and about in his native ATL has become a right of passage for locals.
(I still chuckle about younger folks who attended André 3000’s Jazz Fest flute performance at Piedmont Park last year thinking they were getting an OutKast concert. Those of us who’ve seen the incomparable style icon and music artist in action recently knew what we were getting that evening: a weirdly beautiful jam session filled with storytelling.)
André 3000 and his OutKast counterpart, Big Boi, have become part of Atlanta music lore ever since their first studio album, “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik”, dropped in 1994. Their second studio album “ATLiens” and song of the same name were unofficially adopted by the city and its sports teams. And Atlantans often use the ATLien moniker when referring to themselves.
It wasn’t until the release of their fourth studio album, “Stankonia”, in 2000 that OutKast really broke loose and the world took notice, bringing their distinct “Dirty South” sound and lyrics, as well as Atlanta, to the fore.
At the 2001 Grammys, “Stankonia” was named Best Rap Album of the Year. Outkast also took home the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo/Group for the album’s single, “Ms. Jackson.” Then, in 2025, Rolling Stone ranked “Stankonia” the No. 4 best album of the 21st century. The list included 250 albums.
This year marks 25 years since the debut of that groundbreaking album, culminating in OutKast’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Nov. 8.
But André 3000 and Big Boi are far from the only Atlantans lifting up the city’s name and culture. If you’re a coffee lover, you’ve probably sipped a few cups of Atlanta-based Portrait Coffee at local cafes. Or maybe you’ve indulged in the Aunt Viv float at Big Softie, made with the West End roastery’s Founder’s blend, brown sugar-cardamon syrup, and Big Softie’s vanilla or chocolate soft serve. Like me, you could be a weekly recipient of Portrait’s coffee beans via its subscription.
Portrait Coffee, a Black-owned coffee company founded by six Southwest Atlantans nearly seven years ago, has always been about collaboration. The mission behind the Westside Atlanta roastery is meant to spotlight the contributions of Black people in coffee, starting with the origins of coffee in Africa more than a thousand years ago. Portrait regularly partners with local coffee shops to produce limited edition blends, and it works to connect coffee producers with small, independent coffee farmers.
But the company’s latest collaboration with OutKast is by far its biggest and most Atlanta yet, one that involves a limited-run coffee blend honoring the 25th anniversary of “Stankonia”.
Earlier this year, OutKast’s team reached out to Portrait about producing a special release coffee celebrating the album.
“Marvin Duncan, our head roaster, and I spent the summer tasting around 20 coffees while listening to ‘Stankonia’ and talking about how its sound could translate into a cup,” Portrait Coffee co-founder and CEO Aaron Fender said. “After narrowing it down to our top three [coffee blends], we went back and forth with the OutKast team, got their notes and feedback, and landed on the blend that felt most true [to the album’s] creativity.”
While tastings and cupping sessions were conducted by Duncan with the Portrait team, Fender said André 3000 and Big Boi provided the vision and some feedback throughout the process.
The result is Stankonia Coffee, a medium-roast blend of beans from Rwanda and Colombia with notes of tart green apple, strawberry, and brown sugar. Fender calls the coffee “bright, layered, and a little funky—just like the album.”
You can purchase the special release coffee now online or at Portrait’s West End coffee shop. Stankonia Coffee, however, won’t be part of the subscription service.
To celebrate 25 years of “Stankonia” and the coffee collaboration, Portrait Coffee and OutKast will host a 21-and-up launch party at Cascade Skating Rink on Oct. 30. The party is free to attend and will feature DJs, food, coffee giveaways, and a few special guests. Whether the night will also include an André 3000 parking lot performance remains to be seen, but ATLiens know it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
