Andre Benjamin

Born: May 27 1975
Where: Atlanta, Georgia, USA

The rapper and hip hop producer has enjoyed a successful parallel career as an actor with appearances in films such as Four Brothers and Semi-Pro.

The only child of a single mother and strict Christian, Benjamin had a disciplined upbringing in Atlanta.

He met his future rapping partner Antwan Patton (later famous as Big Boi) while they studied at the Tri-Cities High School in East Point.

After joining and winning several MC battles, Benjamin and Antwan decided to form the duo OutKast.

The duo is one of the most successful hip-hop groups of all time, having received six Grammy Awards.

Over 20 million copies have been sold of OutKast's eight releases: six studio albums, a greatest hits release, and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, a double album containing a solo album from each member.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is one of only four hip-hop albums to be certified Diamond in the US for shipping over 10 million units.

Along with OutKast's commercial success, they have maintained an experimental approach in their music and are widely praised for their originality and artistic content.

Benjamin made his big screen debut providing a voiceover for South Korean director Tae-gyun Kim's 2001 crime fantasy WaSanGo.

Two years later he landed a minor role in the Harrison Ford/Josh Hartnett comedy thriller Hollywood Homicide.

He starred alongside John Travolta and Uma Thurman in the crime comedy Be Cool and was one of the four siblings in the 2005 Mark Wahlberg drama Four Brothers.

Many critics regarded Benjamin's performance as Abu in Guy Ritchie's Revolver as one of the best things about the widely-derided movie.

Together with OutKast collaborator Antwan Patton, they made the hip hop musical Idlewild which also starred Terrence Howard and Macy Gray.

In 2006, Benjamin provided the voice of Elwyn The Crow in the children's outing Charlotte's Web and went on to star in the action drama Battle in Seattle.

Recent work includes the role of Clarence 'Coffee' Black in the Will Ferrell comedy Semi-Pro.