OutKast is being honored in their hometown. According to Vibe, a 35-foot “massive new art piece” has been made in the Little Five Points section of Atlanta in tribute of the famed rap duo. The artwork was unveiled last weekend as part of a collaboration between the fashion and sneaker boutique WISH ATL and Atlanta’s Outer Space Project, an outdoor mural project in Atlanta.
The painting was created by an artist named JEKS, and it can be found behind WISH ATL. Big Boi of OutKast shared a few images of the mural via his social media on Friday (Oct. 25). The photos include fans standing in front of the black, white, and gray artwork.
The outlet reports that the painting recreates an image of Big Boi and André 3000 that was taken by famed hip hop photographer Jonathan Mannion. Mannion is also responsible for the cover art for OutKast’s Speakerboxx/Love Below album, which was released back in 2003. He has done album artwork for the likes of JAY-Z, DMX, Eve, Public Enemy, Trina, LL Cool J, and Lil Wayne as well.
JEKS spoke of the mural and it’s popularity, admitting that he is surprised by the attention it has received. “Each day I painted, more and more people would stop by. I hoped the piece would make a positive impact in the community and cause some local buzz, but I didn’t think it would blow up like it has,” he told CNN. “The amount of posts, messages, and ‘thank you’s’ I’ve received are almost overwhelming.”
OutKast hasn’t released new music in a while, but they reunited back in May to celebrate Big Boi’s son graduating from high school. Big Boi’ son Cross Patton graduated from Woodward Academy in Atlanta. He gifted the high school grad with a new Tesla and shared the moment on Instagram.
”Aye man, we used to [give out] car keys and now it’s just a key card,” the “So Fresh, So Clean” rapper told his son in the video. Cross received a football scholarship to play running back for the University of Oregon.
Check out photos of OutKast’s mural below.