After the un-matched success of the Atlanta duo’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
double-album, the multi-platinum, Grammy winners will follow that up with the
release of the album that will grace shelves at around the same time, their
film, Idlewild, will debut in theaters. August 22nd, the album
will be available and August 25th. Idlewild, starring Andre
“Andre 3000” Benjamin and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton marks
the first time in roughly 6 years the two have worked closely on a track.
Their first single was released late last month entitled, “Mighty-O”.
Idlewild follows Benjamin and Patton, Percival
and Rooster respectively, as one is the club owner and the other is
his piano-playing side-kick, while the two work on their dreams of becoming
stars in the big business of show business. Ving Rhames, Ben Vereen,
Cicely Tyson, Patti LaBelle and Macy Gray. Their long-time
music video collaborator, Bryan Barber is making his directorial debut
on this project. The two have worked more or less as solo-artists over the last
5 years, under the Outkast name.
Despite selling over 10 million albums and being nominated for three Grammy’s
including Album of the Year, the two have slowly began to drift apart. Patton‘s
love of the nightlife, greens and home-installed stripper poles compared to Benjamin‘s
lofty goals of acting in Hollywood.
While Patton wanted to tour in support of the album, Benjamin went
to work on Be Cool and John Singleton’s Four Brothers. In
the end, Patton toured without him.
Once Benjamin moved back to Atlanta,
the two began their work on Idlewild, after the film had been silenced
for almost two years. Based on projections by Universal and HBO Films,
their distributor and LaFace/Zomba their label, wanted to the release the
material (album & film) together.
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Benjamin told Entertainment
Weekly, “We’re like brothers, though. We’re like brothers,
though. We can argue, but we’re still gonna be together. I want Big Boi to do
well inside and outside of OutKast. Because certain things don’t last forever,
and you have to start preparing for that.”
