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Benzino is taking partial credit for André 3000’s “the south got something to say” declaration at the 1995 Source Awards. On a Monday episode of the podcast Goats and Underdogs (GAUDS), The Source co-founder explained that the hip-hop publication might have been the cause for 3000’s rant that night.
“The reason why André 3000 said what he did, I’ma have to tell y’all this story,” Benzino said. “When they was giving Outkast 4.5 mics, I remember, I didn’t understand it. I didn’t understand the music. And I was the one who kinda raised some situations up at The Source, I’m gonna admit it. And I was wrong. I think it got to Outkast. And I think that’s why André said what he said. I think that was kinda directed toward me.”
The infamous speech was made at the 1995 awards ceremony when Outkast earned Best New Rap Group and was greeted by boos amongst the crowd mainly entertained by the then-East Coast vs. West Coast rift. “But it’s like this though: I’m tired of folks, — them closed-minded folks. It’s like we got a demo tape and don’t nobody wanna hear it. But it’s like this, the South got somethin’ to say. That’s all I got to say,” The Love Below artist said at the time.
“I think I made a mistake and I shouldn’t have,” Benzino continued on GAUDS. “Usually, I bow out of the whole five-mic thing. The five mics was so strong that we let the journalists take care of that. The Source was business over here and the journalists over here. We would let the journalists take care of that; the writers, the photographers. It was a group of them and they would sit in a room and the labels would send the albums and they would rate them. It was one of the main things, the five mic system. One time, me and one of them got into a debate about Outkast because I didn’t understand at that time that music. And I was wrong.”
Outkast would go on to become one of the most esteemed hip-hop acts of all-time, earning a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2003.
