OutKast star Andre 3000 was born André Lauren Benjamin in Coral Springs, Florida on May 27, 1975. He was born to Sharon Benjamin Hodor and Lawrence Walker, who worked as a real estate agent and collections agent, respectively. As a child, he moved with his family to East Point and then Buckhead, Georgia. It was in Georgia at Tri-Cities High School that Benjamin connected with Antwan "Big Boi" Patton to form OutKast. Andre struggled with his studies and eventually dropped out of school to focus on music. The duo got their first break when producer Rico Wade from Organized Noize gave them an audition in a parking lot. He eventually offered to produce a demo tape for the group, garnering them record label attention. They were signed by LaFace Records shortly after finishing high school.