Outkast Sue Ovrkast for Having “Nearly Identical” Name

Outkast, the Grammy-winning, Rock Hall-inducted duo of André 3000 and Big Boi, are suing Ovrkast for trademark infringement, unfair competition, and breach of contract. In a lawsuit filed in Georgia on September 16, High Schoolers LLC—the holding company that handles Outkast’s name and trademark—accused the Oakland rapper-producer born Silas Wilson of “improper, willful, unauthorized, and illegal use of the nearly identical name.”

“I thought it was love? (yes this is real),” Ovrkast captioned a post on Instagram reacting to the news, tagging both André and Big Boi. Pitchfork has reached out to Outkast’s representatives for comment.

In a complaint viewed by Pitchfork, attorneys for André and Big Boi accuse Ovrkast of reneging on a prior agreement to permanently discontinue using Ovrkast and switch to an agreed-upon name of Overkxst. The original alias, the suit states, was likely to “cause confusion…or deceive the public into the false belief” that it had anything to do with the group Outkast.

The complaint further points to a 2025 interview with Rolling Stone as evidence that Ovrkast consistently faced accusations that he copied the name. “The worst thing I get is like, ‘The n—-a think he Outkast,’” he said. “It’s like, ‘No, bro. I wasn’t even thinking about Outkast.’ Mad n—-as do that shit. They read Ovrkast [as] Outkast.”

In 2024, Outkast sued the far-more egregiously named EDM duo ATLiens for, well, you know. The suit was settled earlier this year.

Alex Suskind has overseen music coverage for New York magazine’s Vulture and, before that, Entertainment Weekly. He has written about TV, film, technology, politics, and tons of other stuff for The Guardian, Vanity Fair, and The Fader. ... Read More