Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

How André 3000 Turned an Apology to Erykah Badu’s Mother Into Outkast’s First No. 1 Hit

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

Everyone who has ever listened to Outkast before has had the same question: Who is “Ms. Jackson”? What made André 3000 sing his heart out to apologize to this woman? Dig a little deep into hip-hop lore, and you learn that the infamous “Ms. Jackson” was actually Erykah Badu’s mother.

At some point in the mid-90s, André and Badu met and quickly got into a relationship. By 1997, they welcomed their son Seven Sirius Benjamin. But at some point, they decided against having a relationship together, though they still remained close over the years.

By the time Outkast made “Ms. Jackson”, André 3000 kept thinking about the awkward tension an ex’s mother must feel, especially when there’s a baby involved. “’Ms. Jackson’ came from just wondering — after a relationship kinda goes to the left — about a........

© Vice