As Outkast enters rock Hall of Fame, Tri-Cities High will follow along

“They were just very creative,” said Viola Turner, Big Boi’s former drama teacher at Tri-Cities. “But that was the atmosphere here. We nurtured and encouraged and supported these kids.”

Nearly 30 years, six Grammys and a load of platinum records later, Outkast is on the cusp of adding a coveted accomplishment to their resume. On Nov. 8, the Atlanta duo will be officially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. For some staff and students at Tri-Cities, the honor feels like their success, too.

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

‘We were building self-esteem’

Tri-Cities High established its visual and performing arts program in 1990. Along with Outkast, notable alumni include actor and comedian Keenan Thompson, and singer and television personality Kandi Burruss. Viola Turner helped build the program and served as its first director.

“When the program started, we started with just about 15 kids. … We didn’t have a theater,” she said. “We had dance in a classroom. Drama was in a little room. We had to go over to College Park Auditorium to do a show. And we couldn’t do a full show. We did excerpts from musicals.”

Today, the program has 353 magnet students — including those who successfully audition, along with fulfilling other admission requirements, depending on the department. The school’s theater is named after Turner, who retired in 2005.

Of Big Boi, Turner said he was always “fun, positive, smiling.” Although she didn’t teach André 3000, she heard about his talent for poetry while he was enrolled at Sutton Middle School and said he was ”always a sharp-dresser, always unique."

She notes that the Outkast/Tri-Cities relationship has been symbiotic: While the former’s success has helped with enrollment over the years, Tri-Cities served as a launchpad during Outkast’s formative years.

“They came with a talent, and part of teaching is finding that kid’s gift,” Turner said. “I think that it was both ways. They came in and helped, and we also helped them.”

Credit: ERIC WILLIAMS

Credit: ERIC WILLIAMS

Turner said she feels immensely proud of Outkast’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honor. She said it aligns with the “standard of excellence” she instilled in the program.

She remembers the school’s wealth of talent during her tenure. On any given day, members of R&B girl group Xscape could be heard singing on one side of the room while fellow Atlanta R&B/hip-hop group 4 Shades Deep would sing and rap in another, Turner recalled.

“Nobody said, ‘Hey, be quiet over there. You’re making too much noise,’ she said. “It was like encouraging, ‘Hey, I like that. You did a good job.’ I think that made a difference.” We were building self-esteem.”

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Shenita Granberry, who currently serves as an administrative assistant at Tri-Cities, took geometry class with Big Boi and drama class with André. She reflects on their distinct personalities, which she said helped make them one of the most iconic rap duos in history.

Granberry remembers André as a reserved reader and avid artist. Big Boi, she recalls, was just as animated as his raps. Quite flirty, too.

“He talked every day and would say, ‘I need all the young ladies to come sit in front of me,’” Granberry recalled, laughing. “We’d run over there. We learned nothing about geometry.”

Another factor that helped fuel Outkast’s success, according to Granberry, was the confidence the teachers had in them.

“They’d always tell us, ‘You are great.’ They would get us in the room and always tell us that we’re the best.”

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Continuing the legacy

Kori Harmon, a 10th grader in Tri-Cities’ magnet program, is a percussion section leader in the marching band. The 16-year-old, who grew up as an Outkast fan, doesn’t take the school’s reputation lightly.

“Understanding that these artists who are now going to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and (being) one of the few Black artists who have a platinum record, were actually made here makes me think about what type of impact can I make as well,” Harmon said. “How can I do this? It’s just one more thing that somebody from East Point has accomplished, and one more thing that I can also see that I can accomplish, as well.”

For Harmon, following in Outkast’s footsteps doesn’t add pressure. Instead, it feels like seeing another family member shine.

Cordell Freeman, fellow marching band member in the program, admits he was “underinformed” about Outkast before attending Tri-Cities. Although the 11th grader grew up listening to the act’s music, he said he didn’t know the members’ names (or that there were two members at all).

That was until the Tri-Cities band performed at an event for Big Boi in 2023. Freeman said moments like that remind him of the program’s standard of excellence.

“Without band, I don’t know where I would be,” he said. “I’m not a bad kid or anything, but (this program) is making me have a tunnel vision and focused on the stuff I’m supposed to be focused on. Because of that, I am where I am now.”

Amanda Gorham, principal of Tri-Cities, said Outkast’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is an honor the school can capitalize on when seeking funding for the magnet program.

Gorham, who graduated from Tri-Cities in 1998, said the duo‘s latest accomplishment represents the broad depth and scope of Outkast’s musicality, noting they “transcend this box that people might have thought they existed in.”

Gorham said the school is still finalizing plans for celebrating the HOF induction later this year. In the meantime, the school is in the process of hiring a magnet coordinator who will help with programming and securing funds.

“When you talk about Tri-Cities, when I talk about the magnet program, we don’t have that conversation without mentioning Outkast, so that will forever be embedded in who we are.”