Big Boi is revisiting one of many extra revealing chapters in Outkast’s early grind.

In a brand new episode of Conversate With Killer Mike, the Atlanta legend broke down a second from the mid-’90s that also lingers in his reminiscence — an evening when Outkast and Wu-Tang Clan shared a invoice in Chicago, and a sudden sound outage left the Southern duo questioning whether or not the love within the room was actual.

The story surfaced after Cutmaster Swiff, Outkast’s longtime DJ, spoke on the uneasy power the group usually felt because the lone Southern act on nationwide lineups. Swiff mentioned they have been all the time positioned in the identical accommodations because the East Coast crews, surrounded by assist that didn’t all the time really feel genuine. That “fake love,” as he described it, set the stage for Big Boi’s recollection.

“I remember when we used to do a lot of shows with Wu-Tang,” Big Boi mentioned. “We was closing. And when we got to perform, them n***as pulled the plugs on the speaker or something like that… We thought they did. Fucked our sound up.”

Big Boi admitted the proof wasn’t concrete, however the timing felt intentional. “I’m pretty sure it was them,” he added.

Outkast’s Big Boi Remembers Wu-Tang Clan Pulled The Plug On Their Shows

Big Boi addressed that this occurred lengthy earlier than Outkast and Wu-Tang constructed their later chemistry, years earlier than their 1998 collaboration “Skew It On The Bar-B.” At the time, the South was nonetheless combating for house on nationwide phases, usually met with skepticism from East Coast gatekeepers.

Even with the audio points, Outkast refused to fold. Big Boi mentioned the duo stored the present alive, however backstage, the staff wrestled with what went down. “We thought that was neutral ground,” he mentioned of the Chicago cease. “Like, na please, clink. Pull the plug on them nas, ain’t no more show.”

Still, Big Boi pushed again in opposition to framing the second as a full-on beef. He defined that issues have been by no means overtly hostile between the 2 teams. “It was always love,” he mentioned, although he admitted sure moments felt “subliminal” and made them query how deep that love actually went.

Big Boi’s story displays the atmosphere wherein Outkast got here up. A interval when the South was nonetheless combating to be taken critically. While sharing phases with teams they’d ultimately name brothers.

It’s a reminder of how a lot work Outkast put in to earn respect, metropolis by metropolis, co-headline by co-headline.