Outkast - Rosa Parks

What this video is

Released in 1998 as the lead single from Outkast's landmark third album Aquemini, 'Rosa Parks' arrived during a pivotal moment in Southern hip-hop's national ascendance. The video crystallizes the tension and duality at the heart of Outkast's artistic identity: André 3000's Afrofuturist, avant-garde persona (green screen, cosmic backdrops, surrealist costuming) set directly against Big Boi's grounded Southern…

Why it matters

A cornerstone artifact of the Southern Hip-Hop Renaissance, the 'Rosa Parks' video is significant for visually articulating the dual creative poles of Outkast — street-level Southern authenticity and speculative futurism — years before either aesthetic became dominant. Its use of HBCU marching…

The director

Born Gregory Hippolyte Brown (July 12, 1957, Los Angeles). Holds an MFA from Stanford University and pursued graduate film studies at NYU. From the mid-1980s through mid-1990s directed adult and erotic thriller films. Transitioned to mainstream music video…