Interview with NME

Nme: Can you tell us about your new clothing line, the name, the style and if you can compare it to anything else?

Andre: "We have a clothing line that is actually launched in the US already - it will be here possibly in about two or three weeks. It's for men, children, women, and. of course, your dogs; so you'll be able to get something for everybody."

Big Boi: "A dog thong."

Andre: "Dog tha thong thong thong. Nah, but really it's kind of something for everybody. We go from urban wear to even on up to crazy couture, anything you're into, for blaggers and everybody!"

Nme: How do you feel about high fashion looking to hiphop for influences, like Louis Vuitton and Alexander McQueen?

Andre: "There's a place for it..."

Big Boi: "It's actually the big time high fashion designers (who) are getting into the urban styles quite a lot these days. Like, you might see something in videos that they might not sell, like the Gucci jogging suits. That's not real Gucci, but they get the pattern and then they see it and they go in and make it anyway -you know what I'm saying - and charge you ten times as much."

Nme: Is Andre the first MC to wear a wig AND a cape on stage?

Andre: "Possibly, I never thought of it like that."

Big Boi: "Kool Keith?"

Andre: "I don't know if Kool Keith... I don't know, I really don't know."

Big Boi: "You know when old boy thought he was a super hero in the gold carts and shit."

Andre: "Who? Kool Keith?"

Big Boi: "Yeah."

Andre: "I know Kool Keith wears a plastic Elvis wig, but he just crunked that up."

Big Boi: "It was more like a what was it? Three Stooges toupee."

Andre: "Mmmmm. Who knows?!"

Nme: Top tips on how to stay so fresh, so clean.

Big Boi: "You have to have a clean pair of shoes. Shoes..."

Andre: "Top tips.."

Big Boi: "Shoes is the first thing that is going to set it off. How your shoes look is how you're going to set it off. You know your shoes say what type of person you are. You can go out there in some dirty boots too - as long as you've got your chest poked out right. I figure when you look at somebody's shoes that says a lot about them."

Andre: "Your dome piece, your hat. That can tell a lot about you. You can have on a bullshit outfit, but if your hat is fly, sometimes it can make the whole thing look really fly. And your walk, the way you walk, the way you prance around, it means a lot. Attitude means a lot."

Nme: Going onto OutKast live, what should people be prepared for?

Andre: "Energy, and more energy. From the first album on up to 'Stankonia'. We try to give you a little trip, because you know some people, they really don't know that this is not Outkast's first album, so you have to go back and do a little research you know to understand where we came from. So you know we toss it back and forth. We have two MCs on the stage; me and

Big Boi:, our background singers and two guitarists, and our DJ, and we have our dancers: 'The Crowd Pleasers'."

Nme: Tell us about 'The Crowd Pleasers' style and dances.

Andre: "It's called A-Town Yeek dancing and they're lively lads. (Dons his own unique style English accent) They?re a bunch of lively lads. We have a record company, a label Aquemini Records and they will be artists featured on the label; 'The Crowd Pleasers', they do bass music."

Nme: Tips for surviving on tour

Andre: "You need nice food..."

Big Boi: "Rest..."

Andre: "You need your ...female recreation. You need music, some type of visuals and that's about all you need you know. When you're overseas, when you're in Europe you need heat or you need an air conditioner that really works, cos, I don't know - it seems like they don't give you enough juice."

Big Boi: "'Cos everything is room temperature."

Nme: What are your thoughts on the UK so far?. How many times have you been here?

Big Boi: "This is our fifth time coming over here now - as long as you get your sleep and you have the adequate diet, and if the itinerary's put together well, the day is running smooth."

Nme: Have you had any surprises here, anything different from what you expected in the UK?

Andre: "There's a lot of smoke, when you perform in the clubs the air is really thick, because everybody smokes, everybody... In the airport, like, as soon as you get off the plane. Oh! Oh! (coughs) You know, it's tough."

Nme: What's you perception of UK media in comparison to around the world?

Big Boi: "They're a bit more thorough, I think. They take like... things you say like words, like 'actually' and whatever they think it means they'll make their own assumptions and ask you about it straight up, whereas in the States they figure they might always know. In the UK they tend to dig a little deeper into what the group is saying."

Nme: What kind of rep do the Brits have? Do we live up to it?

Big Boi: "Reputation - like what?"

Nme: Like party animals or tea drinkers?

Andre: "Oh yeah yeah yeah, smoke good."

Big Boi: "Hell yeah."

Nme: Can you do an English accent?

Andre: "Can we do a bloody English accent? Of course we can!"

Big Boi: "We the same geezers that were here last time!"

Andre: "We do it all day, everyday. Right! Cheers!"

Nme: What is the maddest thing a women has approached you with?

Big Boi: "She says she's having my baby."

Andre: "'Let me have your baby'. That has to be the maddest thing, right."

Big Boi: "What's even madder about that is if you let them damn do it!"

Andre: "You're a bloody crazy bloke if you do it like that."