Photo: Left to Right: MARTA Interim General Manager & CEO Jonathan Hunt, Antwan “Big Boi” Patton, MARTA Chief of Staff Steven Parker.
Atlanta, November 4, 2025 — The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority unveiled a custom-wrapped bus Thursday commemorating the 25th anniversary of OutKast's transformative album “Stankonia” and the duo's enduring influence on the city's cultural landscape.
The tribute comes as André 3000 and Big Boi prepare for their Nov. 8 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, cementing their status as one of hip-hop's most innovative and influential acts.
MARTA revealed the specially designed bus at Skatetonia25, a fan celebration hosted by Sony Music at Cascade Skating Rink in southwest Atlanta. Big Boi appeared at the Thursday evening event, posing for photographs beside the bus that honors the group's quarter-century legacy since “Stankonia” dropped on Oct. 31, 2000.
“MARTA is part of the fabric of Atlanta, just like OutKast,” said Jonathan Hunt, MARTA's interim general manager and CEO. “We're honored to celebrate artists who have carried the spirit of this city to the world, and who often mentioned MARTA in their music.”
The connection between the transit authority and the hip-hop pioneers runs deeper than civic pride. OutKast immortalized MARTA in their 1996 track “Elevators (Me & You)” from the landmark album “ATLiens,” rapping about riding “the MARTA through the hood” from the intersection of Headland and Delowe in East Point — a location still served by bus routes 93 and 81.
That lyrical shoutout transformed ordinary transit geography into cultural mythology, weaving MARTA into Atlanta's identity through OutKast's vivid storytelling about life in the city's neighborhoods.
The album “Stankonia” spawned hits including “Ms. Jackson” and “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad),” pushing boundaries with its experimental production and fearless creativity. The record helped establish Atlanta as a hip-hop epicenter while OutKast maintained their authentic Southern roots.
Beyond their musical innovations, OutKast's influence resonates through Atlanta's artistic community, inspiring generations of artists with their unapologetic celebration of local culture and boundary-pushing creativity.
The custom bus will circulate through southwest Atlanta routes for approximately one year, serving as a rolling tribute to homegrown talent that put the city on the global map.
The Cascade Skating Rink venue for Thursday's unveiling held particular significance — the southwest Atlanta landmark has long been a cultural gathering place for the city's Black community and appears in OutKast's work, including their music video for “Elevators.”
