OutKast rapper Big Boi was arrested this weekend in Miami on charges of drug possession. The artist was found to have ecstasy and Viagra pills. Big Boi (aka Antwan Patton) was charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Patton was booked at 1:30 pm on $16,000 bond. During his storied career with OutKast, Big Boi has won six Grammys with Andre 3000, his partner. They've also produced six platinum-plus albums, including Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which sold over 10 million copies.
The group has parted ways a bit, taking a hiatus of sorts. Patton released a solo project in July of 2010, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. The album did well among fans and critics.
Patton is part of a broader concern about hip-hop artists being involved in excessive use of drugs and alcohol. He is also not the first major hip-hop artist to be arrested in the last year. Both T.I. and Lil Wayne have spent a great deal of time in prison recently, and several other artists are either facing charges or currently incarcerated.
