In a move that surprises absolutely no one who has ever glanced at a festival lineup, Outkast - the Grammy-winning, Rock Hall-inducted duo of André 3000 and Big Boi - are suing Oakland rapper-producer Ovrkast for trademark infringement, unfair competition, and breach of contract. The lawsuit, filed in Georgia on September 16 by High Schoolers LLC (the holding company that handles Outkast's name and trademark), accuses Silas Wilson - the man behind the Ovrkast moniker - of "improper, willful, unauthorized, and illegal use of the nearly identical name."

Ovrkast responded to the news on Instagram with the caption: "I thought it was love? (yes this is real)," tagging both André and Big Boi. Pitchfork has reached out to Outkast's representatives for comment, presumably to ask if they've ever heard of a vowel.

According to the complaint viewed by Pitchfork, attorneys for André and Big Boi claim Ovrkast reneged on a prior agreement to permanently discontinue using the name Ovrkast and switch to the agreed-upon Overkxst. The suit argues that the original alias was likely to "cause confusion…or deceive the public into the false belief" that Ovrkast had anything to do with the legendary Atlanta duo. Because nothing says "I'm definitely not Outkast" like swapping one vowel for another in a name that already sounds exactly like Outkast.

The complaint also points to a 2025 Rolling Stone interview where Ovrkast acknowledged he consistently faced accusations of copying the name. "The worst thing I get is like, 'The n - -a think he Outkast,'" he said. "It's like, 'No, bro. I wasn't even thinking about Outkast.' Mad n - -as do that shit. They read Ovrkast [as] Outkast." So, to recap: even Ovrkast admits people read Ovrkast as Outkast. That's not a defense; that's a confession.

This isn't Outkast's first rodeo with name-adjacent acts. In 2024, they sued the far more egregiously named EDM duo ATLiens - because if you're going to rip off a name, at least have the decency to make it a deep cut. That suit was settled earlier this year. No word on whether Ovrkast will now pivot to a career as a tribute band called "Hey Ya, It's Not Us."