André 3000
André 3000 in 2005, BMCL / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: André Lauren Benjamin
Place of Birth: Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Date of Birth: May 27, 1975
Ethnicity: African-American, possibly other
André 3000 is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and dancer. He was a member of hip hop duo Outkast, with Big Boi. He is also known as Benjamin André, Johnny Vulture, 3 Stacks, Dré, and Sunny Bridges.
He is the son of African-American parents, Sharon Benjamin-Hodo, a real estate seller, and Lawrence Harvey Walker, a collections agent. André has a son with his former partner, singer, songwriter, activist, and actress Erykah Badu.
André has said:
I’ll wear costume jewellery on stage, but I only actually own one piece of jewellery, and that’s a Native American beaded necklace that I wear all the time. I bought it years ago because my family has Native American roots – I’m part African, part Native American.
It is not clear if this Native American ancestry has been verified/documented.
André’s maternal grandfather is The Rev. Grant Benjamin, a minister.
André’s maternal grandmother is named Elnora Norris.
Source: Obituary of André’s father – https://familysearch.org
Father’s obituary:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKGM-4185
Since Hudson and Walker appear as the names of his father’s aunts and uncles, I assume that his grandmother was probably named Hudson.
He’s part native American alright. Native African American lol…
well, * According to Ancestry.com, the average African American is 65 percent sub-Saharan African, 29 percent European and 2 percent Native American.
* According to 23andme.com, the average African American is 75 percent sub-Saharan African, 22 percent European and only 0.6 percent Native American.
* According to Family Tree DNA.com, the average African American is 72.95 percent sub-Saharan African, 22.83 percent European and 1.7 percent Native American.
* According to National Geographic’s Genographic Project, the average African American is 80 percent sub-Saharan African, 19 percent European and 1 percent Native American.
* According to AfricanDNA, the average African American is 79 percent sub-Saharan African, 19 percent European and 2 percent Native American.
Dude looks like he came over from the boat… definitely If he has native american it is low. He possibly more than like is 10-15 European.
Not to be offensive, as he could very well be Native American, but almost every black person I ask claims they’re part Native American. I think it has more to do with a “shame” or stigma of acknowledging they are indeed all Sub-Saharan black. I know looks can be deceiving, but he looks like every other African guy in the Congo.
Sweetie i think its the shame and stigma to not Acknowledge their european blood love EVERY AFRICAN AMERICAN IS MIXED Every black human been who is not african or do not have actual traced roots to africa have some sort of mixture v_v
@WestIndiangrl
The avg African American probably does acknowledge their European blood, they just don’t jump for joy about it. Probably because of the possible way they came by that bloodline. However, why is it that everyone wants black people to acknowledge their european blood. When it comes to white people, the mere mention of them not being pure (or a celeb they like), send them into a rage(no one says anything about that). Even when the black bloodline is proven, people still get upset about it.
@john
(I think it has more to do with a “shame” or stigma of acknowledging they are indeed all Sub-Saharan black.)
I seriously doubt it has anything to do with shame about him being African. If he said he was Indian, then he probably going by stories pass down to him, about an Indian ancestor.