OutKast heads out with Slim Shady February 2 in Stockholm and travels through the Netherlands, Belgium, France and England before hopping back across the pond. They’ll join up with Ludacris to launch their own headlining trek February 28 at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The purveyors of the “Dirty South” sound will hit theatre-sized venues in predominantly major markets. Two-night stands are on the itinerary in Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; New York City; Los Angeles; Dallas; Houston and Atlanta.

OutKast has been a major player on the rap/hip-hop scene since the release of their 1994 debut, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. They differentiated themselves from the East and West Coast rappers by relying less on braggadocio and more on positive themes and melody.

They found that having a social conscience doesn’t bring immunity from troubles, however, when they released “Rosa Parks,” the lead single from 1998’s Aquemini album.

OutKast found themselves being sued by none other than the civil rights icon herself, charged with unlawfully appropriating her name to promote their music. The suit was dismissed in 1999, but an appeal remains pending.

In the meantime, the group recently released a highly-anticipated fourth album, Stankonia.

Ludacris, the first artist to be signed to Def Jam Recordings South got his start spinning discs on Atlanta radio station Hot 97.5 before recording a single, “What’s Your Fantasy,” that caught the attention of Def Jam honchos.

The single appeared on his debut album, Incognegro, which was followed up in October with a second disc, Ludacris: Back for the First Time.