Hip-hop duo OutKast have topped off a year of award glory with three awards at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Rome. They won best group, best video and best song for hit Hey Ya! after getting five nominations.

OutKast will add their awards to the four they won at the US MTV Awards in August and three Grammys in February.

Not only was Hey Ya! one of the biggest global hits of last year, but OutKast have been widely acclaimed as one of the most exciting and innovative acts in music. Their double CD album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which saw Andre 3000 and Big Boi each produce one disc, was hailed as the album of 2003 by many critics.

Andre 3000 thanked fans "for supporting OutKast throughout the years".

"We really appreciate it," he said. "I hope you don''t get tired of us, but we only do what we do."

The 11th annual awards were hosted by world famous rapper Xzibit and watched by 6,000 people at the Tor Di Valle arena, plus millions more on TV around the world.