Atlanta to Atlantis: an OutKast retrospective
November 18, 2013 7:45 PM Subscribe
Andre had reached that rarefied level of "I don't give a fuck" that Kanye West has frantically sought since his first Givenchy kilt. His clothes weren't a bug-out costume or artistic pose; they felt as creatively surreal as the music. No one on earth or Alpha Centauri could have convincingly pulled them off. Ask Fonzworth Bentley.
posted by paleyellowwithorange at 7:49 PM on November 18, 2013
posted by paleyellowwithorange at 7:49 PM on November 18, 2013
ATLiens is pretty much my favorite album of all time.
Thanks for posting.
posted by wikipedia brown boy detective at 7:53 PM on November 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
Thanks for posting.
posted by wikipedia brown boy detective at 7:53 PM on November 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
Yeah it's amazing to me how many times over the years I've been playing ATLiens around someone who really isn't into hip hop, and they will stop and ask "Who is this??" and be totally shocked when I answer. One of my all time fav's too.
You can be sure
Some go low to get high
You may hurt till you cry
You may die (You may die)
Keep on trying (Keep on trying)
Till it's summer, in the city
Till it's summer, in the city
posted by mannequito at 7:55 PM on November 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
You can be sure
Some go low to get high
You may hurt till you cry
You may die (You may die)
Keep on trying (Keep on trying)
Till it's summer, in the city
Till it's summer, in the city
posted by mannequito at 7:55 PM on November 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
'Most universally beloved rappers in the world' might be overstating it, but I'm still interested in reading--thanks for the post.
posted by box at 7:55 PM on November 18, 2013
posted by box at 7:55 PM on November 18, 2013
Yeah, I think the author of the main piece is equating 'commercial sales of S/TLB' + 'P&J poll critical darlings' with 'most universally beloved'.
Which, now that I think of it, seems pretty accurate (from a 2003 perspective).
posted by paleyellowwithorange at 8:10 PM on November 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
Which, now that I think of it, seems pretty accurate (from a 2003 perspective).
posted by paleyellowwithorange at 8:10 PM on November 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
Outkast is absolutely my favorite rap act from the South, and one of my favorite acts period.
ATLiens is a fantastic album, but my favorite will always be Aquemeni. I will resist the temptation to YouTube link every track on the album and just go with one of the most originally composed and spoken tracks I have ever heard.
That's always been the thing with Outkast, though: They always give you a couple of really great radio-friendly "traditional" tracks, but the deeper cuts have always been where it's at. Far from being the throwaways that you get on a lot of hip-hop albums, they're the cream if you ever give the album enough playtime to get to appreciate them.
Thanks for the post!
posted by rollbiz at 8:17 PM on November 18, 2013 [6 favorites]
ATLiens is a fantastic album, but my favorite will always be Aquemeni. I will resist the temptation to YouTube link every track on the album and just go with one of the most originally composed and spoken tracks I have ever heard.
That's always been the thing with Outkast, though: They always give you a couple of really great radio-friendly "traditional" tracks, but the deeper cuts have always been where it's at. Far from being the throwaways that you get on a lot of hip-hop albums, they're the cream if you ever give the album enough playtime to get to appreciate them.
Thanks for the post!
posted by rollbiz at 8:17 PM on November 18, 2013 [6 favorites]
Man, I had iTunes on Random by Album a few days ago and heard that SPEAKERBOXX--SPEAKERBOXX-SPEAKERBOXX fire up and it was still exciting. It's still an amazing album.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 8:20 PM on November 18, 2013
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 8:20 PM on November 18, 2013
There was a stretch of time when I wanted to be Andre 3000 when I grew up. I'm into my fourth decade now, so that was a bit weird, but you know. Andre 3000, I mean, come on...
With full and total respect to the Outkast "deep" cuts, I maintained for a while that "Hey Ya" was probably the most perfect pop tune for +- 10 years or so surrounding its release. I'm okay with being wrong about that, but I'll still argue that case on its merits.
posted by the painkiller at 8:28 PM on November 18, 2013 [4 favorites]
With full and total respect to the Outkast "deep" cuts, I maintained for a while that "Hey Ya" was probably the most perfect pop tune for +- 10 years or so surrounding its release. I'm okay with being wrong about that, but I'll still argue that case on its merits.
posted by the painkiller at 8:28 PM on November 18, 2013 [4 favorites]
Yeah, I think the author of the main piece is equating 'commercial sales of S/TLB' + 'P&J poll critical darlings' with 'most universally beloved'.
I still don't know that I agree with it, but the argument in the piece is actually that it was Stankonia that completed this transition.
posted by rollbiz at 8:28 PM on November 18, 2013
I still don't know that I agree with it, but the argument in the piece is actually that it was Stankonia that completed this transition.
posted by rollbiz at 8:28 PM on November 18, 2013
You're right. My bad reading comprehension.
posted by paleyellowwithorange at 8:31 PM on November 18, 2013
posted by paleyellowwithorange at 8:31 PM on November 18, 2013
This three word caption still one of my favorite things from The Onion.
posted by Grimgrin at 9:27 PM on November 18, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by Grimgrin at 9:27 PM on November 18, 2013 [6 favorites]
"Hey look, a thread about rap. I guess I'll just say something about Kanye."
Jesus Christ.
ATLiens is the best thing.
posted by pickinganameismuchharderthanihadanticipated at 9:42 PM on November 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
Jesus Christ.
ATLiens is the best thing.
posted by pickinganameismuchharderthanihadanticipated at 9:42 PM on November 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
Man the article is as much about the slow decline of New York rap as it is about the ascendency of ATL rap isn't it.
Now we got people like Trinidad James calling us out and we got nobody to answer.
posted by Ad hominem at 9:57 PM on November 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
Now we got people like Trinidad James calling us out and we got nobody to answer.
posted by Ad hominem at 9:57 PM on November 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
I saw Big Boi last winter and he does put on one hell of a show.
posted by efalk at 10:14 PM on November 18, 2013
posted by efalk at 10:14 PM on November 18, 2013
As a member of the unwashed masses, I'm afraid the thing I remember most about this album (aside from "Dracula's Wedding") was the Hey Ya, Charlie Brown! video that was seemingly chased from server to server, in the pre-YouTube days, as it kept getting taken down.
posted by mykescipark at 10:14 PM on November 18, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by mykescipark at 10:14 PM on November 18, 2013 [5 favorites]
With full and total respect to the Outkast "deep" cuts, I maintained for a while that "Hey Ya" was probably the most perfect pop tune for +- 10 years or so surrounding its release. I'm okay with being wrong about that, but I'll still argue that case on its merits.
Luckily, you're not wrong about that, at least as say the people. (And as I concur, for the record.)
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 10:39 PM on November 18, 2013 [3 favorites]
Luckily, you're not wrong about that, at least as say the people. (And as I concur, for the record.)
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 10:39 PM on November 18, 2013 [3 favorites]
. . . cooler than Freddie Jackson sippin' a milkshake in a snowstorm.
posted by anansi at 3:32 AM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by anansi at 3:32 AM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
RIP Possum Jenkins. You were my second favorite cat.
posted by echocollate at 5:40 AM on November 19, 2013
posted by echocollate at 5:40 AM on November 19, 2013
Does anybody else pronounce his name "Big Bwah", all Frenchlike?
posted by whuppy at 6:23 AM on November 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by whuppy at 6:23 AM on November 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
Only thing better than SB/TLB is a bootleg Screwed and Chopped version that came into the record store I worked in at the time. The slowed down drawl going "Dracullllaaas weeeEEddiinng" felt like a new millennium.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:24 AM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:24 AM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Outkast is my favorite rap duo of all time. I got started on them in 1997 I think, right before I left high-school, and while nowadays I pretty much only listen to rap and Brazilian music, back then I listened to mostly punk and hardcore. Really transformative for a kid like me.
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is barley an Outkast record. I mean in the canonical sense. There is just so much that is different about it from their other records that I just kind of consider it two solo-records that were sold together. Which is what is was. Having said that, aside from the tragically over played Hey Ya, and the pretty weird and awesome Dracula's Wedding, Big Boi's side is a lot stronger than Andre's. And for last ten years, all we've heard from Andre is a stray verse or three while Big Boi has put out two pretty awesome and unique rap records. What happened to Andre? There was so much promise there. I remember for a while there were rumors he was going to Oxford to study.
The most tragic part about Outkast's legacy is that they were recording records when the rap skip was at its bloated apotheosis. It's kind of true that my life was enriched by hearing the words 'rang rang' on Kim and Cookie the first three times, but from there on out. . . my goodness what inspired these awesome musicians (and Outkast were not the only culprits) to do this? Mercifully it seems to be pretty much dead, as the only major record put out in the last year or so with skits was Good Kid MAAD city and they clearly add to the narrative. . . As a final note, I would like to point out to everyone that in this day in age there is nothing stopping you from downloading or ripping a copy of Stankonia and removing all the skits from the playlist, which will uncover an amazing rap record. A simple but revolutionary idea. Thanks for this post.
posted by TheTingTangTong at 6:52 AM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is barley an Outkast record. I mean in the canonical sense. There is just so much that is different about it from their other records that I just kind of consider it two solo-records that were sold together. Which is what is was. Having said that, aside from the tragically over played Hey Ya, and the pretty weird and awesome Dracula's Wedding, Big Boi's side is a lot stronger than Andre's. And for last ten years, all we've heard from Andre is a stray verse or three while Big Boi has put out two pretty awesome and unique rap records. What happened to Andre? There was so much promise there. I remember for a while there were rumors he was going to Oxford to study.
The most tragic part about Outkast's legacy is that they were recording records when the rap skip was at its bloated apotheosis. It's kind of true that my life was enriched by hearing the words 'rang rang' on Kim and Cookie the first three times, but from there on out. . . my goodness what inspired these awesome musicians (and Outkast were not the only culprits) to do this? Mercifully it seems to be pretty much dead, as the only major record put out in the last year or so with skits was Good Kid MAAD city and they clearly add to the narrative. . . As a final note, I would like to point out to everyone that in this day in age there is nothing stopping you from downloading or ripping a copy of Stankonia and removing all the skits from the playlist, which will uncover an amazing rap record. A simple but revolutionary idea. Thanks for this post.
posted by TheTingTangTong at 6:52 AM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Does anybody else pronounce his name "Big Bwah", all Frenchlike?
What? No. It's pronounced B-I-G B-O-I, and try not to mispronounce it or it'll be that same motherfucker that took them knuckles to your eye.
posted by Panjandrum at 6:56 AM on November 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
What? No. It's pronounced B-I-G B-O-I, and try not to mispronounce it or it'll be that same motherfucker that took them knuckles to your eye.
posted by Panjandrum at 6:56 AM on November 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
"Hey Ya" was great, but "Roses" was the track I had on repeat the most. My tastes might be entirely different now. It was a sprawling weird double-solo-album and I don't even remember half the tracks at this point, so now's a good time to explore again.
posted by naju at 8:57 AM on November 19, 2013
posted by naju at 8:57 AM on November 19, 2013
The Bullseye with Big Boi is well worth your time.
posted by whuppy at 9:21 AM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by whuppy at 9:21 AM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Big Boi's two solo albums are great, and I was super bummed to miss him when he passed thru Chicago last spring. He also did an entertaining Reddit AMA.
posted by Fig at 10:16 AM on November 19, 2013
posted by Fig at 10:16 AM on November 19, 2013
Oh man, thanks y'all for reminding me how fucking awesome "Dracula's Wedding" is.
posted by rollbiz at 12:17 PM on November 19, 2013
posted by rollbiz at 12:17 PM on November 19, 2013
Oh man, thanks y'all for reminding me how fucking awesome "Dracula's Wedding" is.
So true. That track kills me, every time. It's like this little nugget of WTF, the kind of thing somebody writes in the shower but never actually shares with anyone, and it's just sitting there on that album like somebody slipped it past the guards.
posted by davejay at 10:34 PM on November 19, 2013
So true. That track kills me, every time. It's like this little nugget of WTF, the kind of thing somebody writes in the shower but never actually shares with anyone, and it's just sitting there on that album like somebody slipped it past the guards.
posted by davejay at 10:34 PM on November 19, 2013
Saw Deltron 3030 tonight. Kid Koala did an opening dj set, including a killer beat juggle of The Whole World. (not my video, it's from a show last month in Toronto).
posted by mannequito at 1:31 AM on November 20, 2013
posted by mannequito at 1:31 AM on November 20, 2013
I enjoy 'Dracula's Wedding' along with the rest of the album, but I never realized until this thread what a fan favorite it is. Huh. I mean, it's a great song, but it doesn't seem to stand out head and shoulders above the rest of The Love Below. I'd be interested to know why so many people have singled it out for praise.
posted by paleyellowwithorange at 2:45 PM on November 20, 2013
posted by paleyellowwithorange at 2:45 PM on November 20, 2013
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posted by xmutex at 7:47 PM on November 18, 2013 [2 favorites]