#9 - Outkast
Albums Included in Rating:
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994), Aquemini (1998), Stankonia (2000), Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
How much do I like my favorite track on the album? 13.8 points
Player's Ball (Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik)
Funky. Chill. Lyrical. Big Boi sounds SO young here. This tune, All the players came from far and wide. They sure did
Rosa Parks (Aquemini)
Chorus is king. They make you actually feel like you are on a bus for a ride. Close your eyes and go for a ride, despite the really dark messaging.
Ms. Jackson (Stankonia)
Outkast’s choruses are freakin legendary and this is a masterclass. Those "woos" still make me smile.
Flip Flop Rock (Speakerboxxx/The Love Below)
The mixing on this is sick. The addition of Killer Mike and Jay Z takes it over the top. This was a tough pick on an album chock full of absolute bangers.
How did/does this album influence my own taste in music overall? 15.2 points
The peak of Outkast’s mainstream popularity (c. 1998-2004) came at the pinnacle of my own musical exploration. Where I really decided what it was that I was going to like. It definitely doubled down my interest in this sort of newly created new school/old school hybrid space.
Does this album hold up since its release? 13.8 points
Outkast is about as timeless as they come in the rap world. Stankonia and Speakerboxx/Love Below are absolute masterpieces begging to be played again and again and again.
What percentage of the album do I listen to? 6.75 points
Lots of skips directly juxtaposed with some if the biggest hits of all time. It’s sort of an interesting experience for that reason.
What did/do the critics think of this album? 9.1 points
This is the most universally (critics and peasants alike) acclaimed artists of all time. And certainly is the most beloved rap act from the critics eyes. A 9.1 is a huge score from critics especially when that is their average.
What is the sentimental value to me of the album? 14.4 points
Like I said before this album came at a pretty critical time in my developing musical taste stage. Huge props. Oh - after seeing Big Boi live in 2021, it holds even more klout for me.
What was the artists involvement of the production of the album - songwriting, instrumentals, vocals, uniqueness? 14.4 points
They are heavily involved in production and somehow are able to marry their completely different styles into cohesive albums.
Overall Rating out of 100 points = average 87.5 points
(Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik = 84.7, Aquemini = 84.4, Stankonia = 91.4, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below = 89.4)
There will never be another rapper or rap group quite like Outkast. The lyrical smoothness and crisp as an apple diction of Big Boi and the funk and poppy swagger of André 3000 are a duo that ying and yanged their way into our musical psyche. It’s a perfect example of embracing eachother’s strengths to reach unparalleled levels of mainstream success for a rap group. I have said this before when discussing Notorious BIG, but I’ll say it again: Outkast is the people’s rap. Any person can enjoy their music (frankly anyone with a pulse would get up and boogie to I Like The Way You Move or Hey Ya!). There’s a small contingent of people who believe they sold out for the greater pop genre, but I like to view it as quite the opposite. They introduced a whole generation of people to Atlanta style hip hop, which is this amazing melting pot of genres mixed together. There’s also a very clear sound present on all of their albums, not just the 4 included in my assessment. To provide perspective, Stankonia was my 7th highest rated album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was 13th. Once again, if you have time for just one, it’s Stankonia. Ok- please get back together now, ok? Thanks, love a fan.
