Hopefully folks will take the time to discover their back catalogue. It's plenty useful in understanding how Speakerboxxx/The Love Below came about, for those who think it's some gimmick.

NuPwrSoul said:

True.

NuPwrSoul said:

I been a fan of outkast every since southernplayalisticadilacfunkymusic... playa's ball was one of my favorite rap CD

DigitalLisa said:

That's when they were some hip hop kids...didnn't take themselves so seriously...
it was like butter on your bisss cuit

#1 They've earned it. Of all the rap acts out there, I can't think of anyone more deserving of a double album.

#2 It's cool to hear what each of them bring to the table by hearing them work alone. It helps you appreciate their old work better.

#3 They're great album artists. They can pull off full length solo albums with ease.

#4 Speakerboxx/The Love Below is a natural progression of what they'be been doing already.

TRON said:

CO-SIGNAGE!

BTW I got them all!

TRON said:

But...I think we forgot about Talib Kweli and Hi Tek. It's good to be on their nutsacks right now, but there a lot of other guys just as deserving. Butt..in the meantime

Actually, I'm thinking most people, at least on this board, aren't new fans of OutKast. It seems like most of us have been down with them since either the start or very soon thereafter. It's so refreshing to hear some different in the very bland hip hop industry.

KatSkrizzle said:

Love Hater.

i can't say i've been a "fan" but i've been digging them for a while now. pretty much since i saw them with lauryn hill on her first solo tour. i think 'bombs over baghdad' was current at the time...and that was my song!

alexnvrmnd said:

I dunno, it seems that a lot of people got on post-Aquemini or even as a result of Stankonia, which is when they really started getting play on MTV.

The missing pieces in the link are Southernplayalistic and ATLiens to understand where they're coming from, and why many hold them to be among the pioneers of deep fried Southern hip hop.

NuPwrSoul said:

Yeah, you're probably right, though I was more directing that comment to the regulars here on this board. You know we're always light years ahead of much of the record buying public.

I'm almost afraid to say this on this site but...(sigh)

You guys hyped this CD so much that I went out and bought it. Now, I don't like rap, so buying this CD is something that I would not normally do. I've only listened to the Andree one so far. My take on it as an "impartial" listener is this...the music and lyrics are quite interesting, but that child's voice needs a little help. Except for on the intro song, his voice is so annoying, I can't get through a complete song. I haven't checked BigBoi out yet but I read on another thread that he has his kid cursing on it. I'm not saying that I wasted my money, but I'm not impressed enough to dig into thier past works. Just my 2% anyway.

illimack said:

magnificentsynthesizer667 said:

Well, you gotta understand where I'm coming from 667. I'm used to the voices people like Maxwell and Eric Benet. Forgive me if I feel that Andre's voice is coming up a little short.

Yeah, but Eric Benet and Maxwell can't do THAT.\

You know, THAT. Andre's voice is JUST FAHN in my book. But then, I used to like Madonna, so hey.

theblueangel said:

Eric and Maxwell can't debut at #1 with 509,000 units of a double album sold in its first week, either.

Anxiety said:

didn't maxwell's 'now' cd debuted at #1? i don't know the units sold but i think it did enter at number 1. i may be wrong though.

imnotsayinthisjust2bnasty said:

I dunno...I don't know if Maxwell debuted at #1 but I could be wrong...I know the charts aren't important, but all the same...I can't recall the last time an album I actually LIKE was at the top of the charts!









my edits are so Anne Frank
[This message was edited Wed Oct 1 21:02:44 PDT 2003 by Anxiety]

Anxiety said:

damn...so neither of us know...real great artists of debate we are...lol!

Nast and Anxiety, you guys are both goofy. Admit it dammit! No matter who sold the most copies in their debut week, ya'll know that Andre can't touch either Eric or Max in the vocal deparatment. I mean, when you're gettin ready to do the do with your significant other, are you going to put some Andre 3000 on? Andre's music is ok. I esp like that manic Merry Poppins song, but that boys sangin... That's all I'm sayin.

illimack said:

Oh, I'm not wild about Andre's album so much for his voice (which I DO love, not because I think he's so amazingly trained or anything like that - but I just love the twang). I'm more into "The Love Below" for the amazing amount of imagination, humor and FUNK that stretches throughout the whole thing with such strong consistency. Sure, Eric and Maxwell are great vocalists - they're technically pretty superior, and I would call their work skilled craftmanship. But maybe where you and I differ is, I value art more than I value craft. Which isn't to say one's more valuable than the other - I just prefer what someone's able to do more than I care about what someone has to offer.

Anxiety said:

"I prefer what someone is able to do more than I care about what someone has to offer"... Very intersting statement. I don't have a clue as to what you mean by it, but it is very intriguing anyway. Anyway, in Andre's defense, I must admit that I have very limited musical taste. There are very few artist that I like , much less buy. And like I said, I don't like rap or too much hip hop. So my criticism may be a bit harsh, considering that it's coming form someone who really doesn't like the genre too much anyway. Oh,and also in Andre's defense, I listend to the BigBoi cd this morning. I practically skipped through the whole thing. At least Andre kept me interested enough to listen to most of the songs. Hell, I probably would have been able listen to all of Andre's songs if his voice didn't sound like a cat in a fight.

I guess what I'm saying is that there are some artists who are able to display a technical proficiency, and there are some artists who are able to display a creative proficiency. I have respect for those who have strong technical ability, but I'm more interested in those who have strong ideas and can use what they've got with creativity. At the end of the day, I guess it's all a matter of subjective tastes.

illimack said:

I certainly feel you on what you're saying, but I also wouldn't hesitate to throw on Dre's Prototype when I'm about to rap to some girl or gettin' ready to do the do. That's a hot slow track right there, especially towards the end!!

I have each of Outkast CD's. They get better with each release. The Love Below is excellent. She Lives In My Lap and Hey Ya! are the best back-to-back songs I've heard in awhile. Each song is worth listening.

One of the music critics wrote in today's Detroit Free Press: "this is Prince at his most eclectic" and gave it three stars out of four.

Do you agree?

Hmmm...I don't think it's Prince at his most eclectic, it's definitely like Prince music, but not at its most eclectic. Prince has been far more eclectic at times than what is presented on Andre's album.

Anyway...the disc definitely should've gotten four stars out of four, but I guess when you pair it with Speakerboxxx, it really is three out of four.