The duo brought the reunion to Bestival in the UK that same year, ensuring the dreams of fans the world over were realised. Outkast’s comeback in 2014 quickly set the world alight, their headline set at that year’s Coachella festival in California reminded many across the world just why the early 2000s were a golden age for hip-hop. Jackson is unarguably one of the greatest hip-hop tracks of all time, no one can resist the high-pitched chorus and late 90s beats that learnt a lot from Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg’s duets. Such a long played out reinvention is further evidence of how ahead of their time Outkast were, introducing characters and narratives that even today feel fresher than most of their descendants.Īt 24 tracks long, there are plenty of skippable moments throughout Stankonia, but it is the calibre of the ones to be stuck around for that help this album stand the test of time. These also acted as the first introductions to Big Boi’s later 2007 incarnation as The Son of Chico Dusty. Jackson still get dropped by any self respecting DJ.
The hits came thick and fast as So Fresh, So Clean and Ms. The jittery vocals changed the whole hip-hop game when they first burst onto the scene, cementing 3000 and Big Boi as serious musicians who needed to be taken seriously. The Atlanta based pairing of Andre 3000 and Big Boi shook the music industry in 2000 with the release of their fourth album their most cohesive to date. It may be tough to imagine, but before ATL became one of the major hubs of rap music, it was Outkast who convinced out-of-towners that the A was already on the map.Outkast’s fourth record Stankonia, was a definitive moment in the coming together of southern hip-hop with a more East coast influence. Since, Big Boi has released lively solo albums, while André goes wherever his spirit takes him. After winning the Grammys' highest honor (Album of the Year) for their ambitious efforts-making them the second rap act to do so-Outkast released the soundtrack to their 1930s-era musical film, Idlewild, then took a break. And those contrasts blossomed on 2003's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, a double album featuring Big Boi's funk-infused hip-hop and André's Prince and Jimi Hendrix-inspired ballads. Each record offered more amorphous flows and endless imagination than the one before it, with bars promoting non-violence and perseverance, perhaps most explicitly spelled out on socially conscious standout "Humble Mumble." Over time, they played up their complementary personalities: André's poetic pensiveness and eccentricity shined, as Big Boi excelled at quick-witted slick talk. With thick drawls and lucid lyrics over soulful instrumentation, Outkast continued their art of storytelling with three almost instantly classic follow-ups, ATLiens, Aquemini, and Stankonia. Their 1994 debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik-punctuated by a silky single, "Player's Ball"-was a coming-of-age depiction of the pimps, rides, and aura of their hood. Atlanta natives André Benjamin and Antwan Patton, both born in 1975, met as teenagers rapping in their school cafeteria before forming a duo and connecting with local producers Organized Noize. "The South got something to say," André 3000 proclaimed at the 1995 Source Awards as he and Big Boi accepted the award for Best New Rap Group.
Back before rappers below the Mason-Dixon Line got the respect of their East and West Coast contemporaries, Outkast raised the bar for lyricism, originality, and creativity.