Outkast reunited this weekend to perform at Coachella. Even though I couldn't be there to see it live, I was able to watch the set on YouTube, and I was very excited to see the return. I've been a fan of Outkast for almost twenty years. In my opinion they are the greatest rap duo of all time. I own every one of their albums, and I will buy anything new they produce in a heartbeat. Although, to be honest, I really don't think a new Outkast album is going to happen. So it's a good thing I have their old albums to continue to listen to, because they really never get old.
I was first introduced to Outkast with ATLiens, the song. Holy crap! How do you not fall in love with that song?! It has the catchiest hook and probably one of the most iconic lines in rap history. ("I'm cooler than a polar bear's toenails.") Needless to say, I bought the album and loved it. Then a couple years later Rosa Parks was released and I was blown away again. I immediately bought the Aquemini album and was not disappointed. I listened to that album repeatedly for months.
And then Stankonia was released and my mind was blown. This is what every rap album should aspire to be. In my mind it was an absolute masterpiece. My college roommate and I listened to this album on every road trip we took. It became a ritual and a source of bonding. We even had inside jokes based on the interludes and lines from certain songs. My like for Outkast had officially turned into obsession. I realized I didn't own their first album, Southerplayalisticadillacmuzik, so I bought it and fell in love with another great album. The thing I love most about Outkast is that every album has its own unique sound. They experiment with music and always seem to make it work.
Things took a different turn after Stankonia. They released a greatest hits album featuring a few new songs, including The Whole World. Then came the double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. It was basically two solo albums packaged together, and allowed fans to see the different musical stylings of Big Boi and Dre. It was definitely not my favorite album, but it is still really good, and, to me, plays as so much more than a rap album. It even won the Grammy Award for Best Album. I was glad to see Outkast win, even if it wasn't for what I thought was their best album. Their next album, and to date their last album, was a soundtrack to their movie, Idlewild. Upon its first release I didn't really like this album. There were few songs where Big Boi and Dre actually performed together and it was even more musically diverse than what we were used to from Outkast. I let this album sit for years before giving it another shot. Once I did, though, I found that I actually liked it a lot more than I initially thought. It's different in a good way. And while it will never be my go to album for an Outkast fix, I'm not disappointed when I listen to it.
I still, though, held Stankonia as the gold standard of Outkast albums. And then I stumbled across this gem of an article on the internet.
Stankoff 2011
It's an Outkast bracket. And while I don't agree with all of the selections, I can't argue with the champion. But more than anything else, this article forced me to relisten to my Outkast library. What I discovered is how great the Southernplayalistic and Aquemini albums are. (Read tomorrow's post for more specific reasons about my thoughts.) I seriously started rethinking why I thought Stankonia was their best album. And right now, I'm not sure it really is anymore. In fact, I might actually lean towards Aquemini if I had to choose this instant. Of course, I might also go with Southernplayalistic. OK, I'm not sure I can really choose at all.
The bottom line is that Outkast has 20 years of powerhouse music, and I've enjoyed being part of the ride. I was excited to see them reunite on stage after years of solo work. I wish they were playing a venue closer to me so I could see them live, because I fear this might be the last we see of Outkast. If it is, I can safely say they have left an indelible mark on the music world. They are my favorite rap group and I will continue to include them at the top of any playlist. I was going to include a list of lesser known Outkast songs that everyone should be made aware of, but now that I see the length of this post, I think will save that for a separate post tomorrow.
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