Outkast is a name pretty known in the R&B world, but not only because they make great music. The duo is made up of two very talented artists- Andre "Andre 3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They had four albums before the one I'm reviewing today- Speakerboxx/ The Love Below. To give you an idea of their music, every album Outkast has put out has been received well and Rolling Stone has never given an album of theirs anything less than three stars.
Speakerboxx/The Love Below is actually a double album. The side Speakerboxx is solely by Big Boi and The Love Below is the solo side of Andre 3000. Together, there are a whopping forty songs on this album and it last almost two hours, though for the record, many of the tracks are short interludes. Either way, the two side have some obvious differences.
Before I review the album though, I need to speak on something. I don't know if you guys remember, but I did a post a long while back about rap, and I still stand by that post. However, I don't hate rap in anyway. I just hate the way it's going, the way rappers and listeners are treating it. Rap is, truly, an art form. It really is poetry with music and if you treat it right, it can make your day. Well, treat it right and try to read between the lines sometimes. Rappers are smarter than we like to think, and often put positive messages between not-as positive lyrics. They often seem to mix the stupid-ness that is expected of them with actual meaningful lyrics, in a cliche parade of song. Rap, all together, is kind of a misunderstood art.
Speakerboxxx takes on the rap, head first. Big Boi starts the album with a forgettable intro, and rampages into the fast paced and mind blurring "Ghetto Musick", a good choice to begin the album by the rapper. It's a catchy mix of chill R&B and fast-paced hip hop. After that, it's just a slew of music. From the well-known single, "The Way You Move", which has slick lyrics and an infectious melody, to lesser known songs like "Unhappy", "Bowtie" and "The Rooster", which were good, but not especially memorable. "Bamboo" was probably one of the cutest "songs" I've ever heard. This little duet with Big Boi's son Bamboo (what a name!) is nothing short of adorable.
One of the best songs on this side of the album was "War", a lyrical pot of deep meanings. It's obvious Big Boi put a lot work into creating great lyrics, but he could have afforded a bit more creativity. Though he infuses R&B and soul sounds as well as other rappers styles, his beat stays the same, especially in the second half of his side of the album.
The second half of this album, The Love Below, is all Andre 3000, who does a fucking great job, excuse my French. Personally, this was the better side of the double album. The album begins with "Love Hater", a cooky mix of 20s jazz bar music and great lyrics. "Happy Valentine's Day" was one of Raivynn's favorites. True to it's name this is an anthem of this love-filled day.
Other greats on this album include "Prototype", a groovy little number, and two popular singles (though Prototype is also a single). "Hey Ya!" is clever, catchy (like many songs from this album), and just plain fun. It's gotten a significant amount of radio play, hitting number one in the US, as well as Norway, Australia, Canada and Sweden.
"Roses" is both Raivynn's and my favorite song on the album. It's almost indescribable, and if you choose to listen to one song from the whooping forty on the album, choose this one. It's arguably the best song on the album.
Since the album is so long, it's hard to really fit it all into one review. There are so many different sounds and it's an activity all in itself just listening to it. But Big Boi and Andre 3000 poured a lot into this baby, and it grew up to be great.
-Whitni
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