"Now question is every nigga with dreads for the cause? Is every nigga with gold for
the fall? Naw! So don't get caught in appearance it's Outkast Aquemini another Black experience"
- OutKast, Aquemini
Atlanta-based duo OutKast has delivered another black experience in their latest and most innovative album yet, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Big Boi and Andre 3000 each took one half of the double-album to develop their own material for what is their fifth album. The pre-release hype for the album in the hip-hop community was profound. Rumor was that Andre 3000's half of the album was originally part of a solo project that was supposed to be the soundtrack for a new movie.
After the movie project was shelved, Big Boi apparently came up with the idea for the double-album-two solo projects under the OutKast name. There was also some anxiety among fans that one album or the other would flop and mark the end for the
duo's collaboration. The dual album format drew lines among some fans: some that like Big Boi and what he brings to the development and progression of traditional hip-hop and others that prefer Andre 3000 and his ever-changing style and innovation.
For those of you who prefer Andre 3000 (as I must admit, I do) do not sleep on Big Boi. This brother is hip-hop to the third power. Big Boi's side, Speakerboxxx, is no joke. His heavy Southern-bred beats will keep any party jumping from the office to the dorm room or in the streets at a protest. Big Boi delivers track after track. Get ready for different sounds, moods and styles to flip a lot on Speakerboxxx. Everybody from Andre 3000 to Dungeon Ratz helped out with the production of this album. Jay-Z, Killer Mike, Ludacris, and a number of Atlanta's wildest MC's all make their appearances with Big Boi making Speakerboxxx a must have for any hip-hop fan or anyone willing to have a good time getting funky on the dance floor.
Speakerboxxx on its own is definitely a ride-through album with no tracks to be missed. The interludes are hilarious, especially one featuring Big Boi's son Bamboo. Plus, the brother comes out hard core against Bush, the current state of America, the stealing of the 2000 elections and other things that needs to be said. In a recent interview with XXL magazine Big Boi speaks about or recent War with Iraq “We think they got weapons of mass destruction, but we don’t know… Then we conquer Iraq but there aint no weapons of mass destruction. Do you mothafuckas see what’s going on? I don’t think mothafuckas know we trained Osama Bin Laden.� In the remainder of the interview Big Boi is critical of the United States being the land of the free and he mentions watching Bowling for Columbine and the Bush administration maneuvering behind the scenes. With Outkast being on of the groups coming out Against the War on Iraq, they are still aware of the state of the nation and using their music to get the word out.
Andre 3000 boldly goes where no Hip-Hop artist has gone before in The Love Below. Some say it is the least hip-hop album done by a hip-hop artist since The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It is flattering but just comparison. Rumor has it that in preparation for this album Andre took some serious music classes. He is currently taking guitar lessons and did most of the instrumental music for The Love Below himself. The work shows. This is one of the most musically diverse albums I have heard in a few years.
The Love Below blends funk, soul, rhythm and blues, rock, trip-hop, house, jungle, and other diverse musical genres from the Black American experience. Andre continues to deliver the dope lyrics and rhymes he is known for. The last track on the album, "A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre," should silence all the haters. Over a deceptively simple beat, Andre delivers a rap monologue about his life with skills and a killer hook that proves the brother has skills.
According to hip-hop magazine XXL Eminem says Andre 3000 is in the top five dead or alive hip-hop artists. Andre gives us a glance of his full musical breath and
potential on The Love Below. Andre has said to the media that he plans to start his
own band and continue to develop his skills as a musician. I cannot wait. Andre
never fails to innovate themes, beats and rhymes. He even refers to God as a woman
in God interlude. Andre did most of the album's production himself but R. Kelly helped out on “Pink and Blue� one of the albums hottest tracks. This album is not for your average Saturday night get-together-it's a straight up when you put this album in your stereo.
The bottom line is that you will have fun listening to Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Both albums are musically entertaining, innovative and fresh. Seeing Big Boi and Andre 3000 go off and do their own thing and put out two remarkable albums is exciting for fans and newcomers alike. I just can't wait for OutKast to drop another chapter in the black experience of music.
Abdul Hassan is a student at John Jay College and a member of the National Council of the YCL.
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