290. OutKast, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below"

 


By 2003, Outkast was already properly regarded as one of the most important rap duos in history.  They had already released Stankonia, which featured "B.O.B.," a single Pitchfork named the best song of the 2000's, and "Ms. Jackson," an instant classic.  How do you follow that up?  With this sprawling, 2-disc collection, almost 40 songs over two hours.  To the extent the Grammys count for anything, this was Album of the Year (and Rap Album of the Year, which I guess naturally follows).

The original plan was for two solo albums, one by Big Boi and one by Andre 3000, but they decided to join their work.  Big Boi's half, "Speakerboxxx," is more pop-funky, clearly influenced by New Orleans sounds.  Take "Bowtie," for example, one of the best songs on the album.  It starts off with a blast of horns and a bright chorus of voices.  It literally sounds like a party.  "The Rooster" also sounds like a party, but turns out to be about family turmoil.  "Church" lives up to its name, clearly gospel-influenced, and about searching for meaning in an unforgiving world.  

Andre's disc, longer by quite a bit, is also more all over the place musically.  "Love Hater" is a smooth jazz number, and "Happy Valentine's Day" is a funk jam showcasing Andre's flow.  As you can tell from the titles, a lot of this disc is largely concerned with love and sex.  Don't accidentally let "Spread" come on when your kid's around.

You know the hits from this album.  Andre's is "Hey Ya!," one of the biggest singles of the aughts, and it remains a fascinating and amazing song to this day.  Built on a deceptively simple G-C-D-E chord progression, the song bobs around in its weird-ass time signature and has rightfully claimed its place as an eternal party anthem.  Big Boi's "The Way You Move" has an instantly familiar horn riff and a chorus that will not let go.

I remember buying this album on CD, a big old 2-CD brick, back in 2003.  I wish I still had it.

Does this album deserve to be in the Top 500? Probably higher than 290.

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