My Top Ten Outkast Songs

The hip-hop duo Outkast, one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful rap groups of all time has released six albums since 1994, each gaining considerable praise and recognition. Consisting of Andre "Andre 3000" and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton, the group itself is actually part of a supergroup known as The Dungeon Family, also consisting of Goodie Mob (Cee-Lo Green, Khujo, T-Mo, and Bigg Gipp), the Organized Production team, and a number of other affiliated rap and R&B acts, many of whom appear on Outkast projects. While their catalog is full of songs I keep in heavy rotation, I would narrow down my favorite Outkast songs to the following ten.

From their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik:

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

The title track of their debut is an exuberant celebration of youth. The two naturally trade verses over an uptempo beat, less concerned with notions of spirituality, society, and identity than they will be on subsequent albums. Instead, they revel in being young and wild, delivering their lines with such infectious energy, you will easily find yourself singing along with the chorus.

Git Up, Git Out

The song that introduced the world to Goodie Mob is an ode to ambition and self-reliance. Andre and Cee-Lo Green (also of Gnarls Barkley fame) drop memorable verses about dropping out of high school and their struggles to stay motivated enough to support their families, while Big Gipp and Big Boi talk about the perils of making money on the streets.

From ATLiens:

Elevators

Featuring perhaps their catchiest hook, over perhaps their smoothest beat (it's either this or Stankonia's So Fresh, So Clean), Andre's standout verses chronicle the duos struggles for success, and his message to a fan that entertainment is hard work.

13^th Floor/Growin' Old

A wonderful closer to ATLiens, the track begins with a performance poem about black identity and laden with Biblical imagery from Dungeon Family affiliate Big Rube. Andre and Big Boi reflect on where they've come from, as they drop verses about maturing. The hushed production is complemented by Debra Killings' sedate chorus:

"Something's gotta change
Sounds of laughter and happiness come from teardrops to rain
Been bearing this burden for too many of my days
Looks like breezes of Autumn done finally blew my way
Like memories of yesterday..."

From Aquemini:

Aquemini

By their second album, Andre and Big Boi's content had clearly begun to diverge from that of their debut. Here both effortlessly glide over a mellow track, at once affirming their difference styles and preoccupations, as well as the strength of their bond. Big clearly dwells more on worldly concerns, while Andre explores questions of identity, spirituality, and social expectation. The instrumental change midway through is a nice touch, as is the addition of the trumpets, used to equally beautiful effect elsewhere on the album.

Da Art of Storytellin' (Part 1)

Their third single from the critically acclaimed Aquemini, Da Art of Storytellin (part 1) is notable for the overall purist hip-hop ethos as embodied in the chorus, coupled with its innovative production values that are quintessentially Outkast. It's also notable for a truly unforgettable and compelling verse from Andre about a childhood friendship that ends in tragedy.

Liberation

Devoid of a hook, Liberation features short sung verses from Andre and Big Boi, followed by a mournful Cee-Lo Green asking God for guidance. Erykah Badu sings about the perils of fame from the point of view of a young rap star, and Big Rube closes with a spoken word piece about the spiritual travails of young blacks in America. The production is heavily influenced by gospel music, and is a pitch-perfect penultimate track for this deeply spiritual album.

From Stankonia:

Red Velvet

Big Boi steals the song here with the opening message that real accomplishment isn't measured in material objects, but in how much positive change you make. Andre experiments with various vocal effects, and gets in a few good lines: "Bill Gates don't dangle diamonds in the face/of peasants as he Microsofting up the place." The memorable hook here warns of the consequences of excessive pride and showiness.

Slum Beautiful

Andre croons a few lines about his appreciation for women with style and flair, Big Boi drops a wickedly salacious verse, and Cee-Lo Green provides the poetic:

"Look at you, unbelievably, brilliant beautiful you
You're looking deliciously divine darling you really and truly do
The very thought of, has got me running at the speed of love
Exploring everything about you from the ground to the God above
Suddenly I started dreaming, traveling in time so fast
I could almost taste the outer space
I saw the face of God and it looked like you and me too
Hello, I'm the man that God made you for
Profound don't you think? Okay let's put this poetry in motion
I'm shining simply because Mother Earth I am your son
Our entire circumference engulfed in emotion
Forever's gonna be so fun"

All three styles complement each other and make for an understated elegant track.

From Speakerboxxx/The Love Below:

A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre (Incomplete)

Over a spare beat, Andre 3000 raps for just the third time on The Love Below, but oh what a rhyme. A witty autobiographical account in 100+ bars, the rapper proves definitively to anyone who has just listened to him sing for the past 78 minutes, that he is still bar none one of the most talented and poetic rappers around. Employing double entendre, simile, metaphor, and an abundance of internal rhyme, Dre drops easily one of 2003's best verses.