Rank a Discography: OutKast
- Chris Harrison
- Apr 5, 2018
- 5 min read
We all love to argue on the internet, even when all parties involved like the same thing. We may love the same artist, but for different reasons. We might fight over which album is a classic and which one is hot garbage. Here, at Narrativity, we're going to take a shot at ranking the discographies of some of our favorite artists. Obviously, these rankings are all 100% accurate and should be taken as historical facts.
OutKast, the Atlanta hip-hop duo made up of Andre 3000 and Big Boi, is not only one of the most influential groups in rap history, they're one of the biggest groups in modern music. From the smoked-out sounds of their debut album to the diamond-selling double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, 'Kast has something to offer just about everyone— to quote a skit from Aquemini, "first they was some pimps, man, then they was some aliens or some genies or some shit...then they talkin' 'bout that black righteous space." Like I said, it's a wide-ranging catalog. Naturally, it was hard as hell to rank, especially once I got to the top three. But enough build-up. Let's get this thing going.
6. Idlewild (2006)
Even for a duo known for taking creative risks—for example, Andre 3000's acting career—Idlewild is a little bit out there. At the peak of their fame, two of the most famous musical artists on the planet decided to make a hip-hop musical set in the 1930's and their next album would be its soundtrack. The movie was, uh, watchable, but it's been more or less completely forgotten. It's a shame because the album actually has a handful of really strong tracks. It was also most of the world's first real exposure to Janelle Monae. "Idlewild Blue" and "Morris Brown" are infectious singles, "The Train" is one of Big Boi's best songs, and the tracks with Monae are fun as hell. It doesn't compare to their best work, but it's a solid album and it's well worth a revisit.
Best Song: "The Train"
5. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994)
This is the album that started it all. It's the simplest of their projects, but shows clear flashes of their considerable potential. Two teenagers rapping about life in the south over laid-back funk set the groundwork for two of the greatest careers in the genre. Their first single, "Player's Ball," was originally the best Christmas song in hip-hop before undergoing some slight changes for the album version, "Git Up, Get Out" was the kind of anthem that changes young men's lives (it also features a show-stealing verse from CeeLo Green, who I'd like to remind you used to rap before he started performing dressed as Star Wars characters and abstract concepts), the title track is a summer day in musical form, and "Ain't No Thang" features both members flexing their ability on the mic. It's one of the most unique debut albums any rap group has put out.
Best Song: "Git Up, Git Out"
4. ATLiens (1996)
This is the album where OutKast became the daring and experimental group we know today. ATLiens has a slightly darker sound than their other work, with Andre 3000 ruminating on the ephemeral nature of rap careers on "Elevators," while tracks like "Ova Da Wudz" and "Babylon" feature moodier backdrops than their debut. The title track is a spaced-out jam (and an ode to fish and grits), "Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac)" is hard as hell, and "Elevators" and "Millenium" are wildly underrated. ATLiens is also my personal dividing line for separating OutKast's very good work from the 100% certified classics. Everything ranked above this album belongs in the Hall of Fame and they were all a pain in the ass for me to rank.
Best Song: "ATLiens"
3. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
What do I even do with this album? Do I count it as an OutKast double album or as two separate but related solo albums? It's ostensibly an OutKast project, but only three songs prominently feature vocals from both Dre and Big Boi. Still, I counted it as one album because of how much it meant to the duo's legacy.
When people get to talking about OutKast, one thing that comes up all the time is how people wish Dre was still rapping. Aside from his unicorn-esque once-in-a-blue-moon appearances on random remixes, he's largely absent from the music scene, and on the group's most famous work, he chose to sing rather than rap. It bothers people because Dre's a supremely gifted MC, truly one of the best of all time. Still, it irks me that people talk as if he carried the group and Big Boi was just some dude, because, dude, Speakerboxxx is better than The Love Below.
On The Love Below's side, "Hey Ya!" (the OutKast song even the most square suburban parents know) and "Roses" were mega hits and Andre had a few other gems, like "Behold a Lady" and "Dracula's Wedding." But Speakerboxxx is the clear winner here. How many albums—ever—can fuck with a "GhettoMusick"/"Unhappy"/"Bowtie"/"The Way You Move"/"The Rooster" opening run? I mean, that's just crazy. "Bowtie" is one of the smoothest tracks ever put to wax and "The Way You Move" still packs dance floors like nothing else 15 years later. And that's not even mentioning the back half of the album. Maybe the craziest part is that this still isn't OutKast's best work.
Anyway, for this album, I'm picking the best song other than the two biggest hits, "The Way You Move" and "Hey Ya!" since everybody and they momma already knows those anyway.
Best Song (Speakerboxxx): "Bowtie"
Best Song (The Love Below): "Roses," because real guys go for real down-to-Mars girls.
2. Stankonia (2000)
If Speakerboxxx/The Love Below can lean on "Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move," Stankonia can counter with "So Fresh, So Clean" and "Ms. Jackson," two absolute classics. "So Fresh, So Clean" in particular is absolutely irrestistable. Big Boi tops "ATLiens'" "cooler than a polar bear's toenails" with "cooler than Freddie Jackson sippin' a milkshake in a snowstorm" and rocking a goddamn polar bear rug in the music video. Every morning, I aspire to get up, brush my teeth, and get ready for work with the kind of sauce Andre 3000 has in that video. When that song hit, there was zero doubt they were the coolest motherfunkers on the planet (shout-out to radio stations for having the sense to not edit that out).
Beyond that? "Spaghetti Junction" is the most underrated song they've ever released. "Gangsta Shit" has one of Dre's best verses. "Red Velvet" and "Humble Mumble" are astounding and "B.O.B." is hyperkinetic futuristic insanity. Also, bonus points for both members of the group actually being on (almost) all of the songs together.
Best song: "B.O.B." (I was really torn over this one)
1. Aquemini (1998)
This is about as good as rap albums get. "Rosa Parks" is OutKast at their catchy best. "Skew It On the Bar-B" and "Return of the G" are both hard as fuck, while "Da Art of Storytellin'" and its sequel showcased Dre and Big Boi's range as artists. "Aquemini" and "Liberation" are certified classics, with the latter flexing every last ounce of CeeLo's talent. There's nothing skippable on here (ehhhh except "Mamacita"). But I'm here to talk to you about "SpottieOttieDopaliscious." Besides having an incredible name, the song is also Peak OutKast. First of all, the bass line is butter. The beginning suggests a pretty typically laid-back groove, with a gorgeous horn part and some of frequent collaborator Sleepy Brown's finest vocals, but it quickly morphs into something more. Both rappers break into long, detailed spoken-word pieces with the kind of world-building typically reserved for high fantasy. In Big Boi's tale, he spots a woman who moved like a "brown stallion horse with skates on," whose neck smelled "sweeter than a plate of yams with extra syrup." The song is absolutely intoxicating and the tales never get old.
Best Song: "Sp0ttieOttieDopaliscious"
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