I have a secret love that only my closest friends know. I don’t think my parents know. Very few colleagues know. Most people would be very surprised to learn about it; some even shocked. Underneath the business attire, despite the fact that I’m a preacher’s kid, and even after 20+ years and two degrees in classical music, I can’t deny how much I LOVE Outkast.
Yes. I’m about to shout from the rooftops. I love Outkast, the trend setting, boundary pushing, multi Grammy® award-winning hip hop duo from the ATL. Andre Benjamin, aka Andre 3000, and Antwan Patton, aka Big Boi, aka Daddy Fat Sax, aka General Patton. I remember the first time I heard “Player’s Ball” (on a mix tape, I was 15) and buying my first ‘Kast album (ATLiens in 1998). I remember taking the bus to buy Stankonia the day it came out in October 2000 and telling people how “B.O.B.” was different from anything I had heard before, never mind that they were singing about Shock and Awe three years before it actually happened. (Some people think “B.O.B.” was the song of a generation; not quite true. That would come three years later.) I was so excited to find out that I actually grew up in the SWATS that many subsequent screen names and email passwords included the five-letter acronym.
There is definitely some Southern pride at play and a little coming-of-age sentimentality, but the biggest reason I love Outkast is because I’m a classical musician. My diploma actually says I’m a “Master of Music.”
As a classical trumpeter, I’ve been trained to listen objectively and subjectively. I need to be able to identify, analyze, and critique the smallest details in tone, rhythm, intonation, balance, etc. I need to understand the historic context of a piece and the dramatic and emotional arc intended by a composer. I’ve spent hundreds of hours listening to dozens of recordings of the same works, performed by artists from across the world, only to tear them apart.
(While the opening fanfare on the Chicago Symphony’s 1990 live recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 has a few intonation issues, it captures the intensity and precision of the legendary brass section and comes about as close as a CD can to conveying what it feels like to hear the ensemble live.
OR
Daniel Barenboim’s recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Glen Gould’s 1955 recording are both too Romantic to be “authentic,” however I much prefer the fluidity of their lines and the emotive quality of their performances to the all-too-pristine harpsichord playing of Christophe Rousset.)
SO, in my (ahem) expert opinion, I can confidently say that Outkast is superior to most other hip hop acts. They are respectful of their influences and the traditions around them, especially the raw, “dirty south” sound that prevailed when they emerged onto the scene, but they have never, ever been afraid to step out on their own, nor have they rested comfortably where they are (usually quite successful) before continuously reinventing themselves and re-earning their brand.
In part 1 of a multi-post exposé, I’ll lead you through highlights of ‘Kast’s debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. Yes, there’s a prevalence of pimpin’ and dope slangin’. But come on, man; they were 19 years old. Listen closely. I think you’ll see what I mean.
- Peaches (intro): Horns, organ, and drums set a funky, bluesy, free jazz tone that I think is a little more important than it might seem at first. We haven’t even heard a real song yet, but their sound is a big departure from just about all the other major releases of 1994: Nas Illmatic, Notorious B.I.G. Ready to Die, Common Resurrection, The Roots Do You Want More?!!!??!, Beastie Boys Ill Communication. Those albums are all great, but they’re competing with each other, rather than staking out new territory.
- Myintrotoletuknow: This sounds like a mixtape track for sure, featuring the strength and speed of the rhymes, establishing some street cred for their hustling, and boasting about the grittiness of their hometown. There is definite assertiveness and edge in their delivery–more than I would expect from almost anyone’s first album. We get a little glimpse of Andre’s creativity and humor, albeit about smoking weed (“I got the Peter, Paul and plus that Mary Jane”). Who raps about Peter, Paul and Mary?!? Not Nas. And hidden in the song, they let us know that there is more that we can expect from them than what’s on the surface (“Dope, is not what I be slanging on this track / Ni***z don’t comprehend that it be deeper than Cadillacs.”). Andre and Big Boi were basically adolescents in 1994, but they knew that they were ahead of the curve! Musically, underneath the rhymes, there is little of the soulful feel of the previous track; listen carefully though, and underneath the scratching, you’ll enjoy the guitar and brief horn samples.
- Player’s Ball: The hook is so smooth and catchy, I dare you to listen and not be singing it for the rest of the day. I like the variety of car sounds in the samples and the effects: the guitar riffs that sound like car horn blasts (or alarms?) and the oscillating sounds of the keyboard (0:56, 1:27) that might just be a police siren. I really like the contrast between the relaxed sound and the subject of the rhymes. Christmas in the SWATS is as tough as any other day (“Gettin tipsy off the nog” but “It’s just another day of work to me the spirit just ain’t in me”). Second, the rhythm in Andre’s last verse is clearly and intentionally different from what you’ve just heard from Big Boi. He beats you with his originality. By the way, this is exactly what makes his verse on “The Real Her” from Drake’s new album sound better than anybody else.
- Git Up, Git Out: The world has Outkast to thank for introducing Goodie Mob front man Cee-Lo to an audience outside the SWATS. Thank your Dungeon Family crew, Lo. Without them, the world might never have heard “Crazy,” and that would be tragic.
The next installment of “The love below” will focus on the incredible ATLiens. I’ll also introduce a special feature called Miriam-Webster Alert. I can’t wait.
Recommended reading: Stankfest 2011.
two dope boys in a Cadillac 
🙂