The Young Thugs and Migos of the scene wouldn’t be around if OutKast didn’t lay down the foundations and if albums like ‘Stankonia’ weren’t made. But more importantly, it opens the doors for other artists to enter. In hindsight, that’s when some of the best music is made. Like Big Boi said in an interview when it came to making 'Stankonia': “All the doors were blown off, there were no boundaries”. In-between songs, skits lead onto tracks or are used for comedic effect in heavy Atlantian slang. The opener ‘Gasoline Dreams’ has guitar strings that hit you like a truck and ‘Gangster Sh*t’ is an aggressive head bopper.
Each raps a verse before coming together on the last back-to-back, with their flows blending into each other. 'Spaghetti-Junction' shows the duo's chemistry at its fullest. Then, there’s the turbulent ‘Toilet Tisha’, a vivid story from the hood of a 14-year old girl struggling with the idea of having a baby. ‘Stankonia’ is a journey through sounds of funk and hip-hop, 'So Fresh, So Clean' is a straight up anthem, both catchy in the hook and beat. A storm is centred as the central theme through the music video and track, a metaphor for 'stormy' relationships, as Andre states: "Hope that we feel this, feel this way forever/You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather, Ms. Jackson’ is the story of ruined relationships, and promises that weren’t kept. Influenced by Andre and his relationship with Erykah Badu, ‘Ms. If you hadn’t heard of OutKast before, you certainly would’ve by now. Both radio friendly and catchy, the track pushed them into stardom, winning a Grammy and being the first of three songs to reach No.1 on the Billboard charts. The duo were now grown ups, and the subsequent problems they faced are referenced on the album. The song is all harmony, with no rapping, providing more of an insight into what you would hear more of on their following album ‘Speakerboxx / The Love Below’. Whilst ‘Stankonia (Stanklove)’ is all Andre 3000, he sings the hook, stretches his voice during the verses. The sarcastic pimping song is both catchy and straight up gangster. Big Boi firmly stands at the front for 'We Luv Deez Hoez'. With most OutKast songs, it's easy to tell who has had the most influence creating the track. The track is constantly switching, adding other layers. The duo's influence on the 90s rave culture can be heard through drum 'n' bass beats. Both loud and lively, the song makes commentary of life in the ghetto, whilst referring to political turmoil in Iraq at around the same time. Bombs Over Baghdad remains calm for a maximum of five seconds, before a countdown from Andre 3000 sets off the fireworks. The leading single 'B.O.B' exemplifies the album it never sits still, unapologetically getting in your face with constant surprises. The image is simple yet iconic, but gives little away as to how colourful the 24 track album really is. Both are placed in front of a huge drooped black and white American flag. The album cover shows Andre standing shirtless facing forward, arms stretched outward and chin held high, along with Big Boi rocking a baggy t-shirt and big necklace.
#OUTKAST STANKONIA IMAGES FREE#
‘Stankonia’ was a word that Andre created himself, and he explained that ‘Stankonia’ “is this place I imagined where you can open yourself up and be free to express anything”. The album was named after the recording studio that the duo bought in 1998. Their hunger to keep stretching the sounds of hip-hop hadn’t succumbed. The album shows OutKast at their most extreme the duo had reached the mainstream by this point, but they went against the idea of making another album to fit the mould. ‘Stankonia’ was released on Halloween in 2000, 20 years ago today. Their next record didn’t have to keep breaking barriers, but it did, and it cemented their status as the biggest duo in hip-hop and beyond. The duo were now household names who had proved themselves and everyone else of what they were capable of. With each record being so uniquely refined in OutKast were pushed to the forefront of the scene. A mix of fans were drawn to them through their range samples, heavy beats, southern patois and storytelling ability. OutKast’s previous albums, ‘Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik’ (1994), ‘ATLiens’ (1996) and ‘Aquemini’ (1998), all redefined the meaning of hip-hop and put the Atlanta duo on the map. Three albums deep into their career Andre 3000 and Big Boi, the composite members of duo OutKast, were getting bored with the music being released at the time. I used to be a real big fan, but not anymore, really. Followed by the other frontman stating: “Man, as far as hip-hop. “They’re real comfortable out there right now. Speaking to Spin Magazine in 2001 for a state-of-the-art interview two rappers from Atlanta explained the current state of the hip-hop scene.
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