While Idlewild is officially Outkast’s last studio album together, many Kast’ fans saw Speakerboox/The Love Below as the album that marked the beginning of the duo’s eventual hiatus from one another. On the thirty-nine track double disc release, this track was one of only three that both Dre and Big Boi performed on together. It is understandably one of their most popular songs, as the piano and pop-ish chorus are instantly captivating off the bat. Speaking to the pretty woman of the world who ruin their beauty by their unpleasant actions, Andre and Big Boi created a timeless tune that undoubtedly belongs on any list of Outkast’s greatest songs.

 

 

The opening chorus says it all, “Old school players to new school fools, Kast’ keep it jumpin’ like kangaroos. We’ll skew it on the bar-b we ain’t tryin’ to lose, say I be gahtdamnit they done changed the rules.”  With help from Wu-Tang’s own, Chef Raekwon, Outkast’ takes their combined lyrical strengths from their first two efforts and pair it with their newly acquired futuristic funk-driven instrumentation. Another track, like B.O.B., with aggressive beat structures that was an instant recipe for a hype dance floor.

 

Once again, a case of Outkast just coming right out and letting the world know how unbelievably cool they are. “Ain’t nobody dope as me, I’m just so fresh, so clean.” Man, back when this track first dropped, anyone with Outkast in the headphones felt like the coolest individual on the planet when this came on. Simply just a feel-good, summer mood type track, which sheds light on one of the greatest things about Outkast. Although they had the ability to, they didn’t always feel obligated to come with super enlightening lyrics on every song. They knew that the easy flowing, feel-good, party type tracks were just as essential to their style.

 

Without a doubt, the coolest Outkast track in their entire catalog. It opens with thirty-five seconds of a slowed funk trance and climaxes shortly after with an eruption of a horn section that seems fitting for the arrival of a king. While I wanted to rank it higher, Andre and Big Boi don’t do any rapping on it, and instead use the song as a vehicle for somewhat of a poetry session where they narrate their lyrics throughout it. But the alluring and seductive mood of this track, which is initiated by Sleepy Brown’s voice in the intro, firmly implants it as one of Outkast’s most enjoyable and classic songs.

 

Synthesizer is a spastic collection of unusual sounds and instrumentation that all intertwine to create the perfect storm of musical chaos. I suppose that can be said for most of George Clinton’s music though, who helped in creating the funky alien-ish vibe on this track. That specific unconventional sound provides the absolute perfect platform for Andre’s style of precise attack rap. Big Boi is no slouch on this track, but Three Stacks absolutely murders it with conviction. In what is undeniably one of his best verses ever, Andre raps about how quickly our generation is progressing into one of exploitation and materialism.

 

Andre Lyric: “Ni—s bitin’ verbatim. Thought provokin’ records, radio never played em’. Instant quick grits, new, improved. Hurry hurry, rush rush, World on the move.”

 

Regarding subject and sentiment, Jazzy Belle is one of the more emotive tracks Outkast has ever recorded. The duo spends the duration of the track rapping about the negative effects of the behavior of women in our culture who have become increasingly promiscuous and irresponsible. A smooth and mesmerizing beat with the always pleasant scratching of vinyl throughout, this is a successfully placed and welcomed change of pace track within the album. The song’s subject matter, their underlying message and how they lyrically convey it, is what makes this track one of their best.

 

Andre Lyric: “While our nation is a boat, straight sinking. I hate thinking that these the future mommas of our children.”

Big Boi Lyric: “I’m leaving these foes to be the flowers, wake don’t get me.  See, I gotta be feeding my daughter, teach her to be that natural woman.”

 

One of the most overlooked songs on ATLiens. With help from a couple members of Goodie Mob (Kuhjo & T-Bu), who do their part on this track in the form of describing the hurdles and obstacles of living in the hood.  Andre instead uses this track to touch on the amount of misplaced rappers who create garbage music in their pursuit of the mainstream dream. It’s evident though that both Dre and Big Boi relate the title “mainstream” to more than just the music industry, as they both theme their respective verses around the idea of staying true to yourself and not being fake.

 

Big Boi Lyric: “Thinking it’s all about your clothes? Ni–a it’s all about yourself. The way you feel about your life, the times that you done shared with your friends and family.”

 

In terms of widespread mainstream recognition, Ms. Jackson was a groundbreaking song for the duo. But while this was a well-known and at times overplayed radio hit, the sentiment in it was never lost. This is one of Andre’s most personal tracks, as the basis of his lyrics are molded around the deteriorated relationship between he and R&B singer Erykah Badu, who is the mother of his child. He uses the song to address Erykah’s mother and let her know that regardless of the ups and downs of his relationship with her daughter, he will beyond doubt be the best father he can be for his son. A refreshing and catchy track, that ends up acting as a verbal diary for Three Stacks’ dejection.

 

 

One of the specific tracks on ATLiens that puts more emphasis on the mood rather than the message. Powered by a plethora of scratching throughout the track, which is a sample from a 1970′s song calledFocus III by the Dutch band, Focus, Wheelz Of Steel allows for Big Boi and Andre to showcase their verbal chemistry in its finest form. The duo plays a cat and mouse type game with their short intertwined verses, as they feed off each other and push one another to their respective lyrical capabilities over the gripping production.

 

One of Outkast’s most underrated tracks. They do some of their best work in regards to creating visualizations for the listener through their lyrics and the metaphorical relevance in them. Barely breaking three minutes in length and only harboring one verse each from the duo, Millennium’s strength is in the substance and delivery of the lyrics. The duo uses their skillful wordplay to touch on tales of broken dreams, pressures in succumbing to sin, betrayal and their faith and relationship with God. The beat isn’t overly captivating and it lacks the usual engaging Outkast chorus, but it provides a perfect melodic podium for what ends up being one of the most insightful displays of words from Dre and Big Boi.

 

Andre Lyric: “Inside I’m melting like water on wicked witches. A monster truck done came and ran over my picket fences. I had the best of life in my clinches, but monkey wrenches was thrown, like chairs kings sit on, my prayers seem too long.”

 

Although Da Art Of Storytellin‘ is split into two tracks on Aquemini, I ranked it as one track on this list. Mainly so I could fit an extra song in my top 20, but also because they are placed in order on the album and for good reason, as they both in unison are exactly what the title would lead you to believe they are. Story raps. In the first act, the Duo tells the tale of two young women, who are on the wrong path in life due to bad decisions and some degree just being a product of their environment. In the second act, Dre and Big Boi move on to another extreme type story session, in which they frantically rap about a quickly approaching apocalypse on earth. Both verses on part 2 are potent and emphatically delivered, and paired with the lyrical illustrations on part 1, Da Art Of Storytellin’ is a classic 6 1/2 minute ride with the authors from Atlanta.

 

Andre Lyric: “I said what you wanna be? She said, ‘Alive”. It made me think for a minute, then looked in her eyes. I coulda died, time went on, I got grown, rhyme got strong, mind got blown, I came back home to find lil’ Sasha was gone.”

 

E.T. is quite possibly the pinnacle of Outkast grasping the significance of their own lyrical consciousness. Another track that barely exceeds three minutes and only contains two verses, but those verses are two of the most insightful collections of words throughout the whole entire Outkast catalog. Over a slow mesmerizing hook that croons the words “Out of this worldddd”, Dre and Big Boi intricately dissect this track with lyrics that prove the otherworldly, advanced beings theme of the whole album to ring true. While Big Boi raps about the issues that people fall victim to in hood and staying true to his style, Andre shines on this track, touching on everything from not taking life for granted and treating others kindly, to taking the necessary risks in chasing your dreams. The majority of rap in the mid 90′s wasn’t very thought-provoking, so for Outkast to have songs like this was extremely refreshing at the time, and helped initiate the eventual process of them being placed in a league of their own.

 

Andre Lyric(s): “Right now I’m smiling, taking advantage of this moment cause there might not be another soon. Holding on to memories, like rollercoaster handlebars.”

                             

                            “Cause in a sense, we all be kind of fly. Just can’t be scared to spread your wings and head to better things.”

 

When ATLiens dropped in 1996, this track being the title track and second single released off the album, was the first gateway introduction song that took the duo’s brand new alien-ish avant-garde sound from the South and familiarized itself with a rapidly increasing fan base from all over the Country. The chorus alone, “Throw your hands in the AY-YER, and wave them like you just don’t CAY-YER”, epitomizes the new style that they were attempting to establish and is in turn entrenched throughout the classic album. Dre and Big Boi are basically telling listeners to let go of their inhibitions, become one with the music, and then proceed to dance, sing or do whatever it is you do when you get hype.  Not lost in their new innovative sound though, is the duo’s refined lyrical assault, which is on full display over this spacey track.

 

Big Boi Lyric: “And when I’m on the microphone it’s best to wear your sweater, cause i’m cooler than a polar bears toenails.”

 

Rosa Parks is easily one of the most recognizable songs, and more specifically choruses (“Ahhh Ha, hush that fuss”), that the duo has ever constructed. With this being the first single released off of Aquemini as Outkast was in the middle of their maturation process, post-ATLiens, this charismatic song ensured their fans that while they were on a mission to become more refined and polished on their new album, they had no intentions of leaving behind the southern feel-good, party style in the process. If you hadn’t heard of Outkast before this dropped in 98′, then this likely got you familiar with them. From the dynamic world play, to the heavy bass and scratching, to the collective chants/clapping and one large harmonica breakdown, Rosa Parks is laced with a little bit of all of Outkast’s best qualities. This track is as timeless as they come.

 

 

This track was directed towards anyone in the hip-hop culture who ever once hated on or doubted Outkast for whatever reason. As the duo inevitably became more and more cultivated with each of their first two releases, there were some people in the rap industry who looked at Outkast’s aberrant style as soft and weak, as opposed to innovative. Andre and Big Boi use this slow bass driven track as grounds for what ends up being the most viciously pleasant array of lyrics in their whole discography. Along with people’s negative opinions of their music, the two emcees also address fake rappers, mindless gangsters and thoughtless parents. There is a certain type of captivating anger that is liberated by the two emcees on Return Of The G’, as they both seem to have large chips on their shoulder and some negative shit on their chest. In some of the most polarizing verses to date from each emcee, they clearly convey the message that they are back in a major way, and don’t really give a f–k what anyone thinks about it.

 

 

 

This track is the epitome of who Outkast is. Production that is funky, laid-back and bass heavy, paired with substantial lyrics, a dynamic delivery and distinct endearment. With the track being one big metaphor comparing the duo’s lives and careers to that of an elevator rising from the bottom floor to the top, it’s obvious that Andre and Big Boi have a firm sense of self awareness, but also possess a certain type of confidence that is essential to longevity in the music industry. They are clear about the hurdles they had to overcome both in their adolescence and in the beginning stages of their music careers, to eventually get to the fortunate position they are currently in. Andre’s verse about running into an old classmate in the mall, is my favorite all-time verse of his, as he explains to this guy who he doesn’t remember, “I live by the beat, like you live check to check. If you don’t move your feet, than I don’t eat. So we like neck-to-neck.”  The ability to appreciate and acknowledge that if it weren’t for the fans, their music wouldn’t be possible, has always been one of the most engaging things about Outkast. In the midst of a rap culture that was full of deceit and fabrication, it’s conscience verses like that which would help pave the way for Outkast to become something special.

 

The title track off of their third album, the name Aquemini comes from the combination of both Big Boi and Andre’s zodiac signs, being Aquarius and Gemini.  In that same realm of cohesiveness, this track is so essential to and telling of the duo’s relationship in and out of music. Throughout their professional careers with one another, and even into their recent hiatus, there has seemingly always been an incorruptible chemistry between the two MC’s. This track is basically the eternally inked contract to that chemistry. Andre and Big Boi profess that while there will be inevitable ups and downs throughout their two man voyage into the limelight, Outkast will flourish and never die. The opening hook may be the most profound lyrics to ever be spoke in an Outkast song. “Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die, horoscopes often lie. And that’s sometimes “y”, nothing is for sure, nothing is for certain, nothing lasts forever.. but until they close the curtain.. It’s him and I.. Aquemini.”  Sure, there are more beloved, catchy and lyrically skilled Outkast songs than Aquemini, but this is the most powerfully symbolic track of what Outkast has stood for their whole career. And with the recent news of Andre and Big Boi possibly on the verge of re-uniting, is there any song in their whole catalog that is currently more relevant? I don’t believe there is.

 

But until they close the curtain..