There isn’t a group or duo in hip hop better than Outkast. There isn’t a more consistent act or even a more outstanding act than Andre 3000 and Big Boi. Bad music isn’t in their repertoire; neither is lackluster, lazy, boring, or unpolished. The fact is: Outkast is the greatest act in hip hop history, bar none. Sure, it seems like a bold statement, acts like De La Soul, Tribe, EPMD, Gangstarr, and Wu Tang might contend, but given the resume, the consistency, and the quality of Outkast, it is a contest they win.
With all that said comes one of the best albums to ever hit the hip hop shelves: ATLiens. A front to back gem that includes top notch production from the extremely underrated production team, Organized Noize, as well as Earthtone III. Even though this album did debut fairly high on the charts, it wasn’t until Stankonia that the group got the recognition that they truly deserved since 1994. The production is necessarily diverse ranging from the Cadillac cruising “Two Dope Boyz”, to the mellow story of “Jazzy Belle”, to the jazzy spaced out “Mainstream”. The album touches plenty of topics, which displays the range that Big Boi and Andre have. Rarely can a group make it look so easy (if you look at some of my past reviews, my biggest issue is that they do not focus on one particular area, but rather, float all over the place).
The title track is an outstanding joint that provides one of the most unique beats hip hop has heard. It also shows the two trading punches and matching each other verse for verse making all other emcees foam at the mouth because of how flawless it all is. Lines like “I’m cooler than a polar bears toenail” and “My oral illustration be like clitoral stimulation” are punchlines rappers like Fabolous and Jeezy dream of. The heat continues with “Elevators”, which shows Andre and Big Boi speaking of their rise (or drop?) to fame via hip hop’s elevators. The last verse by Andre is considered to be one of the best he’s dropped. “Wailin” is a 2 minute lyrical slaughterfest that is clear, concise, and to the point. It might pass you by at first, but those two verses will have you rewinding for days.
“Ova Da Wudz” and “Two Dope Boyz” display Andre and Big Boi as aggressive emcees, but on the contrary, this entire album is rather laid back with fierce lyricism. It is great to hear the ying and the yang of Outkast. The pimp hand that Big Boi holds and the magical wand that is held by Andre allow Outkast to distribute the best that can possibly be delivered. It provides for an explosion of flavour in the ears of listeners, but it all combines into one hearty and wholesome meal.
The Dungeon Family is all over this album, which may be the only negative. Ideally, Andre would be on “Decatur Psalm” and more Andre would appear on “Mainstream”. The Dungeon Family held their own, but there can never be enough Andre 3000. This leads to somewhat of an overload of guest appearances towards the end of the album over great production that Big Boi and Andre should be ripping apart on their own.
All in all, it is great to go back and review this album because it allows everything to sink back in. Buff1, during an interview with Kevin, stated that he felt that ATLiens is the best album ever. You know what Buff, you just might be correct. We value Andre so much more now because he does not rap as much (and when he does…wow), and we are able to appreciate Big Boi now, because while every rapper might attempt the same lyrical content that he lays out, none can pull it off like he can. We also appreciate Outkast more because we know that this chemistry is unparalleled any other pair. Rarely are listeners treated to one dynamic MC for an hour, so adding another MC will only encourage eargasms. With that said, kings do ride Cadillac’s.
Overall Score: 93.5/100
Standout Tracks:
ATLiens
Wailin
Two Dope Boyz
Millenium
No related posts.
Follow: Sean Deez on Twitter
