Artist bio

OutKast is the Atlanta-based duo of rappers Dre (Andre Benjamin) and Big Boi (Antwan Patterson), who met in high school and developed somewhat of a lyrical rivalry before teaming up out of respect for each other's skills. Good thing, because the group would go on to put the South on the hip-hop map and -- as of this writing -- release four albums without a clunker among them, exploring different styles of rap and pushing sonic boundaries while exercising two of the dopest flows in the game.

The cover of the group's 1996 album Aquemini characterized the two rappers as the player (Big Boi) and the poet (Andre). This dichotomy well describes their respective rhyming styles. Big Boi's deep, slick voice slips skillfully through his dextrous raps with a laid-back gangsta cool. Andre, he of the flamboyant, Bootsy-style outfits, drops flows dripping with a wide-mouth Southern drawl. But while oozing with grease like good fried chicken, his delivery is always crisp and smooth, even when tackling rapid-fire tongue-twisters.

From the group's dirty-South debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik through the THC-laden meditations of ATLiens, the breakthrough bump of Aquemini, and the wide-screen experimentalism of Stankonia, OutKast has contributed enough to hip-hop's canon to be considered one of the most productive and important groups of its era.

Albums by this artist

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)

Stankonia (2000)

Aquemini (Recommended) (1998)

ATLiens (1996)

OutKast

Aquemini

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» DAVE VRABEL | STAFF WRITER

NATN Recommended OutKast Aquemini LaFace, 1998 RiYL: Goodie Mob, Witchdoctor, Black Star, Cool Breeze, Jermaine Dupri

For years the rap game only had two teams -- the West coast and the East coast. But Outkast not only put the Dirty South into the running, they have given it a distant lead. It's taken three albums and several years, but the Atlanta-based duo have finally achieved the notoriety they deserve with their brilliant third offering, Aquemini.

Maybe it's the juxtaposition of Big Boi, the corn-rowed player dropping classic Big-Willie boasts, with Dre, who poetically sports non-stop prose with seemingly limitless lung capacity, not to mention fashion sense that would make Dennis Rodman blush. Then again, maybe it's the beats, laced with everything from acoustic guitar to throbbing synthesizer loops, courtesy of fellow ATLien production team Organized Noize. On a broader level, maybe it's simply the refreshing sense of a new hip-hop sound from a long-overlooked hip-hop mecca. Whatever it is, it works to perfection.

If the album's first single, "Rosa Parks" fails to induce at least a steady head-nod, please check your pulse. It's a lofty statement, but it is, for lack of a better term, one of the best rap songs ever crafted. Smart lyrics, and an acoustic guitar loop that segues perfectly into a down-home jug-band bridge, make for an unforgettable nugget that will stick in your head for weeks on end.

And while nothing else on the album will turn the party out as much as "Rosa Parks", the rest of the record makes for an captivating, and occasionally perplexing listen. "Skew It On The Barb-B" utilizes a catchy, shuffling beat, and the irrefutable skills of Wu-Tang member Raekwon immaculately. "Synthesizer," featuring George Clinton, takes a more minimalist approach, and affirms that Clinton doesn't have to be relegated to thick, on-the-one beats to show prowess. The album's majestic finale, the 7 minute-plus epic "Chonkyfire", sounds almost apocalyptic, with its slow, Voodoo-like refrain, "Do you know what brings rats, snakes, up out they hole / Chonkyfire, spiced with rock and roll, indubitably." It's not clear what they mean lyrically, but they definitely mean business.

So true hip-hop heads, doubting the creativity and originality of the genre, need look no direction but South to find their saviors. Big Boi and Dre have devised an original style and flow, not to mention one of the top records of the decade. Going back to the question what makes this record a masterpiece, one listen to Aquemini suggests the answer might be more simple. Maybe Outkast is merely one of the best rap outfits of all time.

DAVE VRABEL |