I should let you know this up front: this
review is biased. Anyone who knows
me will definitely know one thing about me – that dude is an OutKast fan. I have been down with the ATL duo long
before I could vote, buy cigarettes, or drink alcohol. In high school and college, I was their
biggest promoter, letting people know well in advance when an OutKast album would
be released. The easiest way to
piss me off is to say, “OutKast is wack!”
I had no problem getting in your face to let you know the absolute
falsity of your statement, and I will not let up until you are defeated. Well, not really. Most friends usually said just to rile
me up because it was funny to them.
Nevertheless, no one who knows can deny OutKast’s impact on my life, and
I am not alone. Since their debut,
OutKast has released six albums selling at least a million copies, released a
handful of hit singles, and won multiple awards. Critics often praised their work for their originality,
lyrical substance, and song writing abilities. In fact, OutKast is also one of two hip-hop artists to win
the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
It was a proud moment as a fan, even though I did not watch the Grammys
that year (still think that they are full of shit).
Despite OutKast’s commercial and critical
success, the group has struggled to get respect from their contemporaries. Since their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik in 1994,
many hip-hop enthusiasts dismissed OutKast as not being “real hip-hop.” Big names in the industry (Def Jam
founder Russell Simmons initially comes to mind) did not look at them as being
part of the culture. At the time,
OutKast seem to have a lot going against them. First, they used mostly live instruments as opposed to jazz
and funk samples to craft their music.
Second, many of their choruses had more of an R&B influence, which
ended up being largely ahead of its time.
Third, they were on LaFace Records, a predominately R&B record label
based in Atlanta, Georgia. In
addition, OutKast was not from either New York or Los Angeles, two of the major
media hubs of the country. They
were straight Southern-fried and did not hesitate to embrace their Southern
roots.
However, because they sounded like nothing
else on the radio, OutKast lived up to their name and became “outcasts” of the
industry. It was never more
apparent after the infamous 1995 Source Awards where OutKast was booed when
accepting an award and Andre made an ominous prediction of the South’s eventual
rise to prominence. Even though,
Andre’s prediction came true in the late 1990s, no one gave OutKast props for
opening the door for the Southern hip-hop. Critics paid more attention to the gimmick groups like
Master P/No Limit, Cash Money, Pastor Troy, Miracle, Drama, and other
forgettable artists that came out.
Instead, many critics tried to separate them from their Southern roots
due to their tendency to experiment with different sounds on each album and
their dedication to lyricism. In
other words, people did not consider them “southern.” Luckily, the lack of respect just motivated them to make
better music. Even now, the media
does not acknowledge the group’s accomplishment, at least compared to other
rappers. Why? I blame the bias New York and Los
Angeles media that always prop up their hometown heroes, whether good or
bad. I also blame OutKast
themselves, for they have remained humble throughout their career and have not
made narcissistic pleas to the media to consider them the greatest rappers in
the world (unlike Jay-Z, Kanye West, Dr. Dre, among others). As time marches on, more new artists
are citing them as influences, but with so many forces against them in the
beginning, the chip on their shoulder still remains visible.
