The group's original musical style was a mixture of Dirty South and G-Funk. Since then funk, soul, pop, electronic music, rock, spoken word poetry, jazz, and blues have been added to the group's musical palette. The duo consists of Atlanta native André "Andre 3000" Benjamin (formerly known as Dré) and Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton.
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is one of only four hip-hop albums to be certified Diamond in the U.S. for shipping over 10 million units. Along with Outkast's commercial success, they have maintained an experimental approach in their music and are widely praised for their originality and artistic content.
Benjamin and Patton met while attending Tri-Cities High School, a Visual and Performing Arts School. Benjamin's parents were divorced and he was living with his father. Meanwhile, Patton had to move with his four brothers and six sisters from Savannah to Atlanta. Benjamin and Patton eventually teamed up and were pursued by Organized Noize, a group of local producers who would later make hits for TLC. The duo initially wanted to be called "2 Shades Deep" or "The Misfits", but because those names were already taken they later decided to use "OutKast" based on finding "outcast" as synonym for "misfit" in a dictionary. OutKast, Organized Noize, and schoolmates Goodie Mob formed the nucleus of the Dungeon Family organization.
OutKast signed to LaFace Records in 1992, becoming the label's first hip hop act and making their first appearance on the remix of label mate TLC's "What About Your Friends". In 1993, they released their first single, "Player's Ball". The song's funky style, much of it accomplished with live instrumentation, was a hit with audiences. "Player's Ball" hit number-one on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart.
Their debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, was issued on April 26th, 1994. This initial effort is credited with laying the foundation for southern hip hop and is considered a classic by many hip hop aficionados. Every track on Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was produced by Organized Noize and featured other members of the Dungeon Family. Follow-up singles included the title track and "Git Up Git Out", a politically charged collaboration with Goodie Mob that was later sampled by Macy Gray for her 1999 hit "Do Something." On this early material, both André and Big Boi contrast lyrical content reflecting the lifestyles of pimps and gangsters with politically conscious material commenting on the status of African Americans in the South. OutKast won Best New Rap Group at the Source Awards in 1995. In the same year, the group contributed "Benz or a Beamer" to the popular New Jersey Drive soundtrack.
ATLiens was OutKast's second album, released on August 27th, 1996. The album exhibited more self-consciousness, and further solidified OutKast as the flagship representatives of the 1st generation Dungeon Family and the Southern hip hop movement. The album helped the group earn more recognition among East Coast hip hop fans in the East and West coasts.
For this album, OutKast joined with partner David "Mr. DJ" Sheats to form the Earthtone III production company, which allowed the group to produce some of their own tracks. "ATLiens" was the group's second Top 40 single (following "Player's Ball" from their first album), and reflected the beginning of André's increasingly sober lifestyle: "No drugs or alcohol/so I can get the signal clear," he rhymes about himself. "Elevators (Me & You)," OutKast's first self-produced single, became the group's first Top 20 hit the same year.
OutKast's third album Aquemini was released on September 29, 1998 and also reached the number-two position on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States; its title was a combination of the zodiac signs of Big Boi (an Aquarius) and André (a Gemini). The album was widely praised as possibly the group's best material to date: when reviewed by popular hip-hop publication The Source, it received the much-coveted "5 Mics" (out of five) rating.
Producing more material themselves, both Big Boi and André explored more eclectic subject matter, delving into sounds inspired by soul, trip hop, and electro music. The album featured production by Organized Noize and collaborations with Raekwon, funk pioneer and musical forebear George Clinton, and Goodie Mob.
In 1999, OutKast and LaFace Records were sued by Rosa Parks over the album's most successful radio single, which bore Parks' name as its title. The lawsuit alleged that the song misappropriated Parks' name, and also objected to some of the song's obscene language.
The song's lyrics were largely unrelated to Parks, save for a line in the chorus: "Ah ha, hush that fuss / Everybody move to the back of the bus". The song, which OutKast maintained was intended partly as homage, only refers to Parks as a metaphor: the purpose of the song's chorus is to imply that OutKast is overturning hip hop's old order, that people should make way for a new style and sound. The initial lawsuit was dismissed. Parks' representation hired lawyer Johnnie Cochran to appeal the decision in 2001, but the appeal was denied on First Amendment grounds. In 2003, the Supreme Court allowed Parks' lawyers to proceed with the lawsuit.
In 2004, the judge in the case appointed an impartial representative for Parks after her family expressed concerns that her caretakers and her lawyers were pursuing the case based on their own financial interest. Later that same year, the members of OutKast were dropped as co-defendants, and Parks' lawyers continued to seek action against LaFace and parent company BMG. In 2003 André told UK journalist Angus Batey that, following a Detroit concert in the midst of the legal battle, relatives of Parks had approached him and implied that the case was less to do with Rosa than with the lawyers. The suit was finally settled on April 14, 2005, with neither OutKast nor their label having to admit any wrongdoing. The group did, however, have to agree to perform some sort of tribute to Parks.
Originally titled "Sandbox", the pair's fourth album, "Stankonia", was released in October 2000 to excellent reviews. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., and would eventually be certified quadruple-platinum. Stankonia's first single was "B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)", a high-tempo jungle-influenced record. The second single, "Ms. Jackson," combined a pop hook with lyrics about divorce and relationship breakups, particularly André's breakup with singer Erykah Badu; the titular "Ms. Jackson" character being a doppelgänger for Badu's mother. It was at this time that André changed his stage name to the current "André 3000".
The single became their first pop hit, landing the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the number-two position on the UK Singles Chart. The album's final single was the Organized Noize-produced "So Fresh, So Clean", featuring a credited guest appearance from regular guest vocalist and Organized Noize-member Sleepy Brown and garnered a remix featuring Snoop Dogg. All three singles' videos had heavy MTV2 airplay, and Outkast won two 2001 Grammy Awards, one for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Ms. Jackson", and another for Stankonia as Best Rap Album.
During the recording of Stankonia, OutKast and Mr. DJ began producing tracks for the artists on their Aquemini Records imprint through Columbia, including Slimm Cutta Calhoun and Killer Mike, who made his debut on Stankonia's "Snappin' & Trappin."
Webzine Pitchforkmedia.com named Stankonia the 4th greatest album released between 2000 and 2004 in its 2005 feature. In 2009, B.O.B. was chosen as the number one song of the decade.
In December 2001, OutKast released a greatest hits album, Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast, which also contained three new tracks. One of these new tracks was the single "The Whole World," which won a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Killer Mike also was featured on the song, gaining some exposure among areas outside of his native Atlanta. The other two new songs were called "Funkin' Around" and "Movin' Cool (The After Party)"
The same year OutKast participated in the only Dungeon Family group album, Even in Darkness, along with Goodie Mob, Killer Mike, Sleepy Brown, Witchdoctor, and Backbone among others, and featuring Bubba Sparxxx, Shuga Luv and Mello. In 2002, the group and Killer Mike contributed the lead single "Land of a Million Drums" to the Scooby Doo soundtrack.
In September 2003, OutKast released a double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. It is essentially two solo albums, one by each member, packaged as a single release under the OutKast banner; the two members also appear on each others' discs for a few songs apiece. Big Boi's Speakerboxxx is largely a funk and Dirty South blended party record; André 3000's The Love Below features only brief instances of hip hop, presenting instead elements found in funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and R&B.
The album is also OutKast's biggest commercial success yet, having debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart at number-one and stayed there for several weeks. The album eventually sold over five million copies, and, as double-album sales count double for Recording Industry Association of America certification, the album was certified diamond for 10 million units shipped in December 2004. Its latest certification, in May 2006, reaches 11 million copies in shipping.
The first two singles from the album(s), which were released nearly simultaneously, were Big Boi's "The Way You Move" and André 3000's "Hey Ya!" The video for "Hey Ya!" is based on The Beatles' landmark appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The video's storyline has "The Love Below"—a fictional band with all members, through the use of special effects, played by André—performing in London. "Hey Ya!" was the number one song on the very final weekend of American Top 40 with Casey Kasem. It was also number one a week later on the very first weekend of American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest. The singles spent ten weeks at number one on the Hot 100 singles chart, with "Hey Ya!" spending nineteen weeks and "The Way You Move" briefly taking over in February 2004. These singles were seen as a breakthrough for the hip-hop industry, being among the first hip-hop songs to be widely played on adult contemporary radio stations.
OutKast's next official single was not released until the summer of 2004. "Roses", a track featuring both members from The Love Below half of the album, did not meet the level of success as either of its predecessors, but it became a modest-sized hit on urban radio and the American music video networks. The video for "Roses" is loosely based on the musical West Side Story and Grease. It featured sparring 1950s-style gangs, one representing Speakerboxxx, and one representing The Love Below, parodying the widespread arguing among critics and fans as to which half of the album was better and that the two members were estranged. The final singles were André 3000's "Prototype", which was paired with a science fiction-themed video about alien visitors, and Speakerboxxx's "Ghettomusick," which featured both members of OutKast and a sample from a song by Patti LaBelle, who also makes an appearance in the video.
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below won the Grammy Award for the 2004 Album of the Year, becoming only the second rap album to ever receive the honor (the first being The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill in 1999). OutKast was one of the headlining acts at the show, and gave two performances: Big Boi performed "The Way You Move" during a medley with George Clinton & P-Funk and Robert Randolph and the Family Band, while André 3000 performed "Hey Ya!" as the show closed. In February 2004, André 3000's performance, which featured female dancers moving wildly around a green teepee in war paint and feathered headdresses, was criticized by the Native American Cultural Center, who called for a boycott of OutKast, Arista Records, NARAS, and of CBS, the broadcaster of the awards show. CBS later apologized.
Between OutKast albums, Big Boi and André 3000 ventured into film projects. André co-starred in John Singleton's action film Four Brothers and also had a part in Be Cool, while Big Boi took a featured role in the T.I. movie ATL. Both members also began working on a joint film, Idlewild, directed by OutKast music video director Bryan Barber. Idlewild, a Prohibition-era musical film set to a blues-influenced hip-hop soundtrack, was released on August 25, 2006 by Universal Pictures. The Idlewild soundtrack was released August 22, 2006. Its lead single, "Mighty 'O'", features both OutKast members, and was briefly played exclusively on local Atlanta radio stations before being issued as a single in May 2006. They released and shot the video for "Morris Brown" instead. A video for "Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry About Me)" soon followed.
Aquemini Records folded in 2004, and Big Boi founded a new record label, Purple Ribbon Entertainment, to be distributed by Virgin Records. Among its first signees were Sleepy Brown, Bubba Sparxxx, and Killer Mike, Big Boi has released a group album/compilation, titled Big Boi Presents... The Purple Ribbon All-Stars - Got Purp? Vol. 2.
One album remains on the band's LaFace contract. It was originally planned as a ten-track release called 10 The Hard Way; shortly after Idlewild was released, the duo confirmed the album is still in the works, though both have begun new projects without releasing any new information on the album. Due to both Big Boi and André's interest in separate projects such as movies, TV (André's Class of 3000) and solo albums, rumors of a split have turned up frequently in the media. André denied those rumors in a phone interview with MTV News, stating that even though they do not feel like performing on stage together, OutKast is "still tight". In an August, 2006, interview with UK journalist Craig McLean, after emphasizing that they would not split, the pair looked beyond music and film careers, Big Boi suggesting he may consider running for the job of Mayor of Atlanta in the future.
In 2007, Andre 3000 confirmed a new OutKast album would be released, but said that he and Big Boi released solo records first, stating the group album is still possibly two years away. Big Boi's solo album will be released first in June/July of 2009, with the first single, "Royal Flush" (also featuring Andre 3000, essentially making it an OutKast song), planned to have been released on December 31, 2007, but was not released on the announced date. Big Boi announced on his MySpace that the release date for Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty is now sometime in the summer of 2009.
On Nov 14, 2008, the Guardian reported that OutKast will release their follow-up to Idlewild in 2009 after Big Boi and Andre 3000 release their solo albums in the same year. As of August 2009, the albums have not yet been released.
Dracula
OutKast Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'm terrified of you
See, my castle may be haunted
But I'm terrified of you
I've cast my spell on millions
But I'm terrified of you
Baby, I do this from the ceiling
But I'm terrified of you
I wait my whole life to bite the right one
Then you come along and that freaks me out
So I'm frightened, ooh
Dracula's wedding
I never ran from no one
But I'm terrified of you
See, my heartbeat is a slow one
But I'm terrified of you
I've been around for ages
But I'm terrified of you
Drag my thing across the stage
But yet I'm terrified of you
I wait my whole life to bite the right one (I wait my whole life)
Then you come along and that freaks me out
So I'm frightened, ooh (ooh-hoo)
Dracula's wedding
Ah, you know I'm terrified
Ha, oh you know I'm terrified
Ha, you know I'm terrified
Shh, here she comes
(3000, 3000, 3000, 3000)
Give me the chance to dance romance
Don't run, I'm not the sun (huh)
So much at stake
Oh, bad choice of words
But I'm not the gun (shot)
With silver bullets
And I can count (1,2,3)
Plus I make great peanut butter & jelly sandwiches
Van Helsing
(Ohh, oh-ohh)
For richer or poorer
Through sickness and in health
'Til death do us part
'Til death do us part
You only live once
Well, not in our case
'Cause we live forever
The lyrics to OutKast feat. Kelis's song "Dracula's Wedding" describe Dracula's fear of his bride-to-be. Despite his abilities to cast spells and command millions, he is terrified of this one woman. He had been waiting his whole life to find the right one to bite, but now that she has arrived, he is frightened. Dracula states that he has never run from anyone before, but he is terrified of this woman. He has been around for ages, yet he is still afraid. The song ends with the phrase "you only live once, well not in our case, 'cause we live forever."
The lyrics of "Dracula's Wedding" employ a number of horror elements, including vampires, castles, and spooky creatures. Dracula's jittery persona contrasts sharply with his typical depictions as a powerful and confident figure. By presenting him as both threatening and vulnerable, the song complicates traditional representations of the vampire. The line "you only live once, well not in our case, 'cause we live forever" adds an interesting twist to the song, implying that Dracula's bride may be just as immortal as him.
Line by Line Meaning
You're all I've ever wanted
I have always wanted someone like you
But I'm terrified of you
But I am scared of being with someone like you
See, my castle may be haunted
Although my castle may be haunted
But I'm terrified of you
But I am still scared of being with someone like you
I've cast my spell on millions
I have had an impact on many people
But I'm terrified of you
But I am still scared of being with someone like you
Baby, I do this from the ceiling
I perform extravagantly like this all the time
But I'm terrified of you
But I am still scared of being with someone like you
I wait my whole life to bite the right one
I wait my entire life to find the perfect one
Then you come along and that freaks me out
But then you came along and scared me
So I'm frightened, ooh
So I am really scared
Dracula's wedding
This is like a scene from a spooky wedding
I never ran from no one
I have never been afraid of anyone
But I'm terrified of you
But I find you really scary
See, my heartbeat is a slow one
Even though my heartbeat is slow
But I'm terrified of you
But I am still terrified of you
I've been around for ages
I have existed for a very long time
But I'm terrified of you
But I am still so scared of you
Drag my thing across the stage
I perform on stage and impress people
But yet I'm terrified of you
But still, I am very scared of you
I wait my whole life to bite the right one (I wait my whole life)
I have always waited for the right one to come along
Then you come along and that freaks me out
But you came along and scared me
So I'm frightened, ooh (ooh-hoo)
So I am really scared
Dracula's wedding
This is like a scene from a spooky wedding
Ah, you know I'm terrified
You should know that I am really scared of you
Ha, oh you know I'm terrified
You should know how scared I am
Ha, you know I'm terrified
You must have guessed how scared I am
Shh, here she comes
Be quiet, here she comes
(3000, 3000, 3000, 3000)
These are just numbers repeated four times
Give me the chance to dance romance
Let me express myself with romantic dance moves
Don't run, I'm not the sun (huh)
Don't be afraid of me, I am not harmful as the sun
So much at stake
There are many things hanging in balance here
Oh, bad choice of words
Oops, that was the wrong thing to say
But I'm not the gun (shot)
But I am not as harmful as a gun
With silver bullets
That can kill a werewolf (referring to classic monster movies)
And I can count (1,2,3)
I can count to three
Plus I make great peanut butter & jelly sandwiches
I am skilled at making delicious sandwiches
Van Helsing
Reference to a fictional character who hunts monsters
(Ohh, oh-ohh)
These are just sounds made by the vocalist
For richer or poorer
Regardless of financial status, I will be committed to you
Through sickness and in health
I will be with you in good health and in bad health
'Til death do us part
Until one of us dies
You only live once
The commonly known phrase which signifies living life to the fullest and not having any regrets
Well, not in our case
This distinction doesn’t apply to us
'Cause we live forever
As undead beings, we live forever
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Andre Benjamin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nessie Mu
You're all I've ever wanted, but I'm terrified of you
See, my castle may be haunted, but I'm terrified of you
I've cast my spell on millions, but I'm terrified of you
Baby, I do this from the ceiling, but I'm terrified of you
I wait my whole life to bite the right one
Then you come along and that freaks me out
So I'm frightened
Ooh, Dracula's wedd-
I've never ran from no one, but I'm terrified of you
See, my heartbeat is a slow one, but I'm terrified of you
I've been around for ages, but I'm terrified of you
Done my thang across the stage, but yet, I’m terrified of you
I wait my whole life to bite the right one
Then you come along and that freaks me out
So I'm frightened (Ooh)
Ooh, Dracula's wedding
Ah, you know I'm terrified
Oh, you know I'm terrified
You know I'm terrified
Shh-shh! Here she comes
Three-thousand, three-thousand
Three-thousand, three-thousand
Give me the chance to dance romance
Don't run, I'm not the sun (Ha)
So much at stake, oh, bad choice of words
But I'm not the gun (shut up)
With silver bullets
And I can count (One, two, three)
Plus, I make great peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Van Helsing
For richer or poorer
Through sickness and in health
'Til death do us part
'Til death do us part
You only live once
Well, not in our case
'Cause we live forever
Vie
Verse 1: André 3000]
You're all I've ever wanted, but I'm terrified of you
See, my castle may be haunted, but I'm terrified of you
I've cast my spell on millions, but I'm terrified of you
Baby, I do this from the ceiling, but I'm terrified of you
[Chorus: André 3000]
I wait my whole life to bite the right one
Then you come along and that freaks me out
So I'm frightened
Ooh, Dracula's wedd-
[Verse 2: André 3000]
I've never ran from no one, but I'm terrified of you
See, my heartbeat is a slow one, but I'm terrified of you
I've been around for ages, but I'm terrified of you
Done my thang across the stage, but yet, I’m terrified of you
[Chorus: André 3000]
I wait my whole life to bite the right one
Then you come along and that freaks me out
So I'm frightened (Ooh)
Ooh, Dracula's wedding
[Post-Chorus: André 3000]
Ah, you know I'm terrified
Oh, you know I'm terrified
You know I'm terrified
Shh-shh! Here she comes
[Bridge: Kelis]
Three-thousand, three-thousand
Three-thousand, three-thousand
[Verse 3: Kelis]
Give me the chance to dance romance
Don't run, I'm not the sun (Ha)
So much at stake, oh, bad choice of words
But I'm not the gun (shut up)
With silver bullets
And I can count (One, two, three)
Plus, I make great peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Van Helsing
[Outro: Kelis]
For richer or poorer
Through sickness and in health
'Til death do us part
'Til death do us part
You only live once
Well, not in our case
'Cause we live forever
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3
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Andre takes on the role of Dracula, the King of Vampires. His Queen is played by Kelis.
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Speakerboxxx / The Love Below (2003)
OutKast
1.
Intro (Speakerboxxx)
2.
GhettoMusick
3.
Unhappy
4.
Bowtie
5.
The Way You Move
6.
The Rooster
7.
Bust
8.
War
9.
Church
10.
Bamboo (Interlude)
11.
Tomb of the Boom
12.
E-Mac (Interlude)
13.
Knowing
14.
Flip Flop Rock
15.
Interlude
16.
Reset
17.
D-Boi (Interlude)
18.
Last Call
19.
Bowtie (Postlude)
20.
The Love Below (Intro)
21.
Love Hater
22.
God (Interlude)
23.
Happy Valentine’s Day
24.
Spread
25.
Where Are My Panties (Interlude)
26.
Prototype
27.
She Lives in My Lap
28.
Hey Ya!
29.
Roses
30.
Good Day, Good Sir (Interlude)
31.
Behold a Lady
32.
Pink & Blue
33.
Love in War
34.
She’s Alive
35.
Dracula’s Wedding
36.
The Letter (Interlude)
37.
My Favorite Things
38.
Take Off Your Cool
39.
Vibrate
40.
A Life in the Day of Benjamin André (Incomplete)
Expand
Credits
Featuring
Kelis
Produced By
André 3000
Written By
André 3000
Recording Engineer
John Frye, Pete Novak & Brian Paturalski
Assistant Recording Engineer
Warren Bletcher & Jared Robbins
Mixing Engineer
Pete Novak
Assistant Mixing Engineer
Russell Buelna & Jared Robbins
Premixing Engineer
John Frye
Mastering Engineer
Brian Gardner
Mixed At
Larrabee Sound Studios
Label
LaFace Records & Arista Records
Recorded At
Stankonia Recording (Atlanta, GA) & Larrabee Sound Studios (Los Angeles, CA)
Release Date
September 23, 2003
Tags
R&B
Rap
Funk
Electronic
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Comments
Add a comment
Qrush
7 years ago
“And I can count, plus I make great peanut butter and jelly sandwiches…Van Helsing” is from Sesame Street. Andre 3000 mistakenly thinks is Count von Count (“And I can Count…”) who says “A la peanut butter sandwiches” It’s actually the horrible magician The Amazing Mumford whose magic words usually jacked something up! Hence, Dracula conjuring up his nemesis: Van Helsing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh0OOVKPjBM
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Amazing_Mumford
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Goodbye8555
Contributor
8 months ago
Kelis killed it
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Do Not Sell My
GoodNewsEveryone
I’m probably going to play this song at my wedding this year.
VIcky121Wicky
How’d it go? 👀
Alexander Ford
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Rickytocky
Didnya do it
Kentucky greenthumb
The fact that they never made a video of this is a shame.
Shelley Kolody
Truth. It would make an awesome music video.
Surfin
here we are now
Twinklebat
This song is underrated. I love the entire album.
goldustgirl
The entire storyline behind this album is so genius 😭 also the beats on this album are out of this world. The synths on this track my god !!! 🕋
Alexander Ford
When musiq was real…