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.
PJ
OutKast Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Working on somethin' new.
Sounds like some bullshit.
I mean, you really think the audience is gonna
Well Rooster said I could play what I want.
No, never mind anything that Rooster tell you.
And we'll play the stuff I like, k?
I like my fire, yeah.
They glow without it.
And don't nobody wanna feel like that, no.
Monkeys on my back crawl.
And watch them all fall. Go fall, Look out!
Nobody wanted to dance when I had a lot of time on my hands.
Now I got a lot of hands on my time.
And everybody wanna be a friend of mine, whoa whoa!
I wouldn't mind a friend, the fellas back at home all trying to win.
Moon keeps shinin' on bootleg bottles
Cops in the street keep ya feet on the throttle
Selling what ya got can't afford a model.
Yelling go PJ go!
Ain't nothing idle, everything is wild yeah.
You can be hit now, yeah (Soon as you turn around)
He in the ground, yeah (Boy is 6 feet underground)
And ain't no bible, at this here church, no.
You won't find God no, Might meet him first, aw.
Oh God, Look out!
Nobody wanted to leave, house so packed that we couldn't even breathe.
And ain't no better place to fall in love, Angel sent from heaven above.
Swing down and help change your life, you might make a baby might meet your wife
But watch your thing that you wanna say, deep down south that's a lil' old place.
Them Idlewild cats man they don't play
Don't make me send the telegram to Rooster, he'll shoot ya.
You better come harder than that sweetie, this ain't no mortuary!
And you don't want to take it to the gat so soon.
? waiting in the upper room
Tell ya make ya say ya prayers you some players but you made up mashed potatoes,
That potato, blast you hater, blast the gator.
So you might just wanna kick back and drink goose,
Take that to ya home and relax, break loose
? But if she choose, she gone walk away from you straight to the Rooster
Because he's cock-a-doodle-cool, what they do fool
Moon shine run the small town clap shooting all time
? gotta match your suit and hat.
All casper suing kind robbers out the wild
Time to break it on break it on down now
Percy'll that it on out
Say whoa mammy, whoa mammy,
Say whoa pappy, whoa pappy,
Say whoa mammy, whoa mammy,
Say whoa pappy, whoa
Everybody get up. No, no, no, no get down [Repeats]
The song “PJ & Rooster” by Outkast is about friendship and success. The song starts with Percy Junior playing a new tune that Rooster doesn't seem to like. Percy says that Rooster has given him permission to play what he wants. Rooster is a friend who is trying to motivate Percy to create new music that people can enjoy. The lyrics then talk about how Percy believes that nobody likes his style, yet he is passionate about his music, and he believes in himself. Later in the song, Percy talks about how he's gained a lot of popularity and attracts many friends. Still, he's still grateful to his genuine friends, the ones who always cared for him even when he was not famous.
The lyrics also talk about the town of Idlewild, Michigan, where the duo lived, which was a popular vacation spot for African Americans in the '50s. The town provided a relaxed and safe space for many black people who were discriminated against and forbidden from many social activities. The song suggests that anyone can become successful regardless of their background, and genuine friendships are the most valuable treasures in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey Percy Junior, Percy Junior, what's that you playing?
Rooster is curious about Percy Junior's new song
Working on somethin' new.
Percy Junior is working on a new song
Sounds like some bullshit.
Rooster thinks that Percy Junior's new song is not good
I mean, you really think the audience is gonna
Rooster doubts if the audience will like Percy Junior's new song
Well Rooster said I could play what I want.
Percy Junior believes that Rooster gave him permission to play whatever he wants
No, never mind anything that Rooster tell you.
Rooster has a bad influence on Percy Junior
And we'll play the stuff I like, k?
Percy Junior and Rooster will play only what they like
Ain't nobody like my style, yeah.
Percy Junior thinks nobody has a better style than him
I like my fire, yeah.
Percy Junior likes his music to be energetic
They glow without it.
Percy Junior thinks the audience won't enjoy his music if it's not energetic
And don't nobody wanna feel like that, no.
The audience doesn't want to feel bored or uninterested while listening to his music
Monkeys on my back crawl.
Percy Junior has problems that follow him around
And watch them all fall. Go fall, Look out!
Percy Junior wants to overcome his problems and wants the audience to be prepared for his success
Nobody wanted to dance when I had a lot of time on my hands.
When Percy Junior was free, nobody was interested in his music
Now I got a lot of hands on my time.
Now that Percy Junior is busy, many people want to work with him
And everybody wanna be a friend of mine, whoa whoa!
Many people are trying to become friends with Percy Junior
I wouldn't mind a friend, the fellas back at home all trying to win.
Percy Junior is lonely and wants a true friend
Moon keeps shinin' on bootleg bottles.
The illegal liquor is being made during the night
Cops in the street keep ya feet on the throttle.
The police are patrolling the streets, so be careful
Selling what ya got can't afford a model.
Selling illegal goods can't buy a luxurious lifestyle
Yelling go PJ go!
The audience is cheering for Percy Junior
Ain't nothing idle, everything is wild yeah.
The situation is not peaceful, and everything is chaotic
You can be hit now, yeah (Soon as you turn around).
Things can happen suddenly and without warning
He in the ground, yeah (Boy is 6 feet underground).
If you're not careful, you can end up dead
And ain't no bible, at this here church, no.
People don't follow the rules here
You won't find God no, Might meet him first, aw.
Finding God is not the priority here
Oh God, Look out!
Percy Junior is in trouble and needs help from God
Nobody wanted to leave, house so packed that we couldn't even breathe.
The party was so crowded that nobody wanted to leave
And ain't no better place to fall in love, Angel sent from heaven above.
Idlewild is a great place for finding love
Swing down and help change your life, you might make a baby might meet your wife.
Idlewild can change someone's life and lead to new relationships
But watch your thing that you wanna say, deep down south that's a lil' old place.
Be careful about what you say in Idlewild, it's a small town
Them Idlewild cats man they don't play.
The people in Idlewild are serious
Don't make me send the telegram to Rooster, he'll shoot ya.
Rooster is violent and could hurt someone if provoked
You better come harder than that sweetie, this ain't no mortuary!
In Idlewild, you need to put effort to succeed and survive
And you don't want to take it to the gat so soon.
You don't want to get into trouble with weapons
? waiting in the upper room.
The consequences of your actions are waiting for you
Tell ya make ya say ya prayers you some players but you made up mashed potatoes,
Pray before you eat, and display confidence in yourself
That potato, blast you hater, blast the gator.
The food is so good that it can silence a critic, even an alligator
So you might just wanna kick back and drink goose.
Relax and drink Grey Goose vodka
Take that to ya home and relax, break loose.
Enjoy the drink and relax at home
? But if she choose, she gone walk away from you straight to the Rooster.
If a woman wants, she can leave you and go to Rooster
Because he's cock-a-doodle-cool, what they do fool
Rooster is confident, and people like him
Moon shine run the small town clap shooting all time.
In Idlewild, people enjoy illegally made moonshine, and violence is common
? gotta match your suit and hat.
Dress appropriately for the occasion
All casper suing kind robbers out the wild.
There are many robbers in the area who rob and steal
Time to break it on break it on down now Percy'll that it on out
It's time to start the music and break down with Percy Junior
Say whoa mammy, whoa mammy,
The music is starting
Say whoa pappy, whoa pappy,
Everyone is enjoying the music
Say whoa mammy, whoa mammy,
The music is getting better
Say whoa pappy, whoa
People are having fun and enjoying the moment
Everybody get up. No, no, no, no get down [Repeats]
The music is getting everyone up and dancing
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANDRE BENJAMIN, ANTWAN PATTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
la Son
on Mainstream
@23 references psalm 23
A healthy portion of this song on all verses spits on spiritual