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.
The Rooster
Outkast Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Somebody done told you you wrong
Thought it was just gon and gon' end off like that there huh?
Hot, too Hot
Too Hot
Too motherfucking hot
Hot motherfucking thug
Oh, I didn't even say bitch
I'm sorry, I apologize
I'm sorry, I take that back
Ok, I start out all alone
'Cause my baby mama left me
Now there's nobody at home
Beginning to feel like Ms. Jackson done got cloned
Well it's some real shit and I'm living it through this song
A moving vehicle took my family
As I slept out on the sofa in the Boom Boom Room
I woke up very upset
I throw the covers back and peek out of the draperies
My daughter, my baby, my baby mama all escaping me
In the wind, she was my friend
Like Princess Di before she died
Therefore we tried and tried again
But in the end you pay attention to the pluses
But the minuses behind make it seem like you can't win
Throw your neck out, throw your back out
Throw your neck out, throw your back out (my neck and my back)
Throw your neck out, throw your back out (hmm, my neck and my back)
Throw your neck out, throw your back out (throw your back out)
Round two, a single parent, what is Big to do?
Throw a party? Not hardly! I'm trying to stay up outta that womb
Or that p-u-s-s, us I say, "USS"
Luther Vandross couldn't make a home out of this house that we smooshed
Smashed, pushed to the limit, smash and turned it timid
Hell everyone was suffering, the house was feeling wicked hell
The cat got sold, the dog got old, the food got cold
Both of our tempers were on swole
For the most part you fuss, fight, fart
You build it up to break it down and now take it from the start
Repeatedly leading a path that only ends in a clash
Of two stubborn minds, grown folks blind to the sign
Throw your neck out, throw your back out
Throw your neck out, throw your back out (my neck and my back)
Throw your neck out, throw your back out (hmm, my neck and my back)
Throw your neck out, throw your back out (throw your back out)
K-o, knocked out by technicality
The love has kissed the canvas
Now the whole family is mad at me
My daughter don't want me at her PTA meetings
And then my son he can't talk, when I change him he's peeing
I think he's pissed
I can't dismiss the matter of the fact because he saw you and me argue
Now the energy is coming back
Set an example, a positive pattern, keep life on track
But I'm married to the music and committed to the wax
Tapes and CD's, baby, please
You make me want to scream
You're on my team starting first string
So why are we arguing?
Tapes and CD's, baby, please
You make me want to scream
You're on my team starting first string
So why are we arguing?
Throw your neck fucking out, throw your back out
Throw your neck out, throw your back out (my neck and my back)
Throw your neck out, throw your back out (hmm, my neck and my back)
Throw your neck out, throw your back out (throw your back out)
Tapes and CD's, baby, please
You make me want to scream
You're on my team starting first string
So why are we arguing?
Tapes and CD's, baby, please
You make me want to scream
You're on my team starting first string
So why are we arguing?
Throw your neck fucking out, throw your back out
Throw your neck out, throw your back out (my neck and my back)
Throw your neck out, throw your back out (hmm, my neck and my back)
Throw your neck out, throw your back out (throw your back out)
The Rooster by Outkast is a contemplative song that speaks about the effects of a broken relationship on the family. The opening lines 'Hold up! Oh, oh! Somebody done told you you wrong!' can be interpreted as a warning to the audience to pay attention to the story that the lyrics will tell. The song begins with the singer feeling alone after his girlfriend left him, leaving him with nobody to comfort him in his moments of sadness. The reference to Ms. Jackson in the second line shows that the singer has been through heartbreak before, hinting at the theme of failed relationships that will continue throughout the song.
The second verse describes a distressing situation where the singer wakes up to find that his whole family has left him while he was sleeping on the sofa. The use of the Boom Boom Room as a reference to where he was sleeping builds upon the sentiment of sadness in this scene. The singer is confused and upset, and the feeling of being left behind is one that is difficult to come to terms with. The use of Princess Di's death as an example of how everything falls apart at the end is a poignant reference to the fragility of life and relationships.
The third verse deals with the aftermath of the failed relationship and how it affects the family. The singer is a single parent with the responsibility of raising his children. The frustration of the situation is palpable as everything seems to be going wrong; the house is in disarray, tempers are flaring, and the family pets are becoming a burden. The sense of helplessness is evident, and it seems as though the singer is clinging to the last few threads of sanity. The final line 'Repeatedly leading a path that only ends in a clash of two stubborn minds, grown folks blind to the sign' feels like a summation of the theme of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold up!
Pause and pay attention.
Oh, oh! Somebody done told you you wrong!
Someone has given you false information.
Ok, I start out all alone
The singer is beginning his story.
'Cause my baby mama left me
The artist's partner left him.
Now there's nobody at home
The artist is alone at home.
Beginning to feel like Ms. Jackson done got cloned!
The situation feels similar to the singer's hit song with similar themes.
Well it's some real shit and I'm lving it through this song!
The situation is real and the singer is expressing his feelings through music.
A moving vehicle took my family
The artist's family was involved in an accident.
As I slept out on the sofa in the Boom Boom Room
The artist was asleep in another part of the house.
I woke up very upset!
The artist was emotionally affected by the news.
I throw the covers back and peek out of the draperies
The singer looks outside through the curtains.
My daughter, my baby, my baby mama all escaping me!
The artist's family is leaving him.
In the wind, she was my friend
The singer's partner and friend is leaving him.
Like Princess Di before she died
The singer's partner is leaving him like Princess Diana left the world.
Therefore we tried and tried again
The singer and his partner tried to work things out multiple times.
But in the end you pay attention to the pluses
The artist's partner is looking for positive qualities in a partner.
But the minuses behind make it seem like you can't win!
The negative aspects of the relationship make it hard to maintain a healthy partnership.
Throw your neck out! Throw your back out!
Physical actions associated with dancing or having a good time.
Round two, a single parent, what is Big to do?
The singer is now a single parent and unsure how to move forward.
Throw a parrty? Not hardly!! I'm trying to stay up outta that womb!
The artist is not in a place to celebrate and instead wants to avoid getting anyone else pregnant.
Or that p-you-s-s uss! I said uss!
The artist is using slang terms for female anatomy and clarifying his use of the word.
Luther Vandross couldn't make a home out of this house that we smooshed
Even a smooth vocalist like Luther Vandross couldn't make a home in a broken relationship.
Smashed, pushed to the limit! Smash and turned it timid!
The relationship is broken and has become tense and timid.
Hell everyone was suffering, the house was feeling wicked hell
The situation was impacting everyone in the household negatively.
The cat got sold, the dog got old, the food got cold!
The household has been impacted in multiple ways including selling pets and neglected food.
Both of our tempers were on swolle
Both partners have strong tempers.
For the most part you fuss, fight, fart!
The singer's relationship is marked by arguments and bodily functions.
You build it up to break it down and now take it from the start
The relationship was built up only to crumble down and start anew.
Repeatedly leading a path that only ends in a clash
The partners keep following a path that leads to conflict.
Of two stubborn minds, grown folks blind to the sign!
Both partners are stubborn and blind to signs of trouble in the relationship.
K-O, knocked out by technicality
The relationship ended due to a technicality.
The love has kissed the canvas
The relationship has flatlined and ended.
Now the whole family is mad at me
The artist's family is upset with him after the breakup.
My daughter don't want me at her PTA meetings
The artist's daughter is upset and doesn't want him to attend her meetings.
And then my son he can't talk, when I change him he's peeing
The singer's son is still very young and not able to communicate clearly.
I think he's pissed!
The artist's son may be upset or angry about the situation.
I can't dismiss the matter of the fact because he saw you and me argue
The singer's son witnessed an argument between the singer and his partner.
Now the energy is coming back
The negative emotions associated with the situation are returning.
Set an example, a positive pattern, keep life on track
The singer wants to set a positive example for his children and maintain a good life.
But I'm married to the music and committed to the wax, tapes and CD's
The artist is committed to his music and art.
Baby please, you make me want to scream!
The artist's partner is causing him emotional distress.
You're on my team starting first string so why are we arguing?
The singer doesn't understand why he and his partner are still fighting when they are supposed to be on the same team.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Antwan Patton, Carlton Jr Mahone, Donny Mathis
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