Published on Nov 22, 2000
You know you’re in for a mind-expanding experience when the
intro to an album takes you to the center of the Earth, science
fiction style, then brings you back up to the sound of a huddle
before a big football game in about a minute.
Outkast’s newest album,
Stankonia, takes you on a musical journey unlike anything
else released this year. So much so, this progressive funk rap
group makes even Radiohead’s
Kid A, sound surprisingly serene. Sure, bands have tried to
mesh a whole bunch of styles into albums, but few have sounded so
amazingly unified as
Stankonia.
If you have seen the antics of Big Boi and Andre in concert or
their urban Dali videos, you know that they practically bleed funk.
And their latest album is their funkiest yet. “So Fresh, So Clean”
and “I’ll Call Before I Come” are so smooth that they will probably
be make out anthems next summer, even though this album was
released this fall.
Outkast wants to do more than provide rump moving music.
“Gasoline Dreams” and “?” fiercely address issues such as urban
violence, pollution and poverty. The beautiful “Ms. Jackson” takes
a great turn and makes some of these issues personal as they
address infidelity. Like some of the best songwriters, Outkast are
able to paint landscapes of imagery with only a couple of daft
phrases.
U2 and Midnight Oil Outkast are not, however. “Snappin’ &
Trappin” and the gleefully un-PC, “We Luv Deez Hoez,” would fit
great at the “Up In Smoke” tour with such misogynistic and
posturing kings as Dr. Dre and Eminem. Somehow, Outkast can make
all of this seem perfectly sensible. Songs that decry
narrow-mindedness and ignorance toward all things different are
riding shotgun to songs bragging about sexual conquest and being
“the coolest motherfuckers on the planet.” How can they do this?
Because they may
be the coolest motherfuckers on the planet (Chris Rock,
Shirley Manson and Tom Jones the only exceptions).
Like many rap and concept albums,
Stankonia is littered with intermissions. A rapid-fire
delivery of lines that command the “reverse” button is followed by
a cry of “Break!” If this sounds like a blitz, that’s because
Outkast does just that throughout
Stankonia. Whether it’s the reflective moments in “Xplosion”
or a relentless onslaught of “B.O.B.,”
Stankonia is a mature work that actually builds on what
their last album,
Aquemini, accomplished and takes it to another level.
Perhaps the crowing achievement of
Stankonia is the confidence of two dynamic rappers and the
amazing production of Organized Noize. Some bands and artists’ risk
alienating fans to pursue a different musical direction. Some do it
because of self-indulgence. In Outkast’s case, it’s the confidence
in their work that drives them to challenge listeners. Just look in
the liner notes to what you are going to expect with
Stankonia: “Powerful music/electric revival.” If you’re
looking for the first benchmark album of the new decade, look no
further than this one.