Reviews (page 10 of 14)
Strictly based on the presence of absolute bangers, this album is an Auto 4. Speakerboxxx itself is a ghetto-rap masterpiece. Big Boi lays down some solid bars and the exceptional mixing propels the music forward. As always Andre exhibits his creative side on The Love Below, and we get some good and not so good. The length of the double Lp leaves some questionable gaps in otherwise brilliant songs, but they let the magic consume them and put out a crowd pleaser with tracks that will define a generations rap exposure.
There's just something about an album that came out the year you turned 21... Lots of memories. And I was surprised by how many different styles they sampled.
Listened to about half but not whole-heartedly.
Pretty good stuff. Not as entertaining as Stankonia
Great album. Forgot that it is technically two albums released as one.
4.5
💬
A soft wail let out when this came up. I bought it on release, was put off by its length and the realisation that “Hey Ya!” was an outlier, and never thought of it again before it hit our page on Thursday. Sgt Pepper and Fear of a Black Planet are separated by the same number of years that have passed since Speakerboxxx/The Love Below dropped, but I still mentally file this under “contemporary”. “Hey Ya!” is an outlier, but one surrounded by outliers, and while I could only afford a single playthrough, I’m convinced of its abundant diversity and coherence. That the two solo albums cohere surprised me: a strain of rubbery, synthetic funk and surrealism binds them. Both halves are too long, maybe part of the point: this is excess about excess, and often a lot of fun. The old chapeau’s aloft for its ambition and, like the previous week’s Haircut 100 LP, bold vibes carry this beyond its low yield of bangers. I might listen to this again one day. Perhaps after I get round to reading “À la recherche du temps perdu”.
The good bits are enjoyable but there is SO MUCH stuff on here it's hard to keep any attention focused. Way too many "interludes" as was the interminable style at the time. The Love Below is a bit more varied, Speakerboxxx is better average quality. Stick to the singles probably
Good listen, Im not usually into rap/hip hop, but some of the songs on these albums (The rooster, Ghettomusick, Spread, Draculas wedding) I really fw. Cool album overall 👍
Viel zu langes Hip Hop Album mit einigen hörbaren Passagen aber auch ganz viel Mist. Einige der 40 Stücke haben ein wenig Musikgehalt (z. b. „Love In War“ & „Take Off You Cool“) aber es gibt keine Song denn ich noch mal hören will. Dar schönste Song war der letze, weil danach musste ich nicht mehr skippen.
The interludes get annoying and Speakerboxxx is definitely the better of the two discs but it's a pretty solid 4 stars. Last Call is a banger
This is a pretty amazing record. I spent a good bit of time listening to it when it came out, and the overall quality is very high. Melodic in a way that makes it feel fresh.
Not a new album to me. But historically a great one. Though I might prefer Stankonia
there are too many songs on here to go one-by-one so i'll try to summarize each half instead. my hip hop vocabularly is painfully shallow speakerboxx - not a single miss. i havent felt a rap album click like this has in forever. every track has energy, emotion, drama, and eclectic production. big boi is meditative, thoughtful, bombastic, you name it. this is a performance through and through. i love how he will fuck with the tempo during his rapping, it's very reminiscent of how the best guitar solos arent just played on the beat but they hold or insert extra notes to give effect. "w-a-r-uh, there will be no tomorrow" is an unbelievable rhyme lol. tomb of the boom's rhythm section is unlike anything else you'll hear in the mainstream and that synth. killer mike's features on this rock so much, jay z has one of his best features (i cannot describe how much better he is here than when he shows up on kanye stuff), ludacris and lil john deliver the exact hype you'd want. i said it at the start but there isn't a miss on speakerboxx. the love below - the first half of love below centers on the theme of love (Shocking). everyone who's spent a little time on lyrics websites has had the "hey ya is actually a sad song sung happily" moment and it makes total sense now in the context of this album. andre is a player who leans into the one night stand culture until he finds a woman he really loves. hey ya comes at the moment when this new relationship falls apart under stress ("thank god for mom and dad for sticking together cuz we don't know how"), and the follow up of roses is the diss track we all have wanted to write about our ex immediately after a break-up. andre is unable to escape his cupid image from earlier in the album. i might be biased but i think love below hits its stride at hey ya. maybe it's a grower but i don't think i cared a crazy amount for the rest of the love below. speakerboxx had an infectious energy and that's totally the opposite of what you get from andre. the songwriting is interesting and the production takes you all over the place (just like disc 1) but i dont think it has the hooks of speakerboxx. of course its not meant to be that way, i just have a hard time considering it as fondly and i already consider disc 1 after one listen. this is definitely something i will come back to though, to revisit the things i loved on disc 1 and discover more to love about disc 2.
Mjög margt goodshi á þessum plötum. Aftur á móti fannst mér 50% vera bara ok. En við erum líka að tala um 2 klst +. Þeir eru alltaf fesskir og hreinir strákarnir.
Stórmerkileg plata/plötur. Fyrst mjög fín hiphop plata frá BigBoi sem flaut mjög fínt í gegn með rapslögurum eins og Ghettomusick. Síðan allskonar skemmtileg tilraunamennska frá André 3000 undir augljósum Prince áhrifum, þar til risasmellurinn HeyYa skellur allt í einu á manni. Virkilega skemmtilegt stöff.
I listened and can appreciate the commentary on social justice and occasional environmental themes but even Norah Jones and the ubiquitous hit "Hey Ya" do not sway me on this one.
So much range, it almost feels like you’re listening to the radio. This definitely exceeds expectations. Could do with fewer bitches and hos. But musically, this is outstanding.
Love these beats. Love the bars. So much to like here. So many fusions of styles that always work together. Super influential album.
Great parts. It is just. so. long.
Really good, but way too long.
Skits, far far too long The first side is very decent but side two is great. Pink & Blue is great. I want to give 4 but the only issue is that any time I come back to it, I feel like I've never heard most of it
It took me way too long to finish this album. Hey ya is a tailgate staple...but I wasn't impressed by much of this.
Together Outkast created a lot of unforgettable hip hop. Andre 3k seemed to get most of the attention but this album shows Bog Boi deserved way more credit. His piece of the album is still fun to listen to but Andre 3k’s mostly sounds goofy and desperate. This album is too long, the skits/intros are unnecessary, and it’s certainly not a masterpiece like people claim. Nostalgia doesn’t equal greatness. Speakerboxx alone would have got a 4 but as a whole this one gets a 2.
Basically two solo albums. Weakest “OutKast” album in their catalog.
Smart, funky and gleefully weird. Plays with a lot of genres and has a bit of a retro vibe, but manages to sound really fresh. I don't know if I could handle a double album by a lot of hip hop artists, but Outkast was really made for this medium. They have so many ideas and creative impulses to explore and they have a rich sound that welcomes extended listening. They also have an extremely impressive bench of talented artists working on these songs with them that just adds to the album's depth. Fave Songs: Hey Ya!, Church, Bowtie, Dracula's Wedding, Flip Flop Rock, Bamboo, The Way You Move, Knowing, She Lives in My Lap, Happy Valentine's Day
If it didn’t take me all day to finish the double album, maybe I’d be more pleased. There’s so much happening here that I’m unable to process currently, but it isn’t so odd you can’t find a track or two to enjoy while stumbling into another couple songs that are tougher to admire. I’m just saying, maybe breaking up would’ve been easier than 2hrs and 15mins.
Rought start to the record that gasn’t held up at all. First decently aged song is Bowtie, with that fun Outkast style. The Way You Move sounds like a 2000s club banger of a club I’d stay far away from. I wish they developed the hushed rap further. Love the maximalist beat on The Rooster. Outkast got on the Rock-Rap train with Bust. I’m not a fan of the genre but this was executed well. War is an amazing song with amazing lyricism. Best song so far, sadly still relevant. Church is an okay song. Gospel addition is good. Tomb of the Boom is very 2000s as well but is not a bad track. Knowing has a dark, gangster beat with good lyricism. Flip Flop Rock has very good Andre 3K lyrics that outshine Jay-Z on this track. Reset is a smooth song with good rap over it. It just is not my style of song. Last Call has Lil Jon screaming all over the 200s beat. Not the best song. Second half of the album has aged better. Love Hater is okay. Happy Valentines Day lacks rap. Spread features better rap and is a better song overall. Interludes are mega cringe. Prototype sounds like music to a porn movie. She Live in my Lap is also not the best. Heya and Roses are so good they give the whole album +1. Literally. Back to mid songs with Behold a Lady. Pink & Blue manages to weave a very pleasing soundscape. Love In War is a decent song as well. She’s Alive is a slower, mellow song, with a weak falsetto. Dracula’s Wedding has a fun and funky beat with good rap in a theme. My Favourite Things speeds up and adds nice drums to the famous song. Very jazzy, amazing song. Take Off Your Cool is an amazing song. I’m loving the experimentation they are doing. Vibrate is a very strong song as well. Albums ends strongly with A Life In The Day Of Benjamin Andre. Not a bad album, first half has aged poorly. Not Oukasts strongest record but some absolute pelters save it. Second half is definitely stronger. 4/5
I absolutely love how unpredictable Speakerboxxx is. The sound and style changes at the drop of a hat and its very fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Love Below however had elements that I really liked but my biggest issue with it are the lyrics. Cheesy, misogynistic, and cheap. The interludes are kind of stupid too. My thought is that Speakerboxxx is probably a 5/5 and The Love Below is probably a 3/5. I think they could have taken most of Speakerboxxx and then a few of the best from The Love Below to make a shorter double LP instead of a 2 hour long double LP.
I love this record! I love the hip hop from Speakerboxxx. The mix of sounds, instrumentation and genres is super unique, I also like the political / social nature of the songs. The Love Below is more interesting to me. The lyrics are lighter and even silly at some points, but I like the R&B, Soul, Rock influences and how they merge with Hip Hop. I'm also just stoked that they went for it and made a freakin 40 song, 2 hour long record. Its pretty bold. I'd like to spend more time with this entire record, but when will I have time??
There are a few tracks on here that are excellent, but the vast majority are horrible extremely profane exercises in debasement. And at 2 hours and 15 minutes length that’s simply too much negativity for me. I deducted a star for that touching moment he gets a toddler to say MFer….very classy.
two albums in one. overall good but doesn't captivate at the first listen.
Good
They managed to make a hip hop song a staple at every white couple's wedding reception and that is a feat in itself.
It's a classic for a reason.
Too long.
I don't think I know any album that would have reason to be a lot more than 1h long. It feels stretched.
Not bad.
I never listened to this album all the way through before and based off the hits, it’s not what I expected in the best way possible. The stark contrast in the content between the two, even the production and overall mood of the two disc don’t feel the same. I think they did an incredible job of showcasing 3 stacks and Big Bois differences as artists. The music just sounds good to me. Classic album (The hits sound better in the flow of the project)!!
Although it is definitely not my favorite album from this spectacular duo, it is an OutKast album. This double album confused me at first, but it grew on me over time. Big Boi’s side of the album, “SpeakerBoxxx”, is full of great tracks and features from Jay Z, Ludacris, Killer Mike, etc. For me personally, it outweighs Andre 3K’s side of the album, “Love Below”. “Love Below” has some great songs. But I also think it has a lot of extra blubber, and some of the songs are dragged out. Nonetheless, this album is as popular as it is in the music community for a reason, and I find myself going to back to this album frequently.
7.5/10 No excuse for an album being 2+ hours, it is inevitable that the score will go down due to there being more filler/fat. If it is 2 solo albums, release them as such! Speakerboxxx: more straight-up hip hop. Nice. Frenetic, energetic, lots of energy. Great features from Killer Mike in particular. Keeps up the pace, if you don't like a song then another will be along shortly. Best: GhettoMusick The Love Below: a swerve mostly away from Hip Hop towards funk, pop, Jazz. He clearly listened to Prince, and Childish Gambino clearly listened to this. Production on this half of the allbum is spot on. A breakbeats version of "These are a few of my favorite things"?! Hey Ya, with time apart, remains a banger. Best: Prototype
Cool enough
LONG album. Speakerboxxx is the superior part, but in general this is a below-average OutKast offering. 3.5/5
The highs of this album are incredibly high, but it is also too bloated to really be next level great.
Tgis is a great album. A bit long and filled with interludes is you play all 40 tracks. But still stands up. Not my favorite by them, but they have great albums all around
Sprawling and dynamic and almost absurdly creative. Feels like a milestone hip-hop record and holds up well. One finds it encouraging that Andre just keeps getting weirder and weirder.
I like the sound. Favorite tracks: - Hey Ya! - The rest are pretty good too, I like the vibe.
I get that it has "Hey Ya" on it, but a single does not an album make. This is the worst Outkast album other than Idlewild. But the worst Outkast album is better than most other groups' best albums. Speakerboxxx is a better than average straight ahead rap album. The Love Below is a bit of a mess. You can never go wrong listening to Outkast but this album is as close to being wrong as listening to Outkast gets. I would be remiss not to mention that “Tomb of Boom” has two of my all time favorite rap lyrics: “I prefer my liquor dark and a mean white slut.” I hear ya, Supa Nate. Also, “Y'all driving Subarus, stuck in your cubicles; I'm stuck in the air with weed crumbs under my cuticles.” Oh Luda, I don’t care how many cheesy action and Christmas movies you do, you will always be cool to me.
Long album(s) but still a great creative flex.
This is actually 9 stars: 4 for Speakerboxxx, 5 for The Love Below. And yes, I added the ratings and not average them, because the two sides and personalities complement each other.
Great album, it drags for too long, but is has a wide diversity of amazing songs full of feeling and vibes.
Nope
Surprisingly good
I liked the last OutKast album I listened to on here (Stankonia), even though I found it to be a bit long. Turns out, it wasn’t that long. I wasn’t sure about how this album would go, since it is (I believe) the longest one I’ve heard so far. But luckily, it didn’t feel like 2+ hours. I would have preferred if it had been two separate albums rather than two in one though. 7.5/10 Top 3: 1. Hey Ya! 2. Reset 3. Prototype
I just want to use this space to say that not only is this album great, but so are the rest of OutKast's entire catalog (well maybe not Idlewild). I encourage yall to listen to Aquemini, that is one of their best albums, but one of the greatest albums of all time.
It's a bit long but really good album. Lots of timeless songs that could still come out today and have the same cultural impact
This album was very consistent, with highs and lows regularly. The big issue is after an hour and a half you feel the lows more than the highs. Favourite track: Dracula's Wedding.
Not their best work.
Despite the length, a great hip hop record
Oh my God, Becky! It is so big! Has several of my favourite Outkast tracks
Its long, weird and good
Such a classic! Favorite track: Hey Ya
This album is alright, definitely not the best OutKast album, but alright. Just too long to listen to
I have positive memories of this album so was excited to see it. I was more familiar with Speakerboxx than The Love Below, although the second was the better part, I think. (Plus definitely had the better-known tracks). Excellent concept album(a). Listens: 1 Fave Track: Ghettomusick, Hey Ya, Behold A Lady, Love In War Rating: 4
It is actually a lot to listen to but it is great. Not every song is a hit but it’s a diverse rap record which I liked.
It’s sticky and sweet and I love this album
The early 2000's radio stations ruined this album for me.
Every time I try to listen to Speakerboxxx, I’m left disappointed. It has a few gems but it’s really just not that good. The Love Below, on the other hand is god damned brilliant and brings back such great memories of life around when this came out. OutKast are just so prolific and while it’s unfortunate that Big Boy doesn’t come across as creative or musically talented as Andre because of this dual flavored double album, one can simply re-listen to the myriad of amazing Albums that came before.
This is obviously a fantastic album. Speaerboxxx alone would be one of the best rap records of the 2000s and the love below is truly one of a kind. I do feel a little bad for Big Boi though. "his" part of the combo is full of everyone else rapping verses including Andre, but Big Boi has almost no presence on the love below. It's like OutKast put out a record and 3stacks added his own record to the same package.
Hell to the yeah.
Two Outkast albums in one week is nice. Although this album signaled that Outkast were starting to prefer being solo artists, they still combined to make a classic. Big Boi brings it on the first half with multiple rap classics and Andre takes it home on the back half with soulful and jazzy tracks. "The Way You Move" and "Hey Ya" are the clear standouts and still classics 20 years later, but the whole album is great.
Spectacular album. Hard to say if it’s OutKast’s best. But it’s nearly perfect as far as I’m concerned.
ziemlich Cool!!! Nicht nur "Hey Ya!" und "Roses"... auch die anderen Sachen sind hörenswert.
You wouldn’t think the two halves would work together. But I totally think they do! Just a great collection of songs that range in complexity and danceability. 5/5
Love it, two artists that are both amazing putting together a double album with both styles that fit together, it's just beautiful. Speakerboxxx is more upbeat and fun, Love Below is more artistic, 2 hours of fun. hey Ya! is one.of the best songs I've ever heard, ever.
The double albums are killing me. So much music. I have this album but haven't listened to it for a grip. Good. Solid 4.
This record really irritated me. I thought I knew 'hey ya' was by them so when I got really bored by it I thought I'd check the track listing. Track 28??? I'm not listening to 27 tracks I can't stand to listen to one I know I can't stand.
I couldn't, then I didn't.
Got the makings of one really amazing album here. First half was better.
Two hours is two hours too many. Second half fine but fuck this
Back in the day, I preferred the love below. I now emphatically think it sucks. Dragged this down from a 3-4 rating.
I was waiting for it to end as it was very long, but it was a good listen!
Well, this album has one of my most hated songs of all time on it. Let's see how this goes. This is just rather terrible. I'm down to Behold a Lady and I'm done I'm throwing in the towel
I love OutKast but this is long for a double. It’s even long if you think of it as two separate solo albums, which it kind of is. Still some amazing tracks on here. I enjoyed it, but 2/3 of the way through u was ready to listen to something else
Lots going on, generally pretty good.
4.82/10 Top 3 Songs 1. Bowtie (feat. Sleepy Brown & Jazze Pha) 2. Unhappy 3. The Rooster
Perhaps the best hip hop double album of all time. Speakeboxx beginning is awesome. It’s dripping in P Funk at the beginning and Bow tie is particularly great. Love Below has some classic tunes but is less consistent.
Foisonnant, original, jamais répétitif, marie le hip-hop et le r&b. N'échappe pas aux passages obligés misogynes, mais vieillit assez bien
I was a bit skeptical going into this as this is a double album that is 40 songs in length. Add onto this that these are solo albums for each individual member of OutKast and I was unsure how rating this would work should I love one members individual direction more than the others. Fortunately, both are exceptional and unique in their own right and showcase the talent this duo possesses. Definitely a commitment to listen to both albums in one sitting, but the reward is more than worth it.
Too long. Would have enjoyed it a lot more if half the tracks were cut from it.
Mixed, a lot of it was really good, though the album was long. The two CDs were pretty different, for obvious reasons. I need a best of single CD i think.
Too long, but enjoyed some of it
I surprisingly really loved Speakerboxxx and found it interesting and complex throughout. The Love Below a little more hit or mess.
Excelente sonido. Demasiado largo y agotador. No pude terminarlo.
Vulgarity and a man with a gun ready to kill on the cover. NO THANKS
Couple of decent songs but not my jam.
Первая часть была неплохой. Ритмичный быстрый рэп с яркими припевами. Если бы он был один, то получил бы 4. Второй же чувак, хотя и более мелодичный, но при этом немного нудный. Его я задолбался слушать, ставлю ему 2. Итого 3.
Both parts are defined for both artist loved the interludes.
Speakerboxxx is a 5 star album. This is what I expect from Outkast and it holds the test of time. I can listen to this album all day, and I don't think it's their best work. The Love Below has some great tracks on it, but it's more experimental, and misses on a lot of tracks. It even takes about 6 tracks to find itself.
I love OutKast - bought this cd when it came out when I was in high school. I don’t like this album as much as aquemini or atliens, but still a good listen.
this is really two albums presented as one to collectively promote these solo acts under the outkast name. brill marketing move. Spkrbx: 2; TLB: 4; so 3 overall.
Andre 3000 is exhausting sometimes. Could have been an incredible single album.
it's no flute album, but this sends me back home to Atlanta.
Two distinct albums in one. What a great idea. Both creative works are different but complement each other in a way only these two artists could. 4/5
awesome i loved it
I'm not a hiphophead, and find myself gravitating more toward The Love Below & its more experimental approach than Speakerboxxx and its more straight ahead hip hop. Overall it's kind of a tedious listen, but it does have its moments.
hmmm 2 hrs of this? We'll see how long I last. There some decent songs on there. But I'm only giving it a 3. The whole second disk is a little funky .
classic album, with a lot of guests and well known songs
no.
Funny how different both guys are stylistically. I'm more into the weird/funky shit that Andre did on the second album. In the end, this was a bit too much OutKast, as much as I enjoy them
I tapped out at “swimming in the fallopian/of an Ethiopian”
My biggest issues with these albums are the length of some of the songs, and the amount of interludes. Idk what it is with hip hop and copious interludes, but they’re so unnecessary and 99% of the time they take away from the flow of the album. That being said, these are fantastic albums. Speakerboxxx is the tighter album, but The Love Below has the better songs. “Roses” is probably the absolute standout, but there are so many great songs. The albums compliment and contrast each other well. Not perfect, but some of the best hip hop albums of the 2000.
Too long
Crazy given the ubiquity of Hey Ya, Andre’s disc is pretty weak. Has way too many interstitial skits, doesn’t really hit a good song for a while and overall goes on for too long. Big Bois is incredible though. Overall still an essential album
I almost like this. Interesting collaborations, intriguing beats, and a good flow. But I don't. It's just a bit too discordant and noisy, shouty and aggressive, and full of random noises that make it sound a bit weird and over engineered. I did enjoy Flip Flop Rock and The Way You Move, but there were also some self-indulgent, artsy efforts like 'Where Are My Panties' which I don't think add anything of value to the album. Very varied and diverse, but it didn't chime with me, and by the end of the second hour I was just waiting for it to end.
I love Outkast but ehhhhh
A literal album of two halves. The Love below is amazing, weird, intricate, silly and catchy at different moments. The Speakerboxxx is a bit more traditional plodding hip hop of the time. Five stars for Andre 3000, 2 stars for Big Boi. But I'm going to ignore spreakerboxx for the rating.
Wasn't that familiar with this but knew the big hits. It's a fantastic album. I'm a big fan of the P-Funk and this ticks all my boxes. Samples are spot on and uses to devastatingeffect. The rapping is tasteful and eloquent, not bragging or OTT. Another album go back to.
Mega mid
9/10 Speakerboxxx was fantastic, and The Love Below was legendary such a great rap album
Good. Enjoying the entire album
It's not the genre music I usually enjoy listening to but this album was filled with nice lyrics and good music.
Wow, I never listened to this album because I’m not a huge hip hop listener, though I definitely appreciate it in small doses and I like several OutKast albums. As I’m typing this I realize that I sound like an old person, but I’m too lazy to reframe it and at 42, maybe I’m old anyway. I always assumed that I would prefer the Andre 3000 side of this album based on the Hey Ya single vs. The Way You Move (also a banger), based on the feel and prior OutKast output. Well, the Big Boi side (Disc 1) is getting the edge from me. I think the Andre side was trying to be more experimental, non-rapping, but it just falls flat overall to me. There are definite highlights and it actually gets better in the second half, but the Big Boi side feels more cohesive, honest, stronger, and just a better overall listen. Basically a solid 3/5. Can’t be a 2 and it can’t be a 4.
Starts strong with fast techno-synth riffs alternating with slow passages on GhettoMusick. Incredibly varied beats and rapping on disc 1. Highlights: The Rooster, Bust, Flip Flop Rock, Last Call. Disc 2 starts with jazz piano and continues thru different genres. It's a wild ride, but a bit weaker than the first set. Highlights: Hey Ya, Roses, Behold a Lady, My Favorite Things. Speakerboxxx earns a *****, The Love Below *** 1/2, so we'll call it **** overall.
Not terrible, but waaaaaay too long. I would have given this a 3 or maybe a 4 if it was half the length
Noice
Takes me back 20 years. A few classics everyone knows but I'd never heard the whole album. Nice, but not going on any repeat lists for me.
Ehhhhh it's okay. Production-wise, there were some cool things happening. Just not my thing I guess. 3/5
Mmm lo intenté 3 veces..no pude
Gotta appreciate the creativity and the universe they have created
predobar album. i rijeci i beat
STUPID. Like a three ring circus mashed with a fun house of mirrors. Way too long, Oh Yeah one good song. Manic - just all over the place. Did you see the midget on a unicycle? That was a difficult 2 hrs 15 minutes… (0.7*s)
There's a lot about this album that is done well and I enjoyed it, although the double-solo-album format makes it much too long. Speakerboxxx has a lot of P-Funk influence which I really like, it shifts through several different styles pretty seamlessly. Top scores for creativity and depth on disc 1. The Love Below however, is a bit of a letdown. I really love Andre but this was just indulgent and juvenile. It takes the album down a notch, regardless of all the hits. There are good songs but I don't like the character skits between them all and I wouldn't play disc 2 again. Still gotta appreciate their individual talents and this avant-soul concept. Not as bad as ya'll made it out to be.
Of the Outkast pair, I usually prefer Andre for his artistic abilities and skills but not the case with this album. Disc 1, Big Boi stuck to his norm and it was fine. Disc 2 was god awful. Other than a few songs, I was left shaking my head. Andre let his exploration get the better of him. Way too self indulgent and ultimately just bad. Disc taking rating way down.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. Speakerboxx had a handful of upbeat tracks that I enjoyed. Overall I liked it more than the more experimental The Love Below. The entire package is too long as a 2+ hour listen is a tall order. However I respect the art and what they were going for on the project. Not something I'll likely go back to but I might throw an OutKast shuffle on for the right occasion which would hopefully include a few tracks from this double album. The hits from this album definitely have staying power as I still go back to them from time to time. This was my first exposure to the full project and I'm glad I listened to it. I feel like OutKast was everywhere for a couple years following Stankonia and Speakerboxx/Love Below and I now have a better sense for why. 2.2 stars
I already knew a few songs and am so glad I gave the whole album a listen. There are some real bangers on here!
Double album of Hip Hop is not my dream day. I knew a few tracks - Hey Ya is unavoidable - and excellent. My Favourite Things was fun, like the jazzy take. But the rest of the album - did not enjoy. Don't ever need to hear the skits. Can get why you'd like this if you were into HipHop - there's a lot of variety. Not me though, 2 hours was a slog.
Listened to this album twice. It is honestly my least liked OutKast album, but only because the others are just THAT good in my opinion. This is still a solid album though. It is long, but I liked that since we probably won't ever get new OutKast again. I liked that half of the album is more hip-hop focused, and the second half is more R&B. It kinda of gave Andre and Big Boi avenues to do their own thing kind of, and I really enjoyed it. They are both some of the best ever. I loved the songs with Jay-Z and Ludacris. I had never heard them before. The skit with the kid rapping is probably one of the cutest things I've ever heard. OutLast never disappoints, and they are both amazing as always.
always so gooooood
Guessing I don’t have too many unique thoughts on this one. There is a lot that is really really good, and it’s cool to hear these guys sort of split up and doing their own thing, but with each other as backup. But it is tooooo long and doesn’t justify the length.
great
A two hour double album, that is certainly a lot of OutKast. There was definitely some great range showcased, even if some of the beats felt too similar. The best tracks could've been condensed into one really good album, but sadly that wasn't what happened.
Lots of good variance between sounds. Love the jazz and gospel sounds you get from some of them. Great energy. Funny interludes
I actually liked this more than I remember. Still not sure there’s enough material for a double and it would’ve been incredibly consistent if it was whittled down to one disc but I respect what they’ve done here. Speakerboxxx over The Love Below for me but it’s a solid collection and doesn’t seem to have aged in 20 years.
solid
One of my all time favorite hip hop albums. Great beats, fun skits, some good lyrics, some great guests. What's not to like? Highlights - Unhappy, Bowtie, The Way You Move, Church, Knowing, Last Call, Love Hater, Happy Valentine's Day, Hey Ya, Roses, Behold a Lady
I went into this expecting good music and I was not disappointed. I dunno how common this view is, but Speakerboxxx is noticeably better to me than The Love Below, altho the latter has Hey Ya which is clearly the best track on either album. Might be a smidge too long and I could do without most of the skits and interludes, but a very very good album (or albums) in general.
I was quite happy to see OutKast pop up, and boy they did not disappoint. I enjoyed this a lot, will definitely revisit and collect some songs for my playlist. Speakerboxxx is definitely the better album, but The Low Below is also enjoyable with some bangers.
Couldn't get into this.... Unable to finish....
Memories! A+ album.
I went in hating this album. 2 hours! Are they insane?? It is too much! But hey, I loved Stankonia back in the day and I like Outkast in general, so I kept on going. I am glad I did. The first disc dragged me right in, but near the end I was wondering how far I'd get on the second disc. Well, let me tell you, dear reader, I did not stop nodding my head the entirety of disc 2. Engrossed, is the word. So yeah, long ass album but worth it to me. Which is a rarity.
It does have Hey Ya
A classic
Wow, that is a lot of songs! Enjoyed what I was able to get through in a day.
This is a sprawling masterpiece that’s surprisingly mostly about genuine affection. There’s a ton of clear-eyed love ballads and entertaining skits especially on the Love Below. The DNA for Kendrick’s to Pimp a Butterfly can be found all over this record. Much like Kendrick, Andre3000 has more unique thoughts on this album than I feel like Ive had in my whole life. And this is SO ahead of its time. The intro alone could have been released today, it’s so modern. Most of the first album is this way! Lastly, while I know this is a double album made by two different people with two different visions, I think it flows together very well. Nearly a 5
Holy crap! 20 years?? I will always remember driving down the freeway listening to alternative radio when Hey Ya came on. My booty started bouncing in the seat all by itself. Hey Ya could be one of the biggest bangers of all time. Used to listen to this all the way through all the time. Big Boi and Andre3000 had mostly gotten into their separate projects at this point and the two discs on the double album are pretty much totally separate. Big Boi’s Speakerboxx is the southern rap is the first disc and Andre3000 sexy disc is full of all kinds of influences from funk to jazz and classical. Perhaps not as groundbreaking or party friendly as the earlier albums Stankonia and ATLiens but it is still my favorite OutKast
Preferred Speakerboxxx to The Love Below.
Vraiment pas mon genre. Ai pas pu écouter plus que quelques chansons.
Hey Ya, and Roses, are stunning, but the rest I could take or leave. And it just goes on and on and on.
Loved this
Banger
NO RAP!!!
Its too solo albums stitched together. That is is a well known fact. Too long with many skits i find that are too long on both sides.
I tried to listen to this, got thru about 6 songs.. it sounds layered and complex in a rappy-way, so I give them credit for technique and creativity, but it just doesn't jive with my soul. 2 stars for effort.
I am only 26 albums into this project and this is the 4th hip-hop record that has come up. When I saw this one pop up. I read the Wikipedia entry and saw that this consists of 39 songs, I resigned myself to a long listening session, also seeing the warning label on the cover of the album I knew I was in for a bumpy ride. I must admit the album was not what I expected. There are songs here that take influence from all manner of genres and I have to admit there was a lot here to enjoy. Many songs get their roots from funk, jazz, soul, and some of the lyrics are just downright funny. There were a couple of songs on here that had a Frank Zappa vibe. There were also a few songs that I could barely muck through. If you cut out some of the weaker songs, this would have been a very solid album but with some of the lesser material, it makes it a bit of a marathon listen.
Some vulgar songs but overall pretty good.
Not fronting, I am not much of a hip hop fan. So, this double album was too self indulgent for me to care much. Required way too much patience from me. I respect that this is someone's favorite album/albums of all time, but to me it doesn't belong on this list. I sensed these were concept albums, but for the life of me I couldn't figure them out without studying the lyrics, and I am not about to read the lyrics of a 2 hour 15 minute long opus. I was unable to relate to the lyrics that I could make out. I think it was cheeky humor, but who knows? They kind of felt like soundtracks for a pair of "In Living Color" sketch comedy films that I never saw. Not fun, mostly just an endurance race. I enjoyed the instrumentation more than the lyrics. If I had to choose one of these albums over the other, I lean towards The Love Below more than Speakerboxx, but that could just be because I have more familiarity with jazz, and I found the jazzy, bluesy exploration of melody and harmony compositionally more fun than Speakerboxx's more straight southern hip hop, which has never been my jam. I did not particularly like any of the singles. My favorite track was the jazz hop instrumental cover of "My Favorite Things" from the musical broadway show, The Sound of Music, using, I think, samples of John Coltrane's My Favorite Things album from 1960.
Speakerboxx is excellent, maybe the best hip hop of the 2000s. The way you move is an all time favourite song. The Love Below is... something different. The singles are cool pop music, but there is too much falsetto and lounge music over all.
Paar lekkere klappers, maar ook veel opvulmateriaal. Niet zoveel stank als Stankonia in ieder geval
Zeker een goed album. Andre3000 weet weer een paar keer mooi op de beat te springen. Wel veel commerciëlere en rare nummers (wat wil je ook met 2h 18 min). Daardoor kwalitatief minder dan Stankonia. Desalniettemin een ruime voldoende.
Erg lang wel. Maar opzich wel leuk. Niet zo leuk als de eerdere van outkast
😍
absolute fuckin heater album cannot go wrong with outkast almost every track got me BUMPIN big boi's disk is just fire all the way through, some heater features including my goat killer mike, produced AMAZINGLY and honestly a 4.8/5 album then you go into andre 3000's disk and its just this absolutely amazing jazzy type beat and it just works. gets better as it progresses and its just stunning 4.6/5
Seems very long, but I suppose it is two albums in one. The first album has intros and interludes, which I always enjoy in an album. So far I feel like the first half would be good as like music whilst doing things or like background music to a dinner or something maybe. Super chill vibes. It really is oh so very long though. Probably wouldn't listen to it again, but would potentially play it as some background music.
Quite funny - not more ;-)
Absolute classic! For me, The Love Below is a clear 5, and Speakerboxxx varies all the way from 3 to 5.
The album that had everyone shaking like a Polaroid picture. I was thinking about Fonzworth Bentley earlier today, when is that style going to make a comeback?! This isn't really an Outkast album, it's a Big Boi album and an Andre 3000 album, but I'll still take it because I love these dudes. Are Stankonia or Aquemini on the list? I haven't listened to this in years outside of the singles - excited to revisit this over 20 years later. Close to Spectacular! Speakerboxxx is a damn good album, cool experimental beats, great flow, cool features from some big names. It sounds like an Outkast album minus Andre rapping on most songs. Very good - I was especially feeling Bowtie today. The Love Below is a damn good album too! It's a lot longer and stranger than Speakerboxxx, with funny interludes and just strange moments like a drum and bass cover of Favorite Things?! It brings in a lot of Prince and pop influences, whereas Big Boi was digging into southern hip hop and funkadelic energy (plus some second line horns). You can hear a lot of influence from The Love Below in newer artists, who have embraced weird R&B. I like when folks get weird with it! And Outkast always get weird with it!
I have been an Outkast fan as long as I can remember. Somehow I’ve never listened to this entire album. While I’d probably put it towards my Least favorite kast album I still enjoyed it much more than my preconceived notion about it would have led me to believe. I prefer disc 1 as it was a little more Whst I want from an outlast album the second half challenged me to listen to Andre 3000 vision of sex in the future and I’m all the better for it as I listen from the comfort of 20 years in the future since it’s release. Overall a solid album that while I may not revisit as much as previous albums definitely worked a handful of new tracks into my outlast rotation and that is worth it
One of the top 10 hip hop albums of all time.
This is too long by a few skits. But wow are the good songs really good. It’s the freshest sounding hip hop album to my ears since Enter the 36 Chambers. Will definitely listen to this album again.
Well produced but it's not really my thing.
Know this one well. Wish I could rate them separately. Speakerboxxx has a few duds (I'd get rid of War and Church, and a few interludes) but the highs are so high. Love Below is good but not great overall; it hurts that the best song (Roses) has one of the dumbest chorus lines I can think of (roses really smell like poopoo??) Average to 4/5
4.5
I mean, this is two five star albums, so I'm giving it 10 🌟
Really interesting project. I enjoyed all of the variety. At moments I thought the album was over, but then I checked and realized it was still the same album playing. Only note is that it was very long.
Tight. Big boi goes hard of course- i like church, war. Dre gets jazzy and silly she’s alive ( i think) has mf brushes! Draculas wedding tight day in the life tight. Liked roses better than i remembert
Great!
This was a great album. A very long, great album.
Loses a bit with over-indulgence, mainly on The Love Below, but across both albums this is filled with a great range of tracks, beats, bars and so much charm. It's such an inviting album, even if some components seem somewhat dated. Straight 4/5
Epic double album but consistently engaging. The two halves are distinct but complimentary. Some absolutely amazing production and Andre's best hooks. I feel that some of the concept tracks, particularly on disc 2, forego being great songs in favour of their central idea which drops things a bit. Fave track: Tomb of the Boom
A long album I never had listened to in full - varied and solid throughout, dipping in between pop classics and conceptual storytelling, really enjoyable. Fave track: Prototype
Het eerste uur is echt korvee. Altijd maar dat voortkabbelend geouwehoer, doe me een lol. Een vastgemetseld ritmetje dat maar door blijft gaan, met oersaai geklets eroverheen. De ellende, sodeju. Ik wil muziek! En dan op 56 minuten komt er een of ander orkest het podium opgeschoven, en is muziek zowaar wat je krijgt. Experimentele jazz met een metalgitaar, funk, wat gefluister en zowaar een leuke hit. Veel beter. Maar nog steeds aan de lange kant. Conclusie: dit album had gewoon in tweeën gesplitst moeten worden, zoals oorspronkelijk ook de bedoeling was. En dan deel 1 weglaten. En uit deel 2 even nog wat dingen schrappen (onder andere ook hier het geklets). Dan had deel 2 nog wel vier sterren kunnen krijgen. Nu wordt het luisterplezier teveel verstoord door alle overbodige ongein.
OutKast ken ik van de radio. En al pushen die nummers me niet gelijk naar een andere zender. Hij gaat ook niet een tandje harder. Met uitzondering van The Way You Move misschien. De verwachtingen zijn dus niet heel hoog. Maar ik word al snel verrast. Na de intro krijgen we 'Ghettomusick'. Ghettomuziek is blijkbaar een mix tussen rave en rap. Weer wat geleerd. Blijkbaar is dit ook een single geweest. Had ik even gemist. Heel anders in elk geval dat ik van de radio ken. Het staat mij wel aan. CD1 blijft verrassen. Een breed scala aan rap-stijlen komt schijnbaar moeiteloos voorbij. De ene keer doet het me wat denken aan Snoop Dog, de andere keer wat aan Eminem. Met uitzondering van de rave-rap van het eerste nummer, schiet het nooit heel ver zo'n richting uit. Een echte handtekening wordt misschien niet gezet. Maar misschien is dat ook wel de kracht. Tot mijn verrassing vind ik het jammer dat CD1 is afgelopen. Tussenstand: een makkelijke 5 sterren. Kom maar op met CD2. Deze CD blijkt iets heel anders te zijn. Het begin belooft fijne jazz-rap. Iets voor een ander moment. Dus even de luistersessie op pauze. Intussen even googlen. Want er zit wel een grote kloof tussen de CD's. Hoe zit dat? Ze hebben blijkbaar allebei een cd gemaakt. Op zich leuk. Eén aanschaf, twee cd's met een duidelijk verschil. Dus afhankelijk van de stemming kies je er één. De hits die ik ken staan allemaal op CD2. Met uitzondering van de hit die ik wel fijn vind...mmmm. Ik ben de volgende dag meer in de jazz-stemming. Dus kom maar op dan. Maar het stelt toch wat teleur. Het heeft een bepaalde kwaliteit, maar is vooral wat saai en fake. Halverwege het album heb ik het al wel gehad. Deze cd zou ik 2,5 sterren geven. Wiki is lyrisch over André3000, verantwoordelijk voor CD2. "Wereldwijd gezien als één van de beste rappers allertijden". Maar dit dubbelalbum laat zien hoe het werkelijk zit. Big Boi, verantwoordelijk voor CD1 is de rapgigant van dit stel. Hij kan elke rapstijl de baas, heeft het niet nodig om te overdrijven, en laat muzikaal de meeste creativiteit horen. Toch weer een ontdekking vanuit deze lijst. Ik moet de cd's gezamenlijk raten, terwijl het echt afzonderlijke werken zijn. Middelen dan maar. Kom ik op 3,75 sterren.
Goeiendagschotel, meer dan 2 uur hiphop. Zoals gewoonlijk blader ik de wiki altijd door en wat me hier opvalt, dat dit blijkbaar een soort van 2 solo-albums zijn van de twee hoofdpersonen Big Boi en Andre 3000. Laten we de albums dan ook deels afzonderlijk reviewen. Op Speakerboxxx ligt het tempo gelijk hoog aan het begin met voortstuwende beats. In de volgende nummers zit gelijk veel variatie, want ik hoor een soort LL Cool J ballad en een vrolijk met toeters versierd Latin hiphopnummer. Sowieso komen de toeters vaak terug. Het geheel is funky en het doet me af en toe zelfs denken aan de hiphopPeppers, Give it Away vibes. Al zitten er ook gewoon vrij kale hiphoptracks tussen, maar dan is er wel een lekker breakbeatje om de boel interessant te houden. Dit is echt een prima uurtje luisterplezier. Dikke 4 voor Speakerboxxx. The Love Below start juist heel traag. En heeft gelijk jazzy invloeden. Het is meer poppy. Het rare zingen met een geknepen stem van Andre 3000 staat me ook wat tegen, alsof hij een beetje Prince na wil doen. Als ik die clip van Prototype zie, dan probeert hij dat inderdaad. De hitjes moeten dit deel redden, want hier ben ik minder fan van. Dit komt slechts tot een magere 2. Gemiddeld lijkt het me een makkelijke optelsom. Geef me alleen Speakerboxxx en het leven had er veel rooskleuriger uitgezien. En zeker door dat langdradige 2e album, blijf je zitten met een beetje een zure smaak. Ik probeer het 1e deel te onthouden en de hitjes van deel 2, want dan kan ik er tenminste nog een 3 van maken.
God damn this album is long. They should give you two days to listen and rate this one. That being said, this double album has some great songs (some of the greatest: Hey Ya, Roses The Way You Move), a lot of good songs, and a ton of filler. A lot of it is forgettable due to its length, but the gems will be in rotation basically forever. If this double album was condensed into one, it would rate higher for me.
This. Album. Is. LOOOOOONG. I cant deny there are some absolute belters of songs in this thing, but the length of this thing is just too much. I could only go back to some songs, never the whole album
First off, this needs to be treated as two separate albums. Even when doing this, each of the albums is still way too long! There are a lot of tracks that feel like filler, and the various skits should just have been left out completely. It feels like there are potentially two excellent albums in here, each of around 40 min in length. All that aside, there are some really fantastic tracks on both. The bits that I liked, I loved. Two different styles, both with really cool rhymes and flow, great music.
Album Mt longo, nem sei se escutei tudo, mas é uma obra prima, apesar de ser longo, toda música é interessante e em várias é possível ver oq inspirou elas e oq elas inspiraram. As músicas são bem agitadas e enérgicas, dão um animada boa em qualquer um, a bateria eh Mt interessante, com Beats bem fortes, corajosos e inovadores, toda música me animava para ouvir qual seria o beat. Outro aspecto Mt bom é como eles fazem samples das músicas do lado 1 para o lado 2 e da uma espécie de nostalgia do álbum dentro do próprio álbum. Em geral, eh um álbum de hip-hop bem único, não consigo colocar ele em um período específico ou em um gênero, parece uma homenagem do OutKast para músicas que eles amam.
Originals! Great album. I love how it's split down middle big boi and then Andre. So good not my favorite album but still a five!
OutKast were huge in Atlanta and the rest of the dirty south for almost a decade but this was when the rest of the world really got to know them. The Dungeon Family heavily represented-appearances from CeeLo and Killer Mike. Here you can really start to see the creative differences between the two. Amazing album lots of hits. Two creative geniuses doing their thing. Love OutKast but I’m heavily biased due to my Georgia ties
I really liked some of these songs in college, now they're barely listenable. Akso, I remember being pissed that these were two solo albums (how can you even call that Outkast). Speakerboxx: 2/5 Love Below: 3/5 All other real Outkast albums that came before this: 5/5
Love below was better, it just was. Weird that it was a double album but you can really see how different the two are. Senior year of HS, takes me back.
Takes me back to my college days 🩷
Outstanding!
Long album. repetitive theme about girls and chicks. Some few good songs.
El primer disco puag. Pero el segundo bastante bien. Tiene Hey ya!
When this album came out, I had just started my first semester of community college. I was living at home while going to school and working, and I have many fond memories of listening to “Hey Ya!” with the friends that I hung out with at the time. Someone that was a year behind me in high school did a physics project about Newton’s first law set to the tune of “Hey Ya!”, editing himself into the music video (it’s insanely impressive for having been done in 2003 or 2004; search Youtube for “first law hey ya” if you have five minutes to kill). But enough reminiscing. I would have sworn that I’d listened to this album in its entirety at some point, but after listening to it today, I don’t think that’s the case (it’s in my Apple Music library, so I bought it at some point). I really thought this was going to be an instant five star review for me, but this album falls a little short. I respect the ambition of this project, but at over two hours, this project just didn’t have enough gas overall to really support the union of these two separate projects. Speakerboxxx is easily the stronger half of this album. Big Boi is a fantastic rapper, spitting out rhymes with a clarity and ferocity that’s uniquely his own. The beats and samples on Speakerboxxx are great, the featured guests are fantastic, and Big Boi’s socially conscious lyrics land really well a couple of years into a post 9/11 United States. I always forget that “The Way You Move” is on this album, and as much fun as “Hey Ya!” is, “The Way You Move” is incredible. The beat, Big Boi’s rapping, and the main chorus all combine to create an incredibly melodic sound. I got to see Big Boi at two separate festivals back in 2011, and he was fantastic. My brother summed up his skills perfectly: “Big Boi makes you wonder how Slim Thug has a job.” As great as Speakerboxxx is, The Love Below just doesn’t hold a candle to it. I appreciate Andre 3000’s creative vision and experimentation, but his lack of singing and rapping skills hold his half back. “Hey Ya!” and “Roses” are fantastic, but the rest of this half of the project is kind of a jumbled mess. I think that Andre’s creativity is stifled by his lack of ability to execute a cohesive vision. I respect the ambition of the project, and it’s definitely one of the most influential albums this century, but the end result is that Big Boi’s half shines, while Andre’s half can’t keep up.
I'm here for Hey Ya, which is an all-timer. I'd be lying if I didn't admit I love the Prince vibes. Aside from the colossal hits, I need more time with it for a proper rating.
This is the second time I’m listening to OutKast from this website. And wow I have not listened to an album this long before. But it wasn’t a bad listen. My favorite OutKast song was on this album, Hey Ya! But some other great tracks included: GhettoMusick, Roses, and Draculas wedding. My least favorites were: the interludes and Reset and Vibrate. I will definitely listen to the rest of this double album again!
This is a 2 hour album. I could never got bored. I don't think there's many artists that could hold my attention for that long. Take my highest rating yet outkast...4.6
Chances of me finishing this album today are low so I’ll say some stuff now since I have heard this one so many times. It’s only flaw is it’s length in my opinion, the beats all over both parts are so fucking FUN. OutKast has always prioritized their vision above all else and it yields the truest versions of themselves which allows the music to be consistently entertaining, even more than some music releasing today. Being someone whose main exposure to rap has always been northeast coast and west coast, I’ve always been a firm believer that the south makes the best version of it and the longevity of this album proves that for me. 4.8/5
Hey Ya! is the best song on this double-feature by a mile and a half. It's so out of place, I don't even understand why it's included. Outside of that, this is a hefty collection of "fine" songs. The Love Below is a semi-interesting concept-like album that delves into some touchy subjects. Points for that, but it's less musically inclined overall. Speakerboxxx would be fun with some good speakers in a car, but the bass is about all that's carrying it. There's nothing particularly special about the bars or methodology here that makes it stand out. Not bad, but I expected more given the legacy of the artists. Fav tracks: Hey Ya!, The Rooster, War, Good Day, Good Sir (Interlude)
Second disc is well better
Growing up is realising that 3 Stacks fucking carries this project.
could be better…i only listened to the first few songs but i knew it wasn’t my vibe. sometimes i like rap/hip hop but imo it wasn’t done well. some harmonies just didn’t fit. the rhythms were off sometimes
Kenn ich, finde ich ganz gut
I didn't appreciate this album when it came out because it was so sprawling. But this is really great overall. Like the White Album, there are plenty of hits and misses, but overall, you get the sense that these guys are incredibly talented.
I really enjoy the juxtaposition of the two styles between Andre 3000 and Big Boi.
One of my favorite albums! Stankonia is my favorite, but this one is a close second. 4/5!
It's long and essentially two full length solo albums. Big Boi's Speakerboxxx is dirty southern rap and Andre's The Love Below is more jazzy and soulful, spawning the mega hit "Hey Ya!". I have to say I liked The Love Below a lot more than Speakerboxxx but the later isn't without its merits. The duo tends to be stronger working together and the best songs on Big Boi's album feature Andre3000 but not exactly vice versa. Overall an interesting listen but at 2 hours and 15 minutes it's a commitment.
Speakerboxxx is great. The Love Below is not great.
Just because this genre isn't my thing, doesn't mean I can't appreciate the artistry in it. The charted songs are still my favorite on the album(s) and I'm glad I listened to the whole thing because it does tell a story if you listen to it in full.
You've just got to be kidding - more rap *sigh*? I hate it. This is getting ridiculous. In fairness, some of this is just 'meh', but most of it is just plain offensive.
For me it’s a case of “just because you can doesn’t mean you should” I feel like this & GNR’s Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 could’ve been single albums. This album does have some great songs tho, ultimately think that Stankonia should be on this list instead
could have been one really good album
I liked this more than I thought I would, but definitely preferred Speakerboxxx more. The Love Below meandered a lot and while I appreciate the genre mixing, it felt inconsistent and started to drag for me.
Too many F bombs
Here’s me, a slightly chubby, nerdy 14 year old kid, having only recently discovered a wider world of music outside of CCM, knowing absolutely nothing about hip hop other than it must’ve been terrible because I wasn’t allowed to listen to it and “all they ever talked about was guns and sex.” I hear Hey Ya on the radio, and decide to explore that more. I borrow a friend’s copy of the CD to listen to on my Walkman on the bus because I will be thrown out of my house if I get caught with it. What follows is an expansive double album that covers virtually every base of important music styles I would go on to discover and love over the next two decades of my life. This album informed so much of my taste in music, it’s really astonishing. And while I don’t think it’s the best hip hop album of all time (hell, Love Below is hardly hip hop), I think it’s one of the best double albums ever, and certainly in the top 10 of greatest 21st century records.
OutKast split it down the middle so you can see both the visions; the resulting divine dichotomy's the closest I'll ever get to religion.
This was a pretty good listen and there are several great tracks. I have to admit it was very very long and I lost patience at times, but did enjoy it overall. I prefer Speakerboxx over The Love Below. It was more diverse and progressive than I was originally expecting. Favorite tracks: GhettoMusick, Bowtie, The Way You Move, Bust, Flip Flop Rock, Reset, Last Call, Love Hater, Prototype, Hey Ya, Dracula's Wedding, My Favorite Things.
Too long
Speakerboxxx: An absolute slapper. If you aren't a fan or rap or interludes, this won't be for you. If you do like rap, this is a must listen to. Big Boi and Andre 3000 helped put Atlanta on the rap map and started a shift away from New York and LA as the rap centrals. The Way You Move is an all time rap song. Bowtie was another song that really stood out to me. The Love Below: This feels like Andre 3000's project more than Big Boi's. Hey Ya is probably one of the best songs of the the 21st century and Roses is another high point of this portion. I liked Spearkerboxxx more than The Love Below overall. I thought The Love Below had the higher highs but the lower lows. Overall an incredible album, a bit long at times but it can easily be split. I would probably give Speakerboxxx a 5 and The Love Below a 4 if I rated them separately.
I can't complain when I get an OutKast album. Both discs are a fair representation of the duo. Neither are lacking style or skills as MCs. The production remains varied enough that 2hrs+ of music doesnt get repetitive. My only complaint is that a few songs could stand to be removed from the two records to bring down the total run time just a little bit. +1 respect for the "call me Mr. Ravioli" verse
Really Interesting! all the big recognizable hits were from The Love Below, but listening to it all the way through, I really liked the Speakerboxxx side a lot more
He escuchado 3 temas, y lo he quitado. No es para mi...
2 heures et quelques, c’est beaucoup trop. La moitié des morceaux sont des espèces de sketch, des dialogues, des machins qui ne servent pas à grand chose. La partie Speakerboxxx (Big Boi) est plus correcte, hip hop bien produit mais lassant à la longue. Toujours pas quelque chose que j’écouterai volontiers mais bon. Pourquoi pas “Ghettomusic”. Par contre la partie “The Love Below” (André 3000) est plus souvent quelconque, parfois désagréable en partant dans plein de directions inutiles (y a du jazz fusion avec “My Favorite Things”…) entre deux interludes foireux... Éventuellement “Roses” parce que ça parle de poopoo (lol), “Take off your cool” assez simple. Et au milieu il y a “Hey Ya!” qui restera cool. Finalement au lieu d’un double album un simple single aurait pu suffire.
Damn every song is great damn And theres 2 hours of it? Damn
There is just so much going on in every song on this album, you get whiplash. Sometimes that works spectacularly - the switch from rap to soul in Way You Move, for instance - but sometimes it just feels like you're starting to enjoy something and then it pulls the rug from under your feet. One thing that is really noticeable on here though is the absolutely sublime production quality. The crispness of the brass peppered through the record is so nice. It's let down a little by too many nothing tracks, which (shock horror) could have been removed to make a more coherent, sub-two hour album. Fun though.
There is so much going on with this album. The backtrack/instrumentals are so overwhelming - but somehow it works! This album finds a lot of humor in their songs despite some of them having a profound message. This is different from any other hip hop I’ve heard.
Not bad vibes Great production.
Interesting concept of having Big Boi and andre3000 create solo albums and release them together as Outkast. The albums really show the difference between both of their styles. Andre3000’s has the big hits, but is relatively strange besides those two songs. Big Boi’s is the more consistent of the two. Overall pretty good, I think they are better in other works. 3.5/5 Might listen again
Favourite tracks: unhappy; roses; hey ya; the way you move; ghetto musick
I don't think the gimmick was conducive to a good cohesive project, but if it forced people to respect that both parts of the duo were integral to how amazing they were then I am cool with it. Great album track by track for the most part, overall not quite there but still awesome and spawned some crazy big hits, could listen to Roses and The Way You Move every day and love it
Nope
Not really my thing
Really love this double album
40 Songs im Album.
Hip hop, but had some interesting instrumentals (acoustic guitar, some orchestral) and good vocals harmonies
poderia ser 5 se não tivessem 400 músicas
Sensacional, mas sou mais The Love Bellow que Speakerboxxx Dito isso "The Way you move" é sensacional, e não entendo como não fez mais sucesso. Flip flop rock foi uma surpresa agradável na primeira metade. Mas como álbum tem o problema de ser muito grande, muitas músicas "baixas" até chegar nos grandes hits De qualquer forma toma 5
This started as a promising 3-or-4-star listening experience, but it quickly became a slog to get through. Sure, there’s variety (especially if you’re a hip-hop fan), but any album longer than two hours is going to drain the listener of enjoyment regardless of content. Couple that with my not being a fan of the genre or music era, and you have a recipe for disaster. The album is somewhat salvaged by the backing vocals, horns, and relatively hit-or-miss percussion (the percussion has to be really incredible to make up for the fact that it’s non-acoustic). The second disc is noticeably better than the first, incorporating more singing and elements of rock and jazz, but it still suffers from the overbloating problem; there are plenty of lesser songs that could be left off the record. Cut every interlude and about half the remaining tracks on each disk, and you have a result worthy of its “classic” status. Some tracks that should be left in, primarily for their fun instrumentals and singing rather than rapping, include GhettoMusick, The Way You Move, The Rooster, Happy Valentine's Day, Love Hater, and of course the genuinely great Hey Ya!
Not good
Hmm, I’m very close to giving this a five. It’s surprisingly cohesive under the OutKast banner considering it’s really two solo albums, and it’s so much more than just the hits, but it’s loooong. I can’t help but imagine what it could’ve been if they condensed it down to Stankonia length and produced a tight, 18-20 song album. Still great though; really more of a 4 and 1/2 stars.
2h15 lo escuché en su época y solo recuerdo "Hey ya" (que además siguen machacando en las radio fórmula). No lo he escuchado entero (creo que es de los primeros que no oigo de los más de 500 que llevo ya).
Im not the biggest rap fan in the entire world but wow this album is a masterpiece. How Andre 3000 manages to turn this into a jazz album is beyond me
GhettoMuzak is a try-hard Bran Van 3000 track, but doesn't do it well. Unhappy makes me unhappy. Things do start to pick up with bowtie. I've now got as far as "church" (which I dislike enough to snap me from whatever lull I was in) and I'm looking at the remaining hour and a half with some dread. Bamboo is genuinely fucking terrible. Skip. In fact, I think I might skip the whole of the rest of Volume 1 (Speakerboxx?) because it appears to be an absolute chore. Sorry Big Boi - you're not getting a high vote for this. Having skipped through the last bit of Speakerboxx, it does seem that volume 2 (the love below) is more appealing. I quite like the crooning and freeform jazziness of Love Hater, but there is a meandering lack of direction that I don't like to what follows. There's a couple of really great tracks in The Love Below but for 2¼ hours worth of album, that is absolutely not enough justify having to commit to 2¼ hours of album. In the end, I've bailed. It's a Saturday afternoon, I've nothing in particular I need to do other than drink wine and listen to music, and I could do without the music being this. Of course. This was released in 2003. That explains it.
Dosta dobro
Revolutionary
Surprisingly good! Also lots of instruments, would listen to it again
This isn't something I'd typically listen to, but I actually enjoyed it a lot. Handful of songs I will listen to again
Would probably be great if it was like half the length
Did not like it at all. Except „Hey Ya!“ there was no noteworthy song on this album.
One of the greatest albums of all time. Big Boi's side is peak mid 00s hip hop, with everyone on board, amazing beats and incisive rhymes (from him at least. Some of the smaller names and Jay Z deliver a couple of stinkers). Then 3000s side is essentially a concept album about a relationship happening, falling apart, then the growth that comes after. But with Hey Ya, vampires and a jazz/breaks version of The Sound of Music. If it hadn't been for the jazz flute album a few months ago, you'd say it was the most out there thing he'd ever done. I can't see how anyone could hear this and give it less than full marks.
Ziemlich durchgedreht, aber cool
Not the kind of music I like
About an hour too long. But not bad!
It's pretty varied, upbeat, funky, lots of layers and grooves. Well produced. But boy is it loooong. And the second half isn't as good as the first in my opinion. I appreciate this one way more than I like it.
Listened in two days, tough, genre has to grow on me.
Anything below 4 feels unfair but I will only revisit for tracks not the album(s). I'd say The Love Below is a 4 and Speakerboxxx is a 3. Rounding down since it's long
A bit of the same but love some songs
Not perfect and it is essentially 2 different albums fused together but this is still a singular achievement over 20 years on. Can remember LOVING this when it came out, still stands up now - so creative.
Good beats, not a fan of the lyrics.
Hey ya alone gives this 5 stars. A dance song you can’t dance to - it’s in 22/8. A happy melody about a relationship breakdown. One of the greatest songs and singles of the 21st century. In 2003. Will it be matched over the following 97 years? 21 years later there’s not a lot of competition. * The rest of the double album swerves from great to middling. Without hey ya it’d be a solid 3.5. With Hey Ya it’s a 5. *This isn’t a ‘music these days!’ comment. Hey Ya is that good. .
Hey Ya! What a track. I had never before heard the whole 2 albums that make up this double. I do prefer The Love Below - some sweet vocals on this, mainly by Andre, but also memorably helped out by Rosario Dawson (She Lives In My Lap) & Norah Jones in the wonderful Take Off Your Cool. There are some terrific jazz-influenced tracks, notably Love Hater and the cover of My Favourite Things, a-la the famous Coltrane version, which is sampled here even on a track like Vibrate, the trumpet in the background is straight out of the Miles Davis book. There’s some funky stuff here ( I really like Happy Valentines Day) and I love the slower tempos he uses in the second half of the album. On the other hand, Speakerboxxx is more hip-hop. However it does contain some wonderful throwbacks to 70’s soul (The Way You Move & Church are highlights). Overall, a great listen.
This album is clearly one of the masterpieces of hip hop. But, OMG, there is so much of it! Nearly 2.5 hours! Some (much, most) of this is really excellent, but there was opportunity for editing. One star off for exhaustion.
Love this album. You can listen from start to finish, absolutely brilliant.
As a professed non-fan of hip-hop, Speakerboxxx sounds chaotic, non-sequiturial and all over the place to me. According to Wikipedia this is supposed to be the consistent half though? After half of the annoying Speakerboxxx album, I skipped the rest to get to The Love Below and well... that one is pretty much just unlistenably annoying. Hey Ya! is a classic at this point and it is kind of cool, although I absolutely hated it back when it was all over the airwaves in 2003. Maybe I just don't 'get it'. But both sides of the double album sound horrendous to me.
3, liked the first part and not the second
not my usual cup of tea, but trying to remain open to the experience
Nice to finally listen to an album I’ve owned, although I’ve always preferred their earlier albums, particularly Stankonia. It’s decent but not amazing, and in terms of hip hop, there are many better albums. Also the amount of interludes is ridiculous.
It was ok. I like Andre 3000s style but nothing overall special for me.
cmon son that's a classic joint. only problem is it's a little too poppy. 4.5 stars. definitely listen to their earlier work for perfect works of art and music!
Absolutely fantastic
not my kind of music...
Långt album. Bra biisin. Jätte artsy
Rating: 8.5/10 Speakerboxxx: 9.5/10 Love Below: 7.5/10 Great album overall. Speakerboxxx is especially exceptional, one of the first rap albums I heard and I always thought it was fantastic. Great production and clever wordplay by Big Boi throughout. The guest features were all fantastic and lyrically it's varied enough that it never feels redundant often thought-provoking. The Love Below is very good as well, more experimental than Speakerboxxx. Really appreciated all of the genres Andre 3000 incorporates on this album for better or worse, a lot of electronic elements and funk. I thought Big Boi was better lyrically than Andre but Andre's album was more varied in structure and genres, Andre disk has the two best songs on the entire album though. They could have made a classic if they kept all of Speakerboxxx minus the skits and took Hey Ya, Roses, and a few more great tracks from The Love Below. Favorite songs: Pretty much all of Speakerboxxx, Happy Valentine's Day, Prototype, Hey Ya, Roses, Dracula's Wedding, My Favorite Things, Vibrate. Worst songs: all of the skits, Reset, Spread.
Listened Before? Yes In my previous review I cited Stankonia as arguably the third best of Outkast's repository. This one was not among the top two, and, while I understand its inclusion in this list, I will be disappointed if Aquemeni or ATLiens is not on here. This two-part album is daunting and dense as hell, weighing in at 135 minutes. To me it is sort of amazing this is even classified as "Outkast." Sure it has Andre and Big Boi in the same package, but they are almost completely divided and chasing their own creative whims. Big Boi sticks to the dirty south, straight rap, while Andre lathers himself up in butter and leans into his experimental R&B. --- Speakboxxx: Big Boi's contribution, this is mostly straight dirty south rap with plenty of field favorites playing feature (Killer Mike, Cee-Lo, Ludacris, Lil Jon). His beat selection is varied here extending to electro-soul (GhettoMusick, The Way You Move), brassy-funk (Bowtie, The Rooster), dirty south (Bust, Knowing, Tomb of the Boom, Last Call)... Honestly though, I feel like Jay-Z's contribution on Flip Flop Rock is so phoned in. This is a solid-enough album unto itself, but it suffers from poor editorial selection. It could be pruned back by about 5 tracks IMO. High points: The Way You Move, GhettoMusick, The Rooster (love the bird sample), Bust, Tomb of the Boom. --- The Love Below: Andre's contribution is a complete 180 from Speakerboxxx; quite clear why the two weren't going to work out. Andre leans into experimentation and puts his singing / production forward. Of the two this is the side that captivates me and was on constant replay during my senior year at UMD. High points: Happy Valentine's Day, She Lives in My Lap, Hey Ya!, Roses, Dracula's Wedding, A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre --- If I were to review separately, Speakerboxx is like a 3 and The Love Below approaches a 5 for me. As a package, I'm glad they both exist, but I honestly don't love it as a singular unit. Averaging would put me at a 4, but as a whole this is more like a 3.5 leaning 3 for me. Added to Library? Yes
There is a lot going on in this album, but I don't really have the capacity to write a length review because this bad boy was loooooong. As far as 2+ hour albums go, this one was very good. I still don't love super long albums, but this one had plenty of variety and depth to entertain me from start to finish. A ton of cool features on the rap tracks. As much as I love Hey Ya, it did not feel like it belonged in the album at all. Maybe it's because I have heard it 1000 times before, but it just felt like a radio hit in an otherwise deep cut album. Roses played well with the rest of the album though. I'm currently typing this during My Favorite Thing which is really giving me the rhythm to keep typing. I likely won't listen to this one ever again just because of the length, but I really enjoyed it.
I listened to this at two different times split up by each album. Couldn't do 2 straight hours I like the way you move is a jam and I never knew who it was by Shout out to College Park, MD in Tomb of Boom that was cool I definitely didn't forget what album I was listening to the amount of time they said Speakerboxxx Hey Ya and Roses are the jams on this one and My Favorite Things was a really cool trippy instrumental. A little bit too sexual in some of the songs for me on the album as a whole to give it a 5 but there were chances. I liked the instrumentals of The Love Below much more but the singing of Speakerboxxx was better for me. The Love Below gets a 4 for the instrumentals being really good. Speakerboxxx gets a high 3 as a really good rap album especially when Jay-Z and Ludacris are added. Id say Outkast is better with the 2 of them together though.
Man it's been awhile since I've listened to this. It's so daunting at 40 songs and 2 hr. 25 min. Not gonna write a whole review here. But the standouts to me are: The Way You Move Bust Hey Ya! Roses (My Dad would play this song every time he drove Katie and I over to my Mom's, but it was censored so it just said "crazy ______" a bunch. Now that I'm typing this out I wonder if he knew and was dedicating that to my Mom) Prototype (Tame Impala has covered this it's awesome) Behold a Lady The album has such great sounds and production. Speakerboxxx has some funky and hardcore songs with some excellent features in Killer Mike and Jigga. The Love Below has a little jazzy-funk thing going on. Definitely nice that the album(s) are genre bending. My Favorite Things was wild. Overall a great album, but insanely too long. Also sad that it pretty much was foreshadowing Outkast's break up with both albums pretty much being solo endeavors. Definitely an album that had the opportunity to be a 5 for me but really was just too long it was hard to pay attention throughout. Unless you’re Christopher Nolan don’t make a movie length album.
Church my favorite track. Was amazed by how much I liked this album.
Wow what a lush tapestry of sounds. I loved the diversity of the tracks. This is a masterpiece.
Not my fave
More soul, funk, and jazz than I expected. Recognizable samples. I’m embarrassed I only knew a couple of the tracks.
Hmm
Not my usual kind of music. But glad to listen anyway
Really loved some of the songs. Album flow was not easy to do background work with. Maybe better cooking. Also long album- though did want to listen to whole thing didn’t make it through
i like the second part more
Nine months before this album was promoted or released I had a ripped mp3 file of Hey Ya. I was a big fan of Outkast since ATLiens. My favourite album was Aquemini. Stankonia was good, but not what wanted or expected to hear. Nevertheless it was good. I was growing out of Hip Hop around this time in 2003. Even Jay Z was supposedly retiring from the genre, and did in fact pretend to retire with the Black Album, 2 months after Speakerboxxx/ Love Below was released. So, by the time the album in question was released I had played Hey Ya to death and that song was inescapable for another year. Today I listened to this album in its entirety for the first time since the week it was released. Why have I only listened to this album twice, start to finish, since 2003? Well, turns out I have a lot of the same feelings about this record I had in 2003. I think it’s OutKasts worst record. Speakerboxxx on its own was surprisingly good this time around. Big Boi held his end down. Probably hard for him to do, too. Considering Andre decided he wanted to do his own thing. Although, it should be trimmed 5-6 songs or skits to make it great. Andres album sucks. Period. It sounds like he wanted to make a screenplay but for some reason just recorded the audio. It’s like he purposely does wild, stupid shit (like his new flute album) and people eat it up for some reason. There’s a small handful of songs on The Love Below that are good. Hey Ya is obviously timeless. 2 hours and 15 mins…. Seriously…. This album has way too much fat.