Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Brilliant

More versatile than I expected

Really enjoyed second half of album

Lots of songs

If they had trimmed down from a double LP to a single, we are talking about maybe the greatest hip hop record of all time.

This was hard to rate since the two albums are really different, and I'd rate each differently I think. I preferred The Love Below, it was a bit more funky.

3 Metà album fa per me L’altra metà no

P funk influence is evident

I listened to this when it came out and preferred their previous albums. I came in open minded to see if some time changed my opinion, but it didn’t. There are some high highs but I often found myself just waiting for the next good song.

Classic

I was ready to call this album a 5+ but I will agree with the other critics who said that The Love Below does take some odd turns. It's a double album so its bound to have some filler but do we really need a free jazz/breakcore version of a song from The Sound of Music? I know I don't. That inclusion of that track and some of the other clunkers knock this down to a solid five.

I liked the disk two better than disk one

I have been a big fan of The XX since first hearing them. Love the mellow vibe of this album.

Fun, quirky bop of an album Soo long though Got a bit dull/repetitive Would have preferred to have less filler/unnecessary stuff 3/5 stars

Fun lyrics, easy to understand. Took old classics, like Sound of music and made them their own. God as a women, thus "ahwoman", not amen.

Only liked the popular songs that were released as singles.

Not my kind of music....

Starting off with a strong but long one. Of course being from Atlanta I'm quite familiar with Outkast, but despite having this album already being in my music library I don't think I'd actually ever heard the whole album before (while I definitely have listened all the way through their earlier work). Based purely on the radio hits which were inescapable when I was a kid, I expected to like The Love Below side of the album more than Speakerboxxx. But I found the Big Boi half to be really solid, and the Andre half to be (outside of two massive hits back-to-back which still hold up) kinda silly. Nothing wrong with that per se, not every record has to be serious, but it just felt kinda goofy in some places, like he wasn't putting that much effort into it. Still, I really liked it overall, and am a bit embarrassed that i never gave it a chance until now. _We'll I know y'all wanted that 808, but can you feel that b-a-s-s bass?_

Ok haven't heard it in a long time but the double album a little too long

Ganz interessant

Already listened to this album but I am so excited to start my year off with it! A wonderful blast from the past, can't wait to get started on this journey

Rap isn't my cup of tea, but I really liked this album. Favourite songs: "The Rooster" and "Hey Ya!". 4/5

Love this. Speakerboxxx 💯

Speakerboxxx is good but The Love Below is great. "Where Are My Panties" into "Prototype" is so aggressively romantic and lovely I cannot even describe the chokehold those tracks had on my perception of attraction when I was in high school and this album came out. There are also so many bizarre and almost spooky sounds on The Love Below. "Pink & Blue" is one. Also, not to mention that "Hey Ya" is definitively the single song to define an entire generation of culture! Also how the hell anyone could listen to this and then still be surprised that Andre 3000 put out a jazz flute record is beyond me.

Interesting record. Not fully my type of music.

Ok. Not my style of music.

A fun listen and a lot jazzier than I remember. Probably the first time I listened through the full double album. It’s long and I could have done with less skits, but will definitely come back to a few songs I heard for the first time.

this album and i go way back. i really do like this album but ultimately, i think it's too long for its own good. what big boi and andre 3000 were able to achieve here absolutely can be great, but there's a lot of chaff they left in here and it could be a lot neater. i understand that was not the "creative vision" or what the situation was when they were making this album, as it is basically two solo albums in one, but this album would easily be in the conversation as their best if it was a little slimmer.

I get that as they were about to go their separate ways, Big Boi and André 3000 felt like they should "unite" their efforts one last time with this double-feature (the use of the word "unite" being partly ironic here). It sure was a great idea on paper to celebrate "the end" this way, and it helped both rappers get noticed one last time after so many other great LPs. The thing is, I can't help thinking that a single CD filled to its maximum 80-minute capacity, displaying the very best of those two separate albums, could have been the stuff of yet another legendary record (that would still be a double album on vinyl versions). Of course, selecting the very best cuts and creating a cohesive tracklisting out of the latter--so as to "unite" the increasingly differing aesthetics harnessed by both rappers/producers--would also have been the stuff of legendary headaches, going on for weeks on end. So this is what we got instead. Two very good albums, often achieving greatness. The only problem is that they're both clearly a notch under *Aquemini* and *Stankonia*. Not really trying to solve that puzzle here, but still highlighting the stellar cuts in each "album": Big Boi's *Speakerboxx*: Not counting the "Intro", you have its first five real tracks "Ghetto Musick", "Unhappy", " Bowtie", "The Way You Move", "The Rooster", a lot of them displaying latin-inspired horn sections that make the whole start of the record feel both cohesive and adventurous. The six cuts after are pretty good, but nowhere near as good as the first five. "Knowing" then achieves greatness again, thanks to its melancholic guitar loop, its lively clave-enhanced beat, and its moving vocal hook. Fast-paced "Flip Flop Rock", featuring Killer Mike and Jay-Z, is quite spectacular as well with its other guitar loop and its old school, "golden age" flourishes (the entrance of the bass as Jay Z starts rapping is an extraordinary moment). The penultimate song "Reset", a lush laidback number is pretty good too, but maybe it could be left out for an ideal "single CD release" of this project. Finally "Last Call" is an apt closer for *Speakerboxx*. It has a curiously quite "west-coast" gangsta rap instrumentation, but throughout his album, Big Boi is clearly indebted to the P-Funk roots of the genre, so this closer is still at home with the rest of the great songs. So that's seven or eight "keepers" for *Speakerboxx*. André 3000's much more extravagant and disjointed *The Love Below* now: after three "funny" short tracks/interludes, the album hits its real stride with funky "Happy Valentine's Day", maybe not the stuff of true greatness, but a cute statement from André-the-loverman. "Spread" goes to the same territory with slightly more interesting, subtle and leftfield instrumentations. Let's keep that one. After yet another "funny" spoken-word interlude about "mornings after", you have the sloooooow and gentle laidback funk of "Prototype". Its dreamy synth finale might make it a keeper as well. After that, "She Lives In My Lap" (featuring Rosario Dawson!) is smooth and sensual in the way that the best Prince songs circa-*Sign O'The Times" are, with extra groove added to its hypnotic beat at the end. And this one's a keeper for sure! Next, I don't think I need to say anything about "Hey Ya". It's an absolute banger, as everyone knows! And after that is a less famous single taken out of the album, "Roses". I think it could also be selected, which is not the case of the following interlude and proper track "Behold A Lady", both totally useless! Fortunately, "Pink And Blue" and "Love In War" up the ante after those duds--the latter once again reminding of the best moments of *Sign O' The Times". Next, "She's Alive" is a misfire, but "Dracula's Wedding" Is not--it's a fun mock-gothic exercise. The interlude and the drum'n'bass cover of "My Favorite Things" that follow are just dumbfounding ideas, however, once again totally useless. The last three tracks are far better, though. "Take Off Your Cool" (feat. Norah Jones) is a cool ballad sung over a delicate, moving acoustic guitar, and "Vibrate" and "A Life In The Day Of Benjamin André" are appropriately moody atmospheric tracks to close the proceedings. You get the picture now, *The Love Below" is a surely a mixed bag. Yet it has more interesting tracks than I remembered it having at the time (going from eight to eleven depending on how benevolent I might feel about the whole project). I think the real issue of this record is about how low the stakes are for the first three or four songs and interludes--with very self-indulgent moments there conveying a bad impression of what this album intends to do. But things are not so bad after that, all things considered. Take out five extra useless tracks/interludes, and the rest even holds water like in the best albums out there. Could the best cuts of each record be joined for a single CD, though? No, I don't think they could. Or it would taking a genius in the subtle art of tracklisting (you know there have been books written about that "art", don't you?). Global grade for the purposes of this list of "essential albums": 3.5/5, rounded up to a 4/5 mark. Which translates to a 8.5 grade for more general purposes. Really hesitating between directly keeping this double-feature in my own list or placing it in my "waiting room". Whatever I decide down there, there are chances I change my mind later on, to be honest... Number of albums left to review: 334 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 300 (including this one, probably) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 161 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 214

Absolutely crap

This album is solid, but it's also 2 albums in one, meaning runtime is 2hrs 15mins, so it overstays its welcome a bit for sure. So there are 2 members of Outkast: Andre 3000 and Big Boi. The first album, Speakerboxxx, was written and produced by Big Boi. It's standard hip hop. Solid. The second album, The Love Below, was written and produced by Andre 3000. It's more R&B oriented hip hop with lots of skits about love and banging. So if it was just Speakerboxxx, it'd have been a solid record, but the second half pulls it down for sure. Favourite songs: Roses, Hey Ya!, Flip Flop Rock, Last Call, Knowing, The Way You Move, Tomb of the Boom, Bowtie, GhettoMusick Least favourite songs: Bamboo, E-Mac, Interlude, D-Boi, Bowtie (Postlude), God, Where Are My Panties, "Good Day, Good Sir", The Letter (fuck skits), She's Alive 3/5

Hip hop in a very interesting mixing style. Every Song feels like a new experience.

Never felt more happier while listening to an album.

Very good album. Two albums in one with a 2-hour play time. Speakerboxxx features mainly Big Boi and The Love Below features mainly Andre 3000. Great tracks and a few bangers as well. Notable tracks: The Way You Move Bust Reset Hey Ya Roses She's Alive

Good but too much to listen to here

Juuu sais olla lyhyempi! Mulla on tää alkuperäisenä vinyylinä, joka koostuu neljästä levystä. Tarpeetonta. Musiikillisesti oman aikansa tuote joka paikoitellen on toteutettu hienosti. 3/5

Enpä ollut kuunnellut alusta loppuun varmaan kymmeneen vuoteen. Arvioin tämän nyt kahtena soololevynä ja mennään sen keskiarvolla. Speakerboxxx on todella kova ja parempi kuin muistin. Unhappy unohdettu helmi. Ei juuri turhia biisejä, 4+/5. The Love Below on pääasiassa ihan cool, kivan tunteikas ja monipuolinen. Hey Ya tietty 00-luvun parhaita ellei paras pop-biisi. Mutta aika monta turhaa biisiä etenkin jälkipuoliskolla. 3+/5. Keskimäärin siis 3,5+/5 eli 4/5. Periaatteessa kokonaisuutta voisi sakottaa pituudesta, mutta menköön näin. Duon poikkeuksellinen luovuus ja kunnianhimo kantaa pitkälle.

Erityisesti toisen puoliskon epätasaisuus estää tätä nousemasta kolmosesta. Paljon hyviä juttuja, mut ei tarpeeks 2h keston perustelemiseksi.

Accroche difficile

I didn’t finish this because I was at work and then out. Started listening to it on the bus home, at least 50 minutes. 19 minute walk, got home, fed the cat, got ready for bed, demolished a whole box of chocolates, caught up with the news, texted my daughter, fought falling asleep. And gave in. It was still going and I had to give in to tiredness. Why on earth did they not make 2 separate albums?

I’m freeeee oh my god I can’t do double albums they’re just way too long. This wasn’t bad or anything though

I think this is often referred to as "the White Album" of hip-hop and I agree. And in fact, I would say that the best songs on "Speakerboxx/The Love Below are actually stronger than the best songs on "The White Album" while many of the tracks are experimental, sometimes with interesting results, sometimes not, but generally rewards deep listening and consideration. Even though the biggest hits are pop radio standards, it isn't an "easy listening" album, not if you want to get the most out of it at least.

I've been meaning to come back to write this review for a while now, as this album is so long that I had to listen to it over several days and then it kinda slipped down the list. Like most double albums, it's a bit of mixed bag. I was surprised to find though that I preferred Big Boi's album - André's horny ramblings are a bit too cringe in places. Some great songs on here, but not the first Outkast album I would recommend to someone - ATLiens or Stankonia would probably be a better intro.

loved it

If Atlanta was an album it'd be this. A few known songs in "The Way You Move", "Hey Ya", and "Roses". Personally I liked it alot despite its length though I'm not fond of all of the interludes. Two very different vibes - I thought The Love Below had higher highs and lower lows while Speakerboxxx was more consistent across the board. Overall good and the best long album on here yet. 7/10.

OutKast had an iconic discography from start to finish. Ending on a double album where each of the two members get to freely divulge in their creative interests is a perfect way to give a sendoff to OutKast as a group. Big Boi's side (Speakerboxxx) is consistently cool and groovy, while Andre 3000's side is inventive and a bit funny too. Each song brings something new to the table, and I have a lot of respect for the output that OutKast has managed here while maintaining quality. It's also two hours. This is a true double album in every sense, in that you really should not listen to this in one sitting. That said, I think that Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is excellent but a poor indicator of what OutKast was about. It's an exception more than anything.

#1

I don't know if this is a masterpiece or two masterpieces. Maybe three masterpieces if I consider the combo "Hey Ya!"+"Roses" are a third masterpiece by themselves.

What an absolute beast of a record, god damn. Super interesting concept, but indulgent is a good way to put it. I don’t love OutKast enough to really sit with this. Either way, Big Bois Speakerboxxx is awesome, maintaining a fresh take on hip hop years later. Instrumentally interesting and listenable. Solid 4. The Love Below skirts the line of dogshit a little. Not listenable at all, so much of the album takes you out of it into a moment of clarity wondering what the fuck Andre 3000 is doing. Then he plays Hey Ya and all is well. So soft 3 with moments of beauty.

I enjoy Outkast, but this isn't my favorite album of theirs. Nice early low-fi beats to many of the tracks. The Way You Move is a really nice track, but honestly otherwise its two discs of forgettable music.

Experimental?

A lot of hits but also a lot of skips

2 hrs and 15 min of hip hop. Oh yay (sarcasm). But the whole point of this thing is to get exposed to new (to me) music. So, let’s dig in…. Looking at Wikipedia, this is basically 2 solo albums from the 2 members of OutKast. I guess that’s why it’s so long? Breaking it down: Speaker box: starting w/ hip-hop isn’t my thing…. In that context, this album isn’t 1/2 bad. There’s a lot of 70’s funk feel in a lot of it, only moderately diminished but the synthetic rhythm section, this works pretty well. Too much of the vocals are still the “how many words can you jam into a phrase”, but they’re not every song is seething anger, which I appreciate. Still, there’s some songs that I don’t like, and there’s a lot more “n-word” posturing. I expected to hate this but don’t mind a lot of it. Still, at 56+ minutes, it’s just WAY too much. I had to take a break at 45 minutes, only about 1/3 through the whole set. A couple of these songs would fit fine on a playlist, but sheesh. 2.5/5.0 The Love Below: this one sounds a little more “organic”, at least a little. And perhaps more pop, than pure funk. But on the whole, not as interesting. I’ll rate this 2/5…. At best. When I started listening to this, I was thinking sold 3. But as it went on and on (and on), the rating went down and down (and down). Especially the second album. We’ll settle in at 2/5 though, because there were 3-4 songs towards the beginning that were pretty good.

Let me preface this with 'hip hop or rap is noy my preferred genre of music. I wouldn't day I am a fan of this genre. But I do like many songs that fall somewhere in this world of music' OK. I kind of had high hopes with this record. As I do enjoy a lot of songs from Outkast. From my understanding this is pretty much a double album? One record of Andre 3000 and the other from Big Boi. Pretty cool idea for a duo rap group. The trouble with putting out a double record... Is.... That is a lot of music to release all at once. And I find that when artists do that, they're having trouble with trimming the fat, which leads to a too long of a record with a lot of songs that aren't good. And that is what I think happened here. Some things I really liked: - the production. There is a lot going on and you can tell a lot of creativity was out into crafting the beats, the samples, and the lyrics (for the most part) - the use of mixing and editing to simulate old hip hop record skipping. I'm assuming it was done in post production.. It doesn't sound like natural DJ work but that isn't a bad thing. - the humour throughout. I had to adjust my listening lenses to not write this album off. (this also lands in the dislike area) - the rapping is great and I think that's where this album shines. - the soulful singing really adds dynamic to the overall sound of this record. The dislikes: - the lyrics are whack.. Again, I had to listen to this in a different way in order to not discredit the writing. If I look at it as comedic, it's funny... But if it's written I a serious manner, it's shit. Straight up poo-poo-ooh. - the song with Rosario Dawson, She Lives In My Lap, which I was surprised to see, and equally as intrigued was God awful. Honestly, annoying. Very disappointed in that track. - The skits! I get hip hop has this thing where they think their records need skits. It's to the point of predictable. Are skits necessary? No. God no. But they can be good. But these skits aren't. I would prefer no skits (trim the fat) and have a solid album without the bullshit. Without hesitation, I would simply skip these tracks on a relisted. - the length. Yes, it's a double album, it's going to be long. But somewhere amongst the mass amount of songs is a solid record. - the final song sounds like Chank Smith - Chris D'elia's hip hop character. And the rapping flow is good... But the content is just cheesy. Andre 3000 is credited to be one of the best rappers. And when he is on fire, it's crazy good. But this album lacks a lot of his rapping ability. It leans to more soul and clean vocals with sustained notes. I sort of see why he became a floutist for his new solo record. I didn't hate this record.. But unfortunately zdue to me having my hopes up... I started it with a 5/5 for the first few songs and then I could see each star slowly fade to a low 3. A bit let down. But it's not terrible. Like I said there is a record in there that is great. Just remember... Be a Master of your own 'Bation.

i always complain about albums being too long, and to be fair, this is a little bit of a unique situation in that regard since truly this is two solo albums-- if you think it's too long, just listen to one! but it is still packaged and presented as one, so i feel it has to lose some points for that. the bigger issue with the runtime though, is that while i do quite enjoy the Big Boi half, once you get to The Love Below, it just doesn't do that much for me. it's very poppy and fun and well made, but i don't respond to it as much as Speakerboxxx. maybe if i did listen to it in isolation i'd feel differently, since the fatigue of the runtime probably isn't doing it any favors, but if i'm rating the whole thing as one album, i can't go above 4

Got the CD out! Never listened to it much. The Love Below a more enjoyable listen for me. But there's also a reason I've never listened to it much

Un long album, 2h. Le festival du featuring. J'aurais mis un 3.5, c'est pas toutes les tounes que je trip. 4 pour la thugness.

y’all don’t wanna hear me you just wanna dance

Some great but it's too long and too many skits

Loved it. Was concerned as the record is like two and half hours long but I stayed engaged the whole time. It's always such a trip for me to listen to an album and then out of the blue get hit with one of the most famous songs of all time. I find it interesting to hear what comes before or after the biggest songs ever, in this case Hey Ya! Which is actually followed by Roses which is in itself a really big song. Anyways. Very good. Would revisit.

Such an interesting sound for hip hop to encounter. Certainly groundbreaking in its sound and the storytelling through the album comes through. I don’t love it in terms of a listening experience, but the artistry is there!

It's definitely party music. It had it's moments.

Unexpectedly and surprisingly fun, albeit, a tad exhausting. It's also highly unlikely that I will ever listen to this album ever again.

Not bad, but overly long. These guys were trying way too hard to be different and do odd things.

Great album. Way too long though! Over 1.5 hours to get to Hey Ya! Whats that about!?

Love these guys. I think Roses > Hey Ya!

This is an excellent album. I prefer Andre's side, but Big Boi's side is really good too. Some absolute classics on here.

decent. Some great stuff mixed in and some boring stuff. Why are skits such a thing

Looong album, but a pretty dang good one. All the big hits from OutKast are present and accounted for on this one. Issuing a double album is an interesting choice; it is clear when the album switches over from Speakerboxxx to The Love Below, and I'm not really sure what the benefit is to keeping the 2+ hours of music connected in one massive album, as opposed to issuing 2 separate albums. Either way, there is lots to enjoy on here. I resonate with the silliness and the aversion to super serious songwriting/lyricism, and the backing tracks (especially keyboards) are great. Fave tracks: Roses, Hey Ya!, God (Interlude), My Favourite Things

Really interesting double album - I enjoyed the contrast between the more Electro-Funk Speakerboxxx and the jazzier The Love Below. I did have a preference for the second half, but no surprise there. Great production, fun interludes and just solid songwriting all around, not to mention some really great features. My only complaint is that it's a bit too long, but you can't really be surprised from a double album. Fav Tracks: GhettoMusick, The Way You Move, Hey Ya!, Roses, My Favorite Things

Ok. Never heard before and I predicted i would be critical of the length and skits and filler material. Its all pretty good. Much impressed.

What genre is this? Wikipedia says that the genre is Southern Hip Hop / Funk / Pop / Jazz-Funk / Avant-Soul / Progressive Rap which suggests to me that they don't know either! The album is boring and confusing - I just don't get it.

Wasn’t as big fan of this one as I thought I’d be. Hiphops my no 1 go-to genre but something about the sound of the first 4 songs in the album made me have to take a break. Howeverrrrr when I came back the next day, I was loving the rooster and war… very classic 00s beat. Also really fucked with Dracula's wedding - gave me a good chuckle; definitely adding to the rotation

Big boi’s was a fun af listen that I think I will revisit. Andre 3000’s I appreciated more than I liked although there were ofc some bangers on there

Shit goes hard. I didn’t realize Big Boi was so talented. I think I liked his half better honestly.

Damn. This one is a bit tough for me because speakerboxxx is probably the easiest 5 ive come across yet. Everything from the beats, to the production, the flow, the lyrics, the features are all incredible. That being said i enjoyed the love below slightly less. Its good dont get me wrong but its a different vibe i jive with slightly less. Id give it a 3 so ill avg it out to a 4

It was a really good, though long, basically double album. I liked the Christmas themes in the second part, and the skits were generally more palatable/hilarious than other hip-hop albums. I thought that "Hey Ya!" kind of stuck out from the other songs around it, sounding significantly different. Then again, there was a lot of variance among other songs on the album.

Fuck yeah

Two classics in a row???? This album was one of the first I ever bought, and on eBay so I didn't have to worry about a check out person asking for my ID since it was parental advisory. I found out many years later that they do not check ID with PA albums so there's some irony there. If I remember right, I had bought Now 16 which had Hey Ya on it, and of course it was on the radio too, but I wanted to get the whole album. And once I did, I played that thing out on my CD player. I loaded this album up on Xbox too and had these songs playing while we played Tony Hawks Underground. This is an easy 5 for me in the same way the last one was, filled with memories of youth and sneaking listens whenever the parents weren't around. Not every song is perfect, but with so many hits on here, and at over 2 hours, this is how you did a long form album. And this puts any of Drakes long albums to shame. Now that I think of it, this might have been the first rap album I ever had. Major Keepers: GhettoMusick, The Way You Move, Knowing, Happy Valentine's Day, Prototype, Hey Ya!, Roses, Dracula's Wedding, My Favorite Things And if I'm picking, I'm giving the edge to The Love Below

Good lord, talk about a one-two punch, thankfully we got a weekend to breathe between Hendrix and OutKast. We went from a five-star album that reminded Alex of me to a five-star album that reminds me of him. I wasn't sure if this would be five stars, not an instant one in the sense Jimi was. But listening through it, which I haven't done in years, it's hard to deny. I know way more tracks than I thought, and it's frustrating because I swear Stankonia is my favorite OutKast album, but then ATLiens and Aquemini and Speakerboxxx/Love Below beat my ass. These dudes are really just that good. A double album, two hours plus but a TRUE double album in the sense that Speakerboxxx is Big Boi's showcase album, and the Love Below is Andre 3000's. Three Stacks is inarguably one of the greatest rappers ever (now a solid ambient artist), but it's funny to think that paired with just about any other rapper, Big Boi would be the better rapper in the duo. It's like the "bad cop bad cop" joke in the Other Guys, "I saw how hard you came in and thought 'I gotta go higher than that??'" Alex and I listened to this many a time as kids, well before I really understood what hip hop was. So many tracks take me right back to those days, especially "Bamboo Interlude" which I almost forgot about, and the "Panties" skit that still gives me PTSD, worrying mom or dad might walk in the room while I'm listening. Big Boi made the "hip hop" album here, and it rips, and Andre 3000 made a more experimental/R&B fusion kind of album, but it also rips. Just unfair how good these two are individually and together. Side note: there's definitely a connection between Hendrix and Andre 3000: sure the guitar-playing influence is there, but Andre also played Jimi in a movie. Anyway, five stars, could talk for much longer about this album but just go listen again. Favorite tracks: Unhappy, Ghetto Musick, Bowtie, The Way You Move, The Rooster, Bust, Bamboo Interlude, Knowing, Reset, Bowtie (Postlude), Happy Valentine's Day, Prototype, Hey Ya, Roses, Behold a Lady, Dracula's Wedding, Take Off Your Cool, A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre. Album art: Perfect representation of the split nature of this project, and how cool do both of these guys look? I'll say it here because I forgot to above: this was one of the few albums by non-white artists to win AOTY at the Grammys over the last two decades and damn did it deserve it. 5/5

C+ // B Intro 3 Ghetto Musick 3 Unhappy 3 Bowtie (featuring Sleepy Brown and Jazze Pha) 3 The Way You Move (featuring Sleepy Brown) 3 The Rooster 4 Bust (featuring Killer Mike) 3 War 3 Church 3 Bamboo (Interlude) (performed by Big Boi and Bamboo) 2 Tomb of the Boom (featuring Konkrete, Big Gipp, and Ludacris) 2 E-Mac (Interlude) (performed by E-Mac) 3 Knowing 2 Flip Flop Rock (featuring Killer Mike and Jay-Z) 4 Interlude 3 Reset (featuring Khujo and Cee-Lo) 3 D-Boi (Interlude) (performed by Henry Welch) 3 Last Call (featuring Slimm Calhoun, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz, and Mello) 3 Bowtie (Postlude) 3 The Love Below (Intro) 3 Love Hater 3 God (Interlude) (performed by André 3000) 3 Happy Valentine's Day 3 Spread 4 Where Are My Panties? (Interlude) (performed by André 3000 and Toni Hunter) 1 Prototype 4 She Lives in My Lap (featuring Rosario Dawson) 4 Hey Ya! 5 Roses 5 Good Day, Good Sir (Interlude) (performed by Benjamin André and Fonzworth Bentley) 3 Behold a Lady 3 Pink & Blue 3 Love in War 3 She's Alive 3 Dracula's Wedding (featuring Kelis) 4 The Letter (featuring Qasha Aman) 3 My Favorite Things 3 Take Off Your Cool (featuring Norah Jones) 3 Vibrate 3 A Life in the Day of Benjamin André (Incomplete) 2 Andre 3000 earned a B and Big Boi earned a C+. This was great, and much deeper than I expected. Total listening for the album was a little more than 7 hours, and it was fun.

Not a hip hop fan, but I liked this better than Stankonia. Bonus point for rhyming nasty hoes/pistachios.

the bad songs are really bad, but the good ones are really good. ghettomusick unhappy the way you move war church flip flop rock happy valentine's day spread she lives in my lap hey ya roses pink & blue my favorite things take off your cool vibrate

Intro - 7/10 GhettoMusick - 7.5/10 Unhappy - 7.5/10 Bowtie - 8.5/10 The Way You Move- 8/10 The Rooster - 8/10 Bust - 8.5/10 War - 7.5/10 Church - 7/10 Bamboo - 7/10 Tomb of the Boom - 8.5/10 E-Mac - 8/10 Knowing - 8/10 Flip Flop Rock - 7.5/10 Interlude - 7/10 Reset - 7/10 D-boi - 7/10 Last Call - 7/10 Bowtie- 7/10 The Love Below - 7/10 Love Hater - 7/10 God - 7/10 Happy Valentines Day - 7.5/10 Spread - 7.5/10 Where are My Panties - 7/10 Prototype - 8/10 She lives in my Lap - 7/10 Hey Ya! - 10/10 Roses - 10/10 Good Day, Good Sir - 7/10 Behold a Lady - 7/10 Pink & Blue - 7/10 Love In War - 7/10 She’s Alive - 7.5/10 Draculas Wedding - 8/10 The Letter - 7/10 My Favourite Things - 7.5/10 Take off Your Cool - 7/10 Vibrate - 7/10 A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre - 7.5/10 TOTAL - 333.5/400

Funky album

odličan koncept za album, ali meni je ipak ovo najslabiji od svih njihovih. to vam govori da im je diskografija prebolesna.

Fantastic album! Even the lesser known tracks are total jams. This was one of the first hip hop albums I loved.

Not awful but not my favorite. 2 of 5

just great. these two have unlimited ideas. they play characters and sing songs that seem like they’ve been around forever. probably cliche to say but the variety is like the white album.

fun, but it dragged on too long. there truly are some bangers but just as much filler tracks

LOVED.

Was goed, wel lang

Day 1 - very long, requires focus, so much variety, when paying attention so in depth but need more time to appreciate, will return. Also want to hear OutKast combined not separate, will explore discog

Would I listen to this album again? Unlikely. If anything just The Love Below Disc. Were there any songs I skipped? No Comments? This was a really long album! I found The Love Below songs better than Speakerboxxx. Favourite Songs? Hey Ya!

There are obviously some bangers in this and I discovered a couple of album tracks I'd not heard that were good, but it's just too damn long. There is an incredible single album about an hour long in here, it just needs some significant editing.

Quite a bit on here I like. 3/5

Speakerboxx: 2.5 The Love Below: 3.5

Mainstream hiphop, although better than woodwind

I loved this one actually. I’m not a big outkast fan but this one was a whole ride. Incredible stories and songwriting. I prefer the first half to the second one. The standout song wasnt even Hey Ya which is insane

If I HAD to listen to a hip hop album, I works probably choose this one

Incredible album. Half of it is weird, experimental, psychedelic, electro-funk, genre expanding, hip hop. Then Andre 3000's half starts and shit gets REALLY crazy.

Ez 4.5. Only negative is too many skits and a couple songs on Big Boi’s side. Andre’s side is an ez 5

worst length ive ever seen. (interlude) only hey ya (interlude) and Roses (lil big man intro) (interlude)

I love Outkast but the length of this album is hard to swallow. Yes it's a double album but 3+ times as long as a regular album. Some amazing songs on here though, especially from 3Ks side. 4.5

Almost deserves a 5 for Hey Ya!/Roses being back to back, but a little too long for frequent listening for me

Interesting

Damn; at 134:49 this record is a big ask. Fortunately, there's some real quality here. I prefer The Love Below, overall. Favourite tracks from Speakerboxxx (Big Boi): GhettoMusick, Church, Last Call. Favourite tracks from The Love Below (André 3000): Happy Valentine's Day, Hey Ya!, Roses, Love In War, She's Alive, My Favourite Things.

3.5

Liked some of it. Really didn't like a lot of it.

This album is hella long. It’s not really my style, but I can appreciate some of the songs and their sounds. I like Church. Of course, Hey Ya, is a classic. Makes me think of my whole first family and the neighbor kid Riley in Dothan riding away from a movie and all of us singing and dancing to the song in the van. :).

The second half of this album is gold. Love it.

Oh man… 39 tracks? Who thought that was a good idea? I get that it’s a double album… but leave it at that. Keep them split. Oh well. The only OutKast song I’m familiar with is Hey Ya, and I enjoy it, so I’ll give this one a shot. Thankfully it popped up right before the weekend, as I’ll have to split this one over a couple days. Favorite tracks: Last Call and Hey Ya!

It's a small 3 for me. I only knew Hey ya from this album. There were some songs with a nice rythm and melody, but other songs were just not for me.

A bit long, and feels a bit dated for a modern hip hop enthusiast as me, but you cant deny the hits and the creativity of the album

Small 3 or big 2

WTF??? It’ got a nice funky vibe and actual melodies. Especially the second half of this double album contributes to this album getting a score from me that I never thought I would bestow on a hip-hop album. Well done!

Generally not a fan of hip hop but I didn't completely hate it. I enjoyed the songs on the second half more than the first half. Fav songs: I Like the Way you Move, Hey Ya, Bowtie, Roses

This album is unlike any other Outkast album in that it's two solo albums collected into one, and I believe signified the end of Outkast as group. While each album "fine" it lacks the sparks that make Outkast great. There's definitely a loss felt on each side, by the absence of the other on many of the tracks. The tracks that standout the most is where we get the traditional Outkast vibe of both artists bringing their own flare. Unfortunately, there's just not enough there on either side for this to be anything other than mediocre. Stand Out Tracks - Speakerboxxx: Bowtie, The Way You Move, Flip Flop Rock, Stand Out Tracks - The Love Below: Happy Valentine's Day, Hey Ya, Roses

Pretty solid Outkast album never really listened through it all

Stankonia was good but. couldn't quite get past the misogyny. I cannot ignore the collective genius that is this album. The best combination of clever lyrics, imppecable flow and masterful production to ever grace this Earth, OutKast is everlasting.

Loooooong, but fuckin great. Both Big Boi and André got to do their own thing, made their own mega hits, and delivered 2 really good albums stitched together. Best rap duo of all time

I loved it. It's more than just hip hop...it's fun, it's eclective and creative...I was a huge fan of Hey ya! already and the whole experience of the album was really cool. It's now part of my repertoire.

Beautiful, long, and varied. This album has everything, lyrically dense with good RB and hip hop.

i guess this would be on the list of albums to listen to just for its uniqueness: essentially two solo albums combined as one album. the only songs i knew were I like the way you move and hey ya. i enjoyed both but probably the speakerboxx record a little more. Decent and a good example of where hip hop was in the 2000s.

Big Outkast fan but not sure I've ever given this a full listen. The Speakerboxxx side I really enjoyed. Big Boi picks some insane southern style beats for it, the features are fantastic, and it just feels huge. Flows by without you even realising. For Andre's side I was expecting it to be a big more experimental, since that seems to fit his nature, but unfortunately it's a bit of a let down. There's some interesting songs, and some big hits, but it really loses energy especially towards the end, and even moreso compared to the first side of the album. Speakerboxxx will get some replays, Love Below maybe not so much.

Now we eating some real fucking food right here. Most influential and Iconic hip-hop duo. The production is immaculate. The bars are godly. It's wild to hear such a young Jay-Z, Killer Mike, and Ludacris. I had listened to this a while back, but I have a newfound appreciation for most of the songs. There is a reason these guys are the GOATs. Admittedly this album is quite bloated; probably because it is basically a double album. Sperkerboxxx is basically a Big Boi album featuring Andre 3000 and The Love Blow is the inverse. Most of the tracks are good, but the run time just makes some less enjoyable than others. the baseline is high, so standout tracks need to be really good for them to well... stand out. Overall a fantastic album from a fantastic duo. Feeling a strong 4/5 on this one

The Love Below ISNT a great album. It’s very uneven.

Album 222 of 1001 OutKast - Speakerboxxx / The Love Below Rating : 4 / 5 Favorite Track : I bought this CD back when it was released. Not sure why since it isn't a regular genre of mine. Have to assume it was the popularity of "Hey Ya". Nevertheless, something told me it would be a good buy and it was. As I listened this morning, I felt that I was more drawn to the Speakerboxxx portion than I was before. That doesn't take away from The Love Below, though. Still a good listen. A 2 hour long listen but I hardly noticed.

Hey y'all, stay together!

Some great songs. High energy. Energy dips a bit toward the end—it’s a lot of songs.

Solid album, definitely a lot of tracks I recognized. Will have to give it another listen

Eigenlijk 2 solo albums gereleased onder naam Outkast: Speakerboxxx = Big Boi The Love Below = André 3000 Speakerboxxx: Bowtie vind ik een bop, funky, geinige geluiden op de achtergrond Church ook leuk Flip Flop Rock ook tof, beetje DnB achtige beat, lekker tempo The Love Below: Spread is een gaaf nummer, beetje jazz achtig en tof sound design op de achtergrond Hey Ya en Roses spreken voor zich, toppers Oké 'Good Day, Good Sir' interlude moest Ik wel even om lachen, Monty Python vibe Dracula's Wedding toffe synths My Favorite Things hele coole blend tussen jazz en DnB Take Off Your Cool hele fijne rust na de chaos van het vorige nummer haha, en Norah Jones is altijd puur genot <3 Algemeen: Leuk maar vooral het eerste deel niet echt mijn ding. Ben ook niet zo'n fan van die interludes. Aantal nummertjes geliked en zou ik wel draaien maar hele album niet. Tweede deel wel veel leuker, muziekaal VEEL interessanter. Heb daarvan toch best wel veel geliked. Zou het eerste deel 2 sterren geven, tweede deel denk ik zelfs 5 dusja gemiddeld & afgerond 4 (maarr dus echt door The Love Below) Would not buy. (tenzij alleen de 2e helft kan haha)

Speaker boxxx ihan helmi ja 5/5. The love below mjooo. Se hitti on kyl kova biisi, mut jotenkin lyriikat vähän kringe ja menokaan ei ihan nii kova täl puolella. 3/5. Eikai se auta ku yhteensä 4/5. Vai 5/5. Vähän kiikun kaakun. Voispa antaa puolikkaita.

If someone asks me what R&B is, I will tell them to listen this album.

Really liked it!

Outkast really are in a league (and on a planet) of their own. Dragging old school into the far off future, this is a long ass album that deserves every second to be heard and savoured. In my opinion this is their magnum opus, an incredible feat considering the quality of their previous records.

2.5. Speakerboxxx better half. More hip hop/rap centric. The Love Below had alot of "chill" music, not much I actively listened to

Great!

Ugh

This journey blesses us now with 2 albums in one. To be honest, this fact surely damaged the experience and the rating. These albums are an compulsory stop in the journey from classic hip-hop to the sounds we are used to today. OutKast starts with an uplifting and groovy sound in "Speakerboxxx*, while "The Love Below" starts with a more seductive vibe. I am personally more of a fan of the first project. But then, the major hit "Hey Ya!" works a breaking point to change the vibe in the second album. For a long listen, it was easy. Also, I would like to appreciate the more than welcome appearances of Jay Z, Killer Mike and Lil' Jon. It is always a pleasure.

M'ha sorprès molt positivament. Està molt bé dins de l'estil que és. He hagut d'escoltar l'àlbum per fascicles perquè és més llarg que un dia sense pa, però no se m'ha fet extremadament pesat i això diu molt a favor de l'àlbum. A més te hey ya que és un temazo

Great music that reminds me of early 2000s. Roses best track.

Only reason this wasn’t a five was because it was so long! Favorite song that I hadn’t heard before was The Way You Move

Kinds wish these albums were released separately. Both are full of highs on par with any other Outkast album, but the two records are so different and the run time is so long that I don't see a major benefit to them being packaged like this.

I do not believe that you can take this album as a single album. At its core, it is two different albums made by two great artists smashed together to be sold under the OutKast name. I will start with speakerboxx, which I felt was the more upbeat and regular hip hop album that is very fun to just vibe to. In comparison, The Love Below was a jazzier and more insightful album with a connected story. On both records, there were tracks that I really enjoy and may come back to, but there were also others I would completely skip over and would not want to come back and listen to. With each record being 20 tracks long, and the whole album being 40 tracks long, there were a lot of points of this album that felt bloated due to the amount of music that is in here. Low 4.

Didn’t blow me away, some decent songs but very long album. Okay to chill too but it won’t be a regular

Too long and too much shit In between the few good songs

Great songs, will have to listen again. Got bored as a whole project listen

Speakerboxx var gjevnt over bra, men ingenting jeg elsket. The Love Below var veldig opp og ned. Andre må ha vært megakåt på dette albumet. Absolutte bangers Roses og Hey ya,.

As a huge fan of Outkast this is my least favorite album of theirs. I remember when it came out I was upset, like a lot of Outkast fans, that Andre wanted to sing instead of rap and I did not spend a lot of time with the album. Now listening to it much older, it is a lot better than I remembered but still my least favorite.

Holds up, still a great listen with some bangers in here.

Overall a great double album with lots of incredible tracks. I think there's quite a bit of bloat here, and not everything landed, but overall really good.

Phenomenal. This is a long album, but it is incredible from start to finish. I wouldn't change a single thing.

Speakerboxx very solid, love below very bad outside of Hey Ya and Roses

Distracting

A few bangers, generally good

Day 147 of "1001 Albums...", and I thought it would be a good idea to write reviews of the albums I've listened to. //// "Speakerboxxx / The Love Below" by OutKast this album is unique: it's presented as a double album, half of which is an Andre 3000 album and the other half is a Big Boi album. This album reveals both members and their skills separately: on one side is the chill Speakerboxxx by Big Boi (southern hip-hop), on the other side is the experimental and combining styles of different genres The Love Below by Andre. Both parts of the album are unique in their own way, and both are good in their own way. overall rating: 9.5/10 (Speakerboxxx: 10/10; The Love Below: 7.5/10)

Really this is two albums, so I'll review both separately. Speakerboxx was pretty generic early 00's hip-hop I thought, despite all the plaudits it got. Grated in parts. 2* The Love Below was an exciting experimental hip-hop/blues/rnb mix. Lack of stand out tracks but numerous good ones scattered throughout. 3.5* to 4*. Would listen to this half again for sure.

Liked most of speakerboxxx, disliked most of the love below, 2 hours is too long, points off for skits

Enjoyed

meh. One hit song but it didn't interest me in the rest.

My one questions is as follows: WHY SO LONG?!? This album felt like a real drag. It definitely doesn't help that this is a double album which separated would be pretty long themselves. Disc 1 felt nothing but mid I have to say. Solid sampling but otherwise nothing special. However Disc 2 was amazing in comparison. The subject of love arose at points with catchy lyrics and ofc, Hey Ya. Major downfall to this album is the fact the first half was mid and the fact it was so fucking long.

great hip hop album, exemplifying the best of the genre and covering so many great topics too.

I had a hard time rating this album. I didn’t care for a good number of the songs but i think as a collective album or 3 albums it was nice. Especially the second or The Love Below section. I haven’t heard such heartfelt rap, about love loss. It was an entertaining listen through. The first part was more woke (before it was co-oped) rap. Lol no idea how they picked and curated what would go on this album. The usual songs are good. Some other stand outs, Church, Tomb of the Boom, she’s alive, take off your cool, and A day in the life of Benjamin…

Speakerboxxx Highlights: Unhappy, Bowtie, The Way You Move, The Rooster, Church, Flip Flop Rock, Reset Catchier and more consistent tracklist. The Love Below Highlights: Spread, Hey Ya, Roses, She's Alive, Dracula's Wedding, My Favorite Things, Vibrate More ambitious and has some of the best songs, but can meander a bit. Production and instrumentation on both sides are some of my favorite in their discography.

Forty tracks!!! I thought they stopped making concept albums in the 70s. What a piece of work. Without reading the wiki it seemed like a concept album about the lifecycle of a relationship; now I see that it’s two concept albums together. Hey Ya is one of the best sounding pop songs of the century so far. Can’t believe it was 20 years ago. Songs like The Rooster are so innovative! The Love Below and Love Hater are like jazz standards and demonstrate incredible range. Impressive work.

A little long, but quite the jammer

We gotta do this in multiple sittings. This is way too much good music, way too much, packed with too many insanely good songs, that I'm gonna need a little siesta in between side 1 and side 2. Remember when I said that there is only one truly great double album– Songs In The Key of Life– and every other album is merely good in spite of its double-ness? Well, my friends, this is a DOUBLE CD. Which is a truly disgusting amount of music. We are witnessing a level of workaholism and love of the game at near unprecedented levels. This is an un-repeatable event. I can't imagine an artist today releasing such a large album that has almost NO filler. Most artists just don't have that kind of focus on the concept these days. Let alone have two creative savants in one group. Speakerboxxx: You can't deny it. This is… amazing! There are so many hit records I don't know where to start. And records that weren’t hits but should have been. There are tons of features that feel fun, complementary and chummy. There's a kind of through-line about relationship trouble, growing up together and maturing and changing, positivity amidst life's bigger problems. But man. Tons of just dumb fun. This is hip hop royalty. It doesn't get a lot better than this. At their most fun, relatable, but also hard-working and shooting high. The Love Below: I don’t think I’ve even gotten this far into the album before. Sorry Andre. I imagine I’m not alone. I usually would put this on at the gym, starting with track 1 (I’m such an album boy lol), and leg day isn’t exactly a 2 hour affair for me. Anyway. Tracks 1 and 2 just broke my brain. Why did I never get this far? Has anyone done ANYTHING even remotely like this before? This is just silly. These people are savants. So scary. If this was released today, in 2024 it would be groundbreaking today. The totally effortless use of swing/bebop, new age, jazz, then back to those quantized fucked up grooves over which Andre just floats like it’s no big deal, like he’s not even trying. We are in uncharted territory, Andre is unlocked. Blown away. Blown away. To say nothing of Hey Ya... (!) Yes, its insane runtime is just gonna turn people off, it’s a fact. That’s a shame. But what else can they do? Honestly they probably made 5 times this much music, just cut it down to 2 measly hours. This is the most impressive hip hop I’ve heard in a long time. Probably should have been 2 separate albums. Ah, now I’m doubting myself. Maybe it’s perfect just the way it is. Speakerboxxx: 4.5/5 The Love Below: 6/5 Combined: at LEAST 5/5

Love it. Too long tho. Standout tracks: GhettoMusick, Last Call, Hey Ya!, Behold a Lady, Love in War, My Favorite Things

What an amazing dual album.

Another album I bought and owned when it first came out. There is a lot to love here, and some of Outkast's most iconic songs are on the album, but I can't help to wish that they had edited this to one cohesive album. Like with most hip hop albums the interludes and skits are unnecessary...and there are a lot of songs that feel like throwaways. In general I prefer Big Boi's Speakerboxxx over Andre 3000's The Love Below, but there are good songs on each. Andre's Hey Ya and Roses are iconic singles of the era, but Big Boi's side is just more of a cohesive album. From an influence perspective it's BB's Funkadelic vs Andre's Prince.

Outside of my comfort zone, but very enjoyable. I liked the diversity and musicality of the entire album, though I think I favored the first part over the second (though not by much).

bra dubbelalbum

долго ааа я поняла

This felt like a real long listen, even it is two albums. I mostly enjoyed the tracks, though there were a few especially in the latter half I just didn't vibe with. Though you gotta give respect to the all time classics "Hey Ya" and "Roses." Good album though I wish it was a bit more concise.

Top notch

Enjoyed most of this album. Not sure that I've ever listened the entire way through before, but there were some big hits and some misses.

this album absolutely oozes funk - caught off-guard by this. love the flow and style of rapping. each song felt like a situation. almost felt like a radio station with the repeated titular stinger. "lover hater" came out of nowhere with a full on jazz track in the middle of a rap album. "god" interlude was hilarious "hey ya" is re-contextualized throughout the latter half of the album, and is still a powerful song. "my favourite things" is a fuckin JUNGLE TRACK??

To be honest, I didn’t get through this entire album in a day (total play time of 2hr15minutes…) but I plan to. This is a really good OutKast album (though not their best) and it highlights each artists individual talents separately. I was surprised by some of the guest spots in this album (I.e killer Mike) but I guess them being from Atlanta they’d feature other Atlanta rappers. Overall I liked what I heard so far and need to find some time to dive into the rest of the album

While sounding fairly different, Big Boi and Andre 3000's solo ventures being released together was certainly no mistake. The experience is eclectic enough to keep listeners entertained through its duration of over two hours, but still has a hip-hop essence that ties it together and makes it enjoyable for its core audience. Predictably, it's an inconsistent record, but the dynamic between the 40 songs in total keeps it from ever getting boring.

A few hit singles - Hey Ya! hasn't aged well. The way you move is the best track off this, but it's not that good. This is not the Atliens Outkast. By this album, they were more commercial. I'm not an expert, nor a huge fan, but I love Aquemini and this isn't that.

Alle Songs zwar ähnlich aufgebaut, aber sehr oft mit interessanten Parts, kurzweilig Gut produziert, interessante Melodien im Hintergrund (Samples?) 8. Erstes Mal unaufregend 9. Aber es geht direkt weiter, nicer Synth.? 10. Süßes intro für 11. Bis 15. Ruhiger geworden, ohne langweilig zu sein 16. In Playlist Letzter Song top Abschluss und Übergang in 2. Album 1. Direkt ganz anders, Bigband Orchester Klavier Teilweise relativ experimentell, ab 7. Song etwas anstrengend 9. Single, hebt sich vom vorherigen Teil ab, in Playlist 13. Mmmmhm, in Playlist 15. Sehr cool, auch in Playlist 16. Damn auch sehr gut, geht nochmal richtig ab das Album, 18. Crazy Jazz Track 2. Album echt top

A lot to get through. Interesting sounds you don’t hear on any other rap. Some classics from high school years. Have to listen again.

Good tunes!

Respectfully, two hours is a long time to listen to anything, especially if it’s not your cup of tea. There are some songs I like mixed in with a lot I didn’t.

I knew some of this album already but never listened to the entire thing. It's really two solo albums from Big Boi and Andre 3000. I worried that it would feel bloated but the stylistic shift between the two halves is refreshing and there are loads of hits throughout. Speakerboxxx is the stronger album overall but The Love Below has so many great moments (including, obviously 'Hey Ya!'). My biggest criticism is that The Love Below is longer than it needs to be. It could definitely take out about 20 minutes or so and it help the entire project flow better. I'd skip the sophmoric and misogynistic song Roses, which was apparently a popular single at one point? Go figure. But overall, this is a great album with more hits than misses.

There are some great tracks on here, and a very interesting dual nature, but it becomes too bloated with weaker sections for cover to cover listening.

Admittedly this style of record isn't one that's in my wheelhouse, but it seems like a solid effort, perhaps one that could be tighter with more selective track picks. This was difficult to really give a fair shake in 24hrs since it's so long. There seems to be a decent amount of variety and a lot of interesting features. It sounds like a playful and upbeat record, with a split personality.

Good but not my style

Great album. Still like Love Below more, butSpeakerboxxx is so solid

It was an interesting album. Much longer than my liking but it was all over the place in terms of theme. I did like a few but with that many songs, I would hope some were good.

This album was so big in my youth and relistening to it now, it really holds up the test of time. Two solo albums by the duo incorporated in a double album with rare appearances on both of them worked because it would introduce people to more genres like on The Love Below or just a better way to rap like on Speakerboxxx. And while the former is the more innovative, interesting one, I found the first half better in consistent quality. Some of the stuff was even annoying back in the days like the skits and intros. No one needs them. Otherwise, great listen and highly recommended!

So many surprising moments and depth.

Oh nooo

Aikansa genrensä tuotos… Rahaa löytyny muijain lisäksi mixaamiseen..

The cup of raw creativity runneth over – way f-ing over. There is enough for three or four great albums here, and this seemed to open up new possibilities for and epxand the horizons of hip-hop. Sprawling and sublime, the combination of ambition and anything-goes works fabulously well, almost too well as it's borderline too much multiple times. Some of the filigree may get close to filler but the quantity of quality and variety of originality make this a landmark and it holds up well. Beyond “The Way You Move” and “Hey Ya,” “Church,””Flip Flop Rock,” “Prototype” “Take Off Your Cool," “My Favorite Things” and "Vibrate" are among the many other highlights. The jokes mostly land or at least at a higher rate than most hip-hop records (not that this is one, only). The guest appearances are mostly additive but one wonders just how much would be lost if they weren't here. Fusing multiple styles beyond hip-hop, one hears elements of many of the best musical maximalists – Prince, George Clinton, Coltrane, Rick James, Stevie Wonder and Miles Davis – an alt history of black music, basically. OutKast possess as much raw fireeower as those acts, as well as a boldness and relentlessness in making it new.

two great albums that complement each other so well. double album which doesn't absolutely bore my dick off! both Big Boi and 3 stacks are in fantastic form. best tracks: prototype, spread, unhappy

Classic album, solid gold

This album somehow managed to stay interesting and engaging for over two hours. A ton of great tracks, but it'll be tough to come back to this one just because of the length.

I don't listen to too much hip hop and this probably wasn't the best starting point to understanding it. There were some good beats and some funny moments. Also has its serious moments as well but I'm not that into it unfortunately.

One of the best rap albums I’ve ever heard.

Wow. If anything, this is the most album ever. Out of the box production on every track. I think the only reason it’s not five stars is just because of the length. Some people will love it but 2 hours is a pretty hard slog, regardless of how good the tunes. The conception feels a little slapdash, but you can’t argue with the music.

First of all, very funny that this is another Hip-Hop album with a “god is a woman?!” moment on it. That having been said, blown away by this listen. I wasn’t stoked about a 40-track album where I only knew 4 of them prior, but this is a real fun listen. Speakerboxxx is banger after banger with some great features (those Killer Mike tracks go hard), and The Love Below is an eclectic experimental trip that really shows why André 3000 had a blank check to do whatever for the next decade. I’m not a fan of most of the interludes, and of course every track isn’t a hit (The Love Below certainly being the more inconsistent half), but I can’t say the overall enjoyment was affected a ton by that for me. It still stands up for me as a weird, wild, wholly realized artistic expression. This is twice as long as Layla and that record had me tuning out and skipping around after a bit, while I was genuinely engaged the whole way through here. Great stuff.

Wow! This is what a double album should be, 2 albums! Andre isn’t as consistent as big boi’s side, but you can definitely get something out of it. Weird, experimental, groovy! GREAT!

Classic from outkast

Too long but had some bops

Was kinda dreading this album going into it based on length. But it was pretty cool hearing how different both artist styles are, but how good they sound together (if that makes sense). Some pretty good songs on here, probably won't come back to the album. I defientely understand the hype. andre 3k is too icy

Hmmm. Some really great stuff. Just too long though! Chance to sit through 2+ hrs as a single experience ain't happening. Don't think I'd ever heard 'the love below' all the way through before. 3 & 4

One of my faves, smooth AF

First time listing clear through. Pretty good.

nice funky hip hop, tho the entire album couldve had like one third of all the songs from the album

Not my style of music. Definitely easy to listen to. A few popular songs. Not paying attention to lyrics, but a lot of “E for Explicit Lyrics” warnings. Mid 3

Iha jees! Vähä liian lyhyt ehkä

My childhood memories

Speakerboxxx: 3 Love Below: 5 Samen dus een 4. Het album van Big Boi skipte ik toch een aantal nummers, maar sommige waren ook wel heel goed. The Love Below was echt een leuke ervaring, ben groot fan van André en hij stelt me nooit teleur!

Pretos.lol

As a hip hop fan, it really makes me sad this is a 2. I really wanted to like it but it is far too bloated.

Used to listen on bus rides to track meets. Honestly I think it’s kinda overrated

Im a big hiphop fan but I couldnt listen to this , 2 songs and im out

This is the pinnacle of the Drrty South sound and goddamn does it feature everyone - Killer Mike, Cee-Lo Green, Lil Jon, Ludacris. Hell, even JAY-Z had to get in on the action. It’s an opus magnum dei. I loved this album when it came out and bought it the first week. I am down with the crunk.

Way too long

3.5

Great for its time

Sehr nice and vibey. Draculas wedding kannte ich schon lol Wildes Album Cover

Surprisingly nice hiphop. I only knew 3 songs, but there are some other slower tracks as well, that I enjoyed. The interludes and other stuff is boring, one track (my fav things) is just garbage (intentionally). So, a solid 3 I guess.

Some absolute classics in this album. OutKast were at their peak when this came out. Was very unique to have two separate albums in each, but goes to show that the duo were likely looking for different things from the music by that point.

My goodness this took me so many days to get through. Any album that I can't finish in one listen automatically gets below a 4. With that said, this album is pretty good. The concept of a duo releasing solo albums together is neat. The better one is definitly The Love Below. Andre 3000 might actually be a musical genius intersecting jazz, funk, and hip hop. I was truly blown away with many of his tracks, but I didn't care for his lyrical content. There was some anti-God and dirty humor, but I can respect the fact that he blends humor with serious tones and amazing music.

Varied, ambitious and both of its time and tied to its past and present personally, it drags for a stretch in the way many double-albums do, but I have to respect the conceit of a hip-hop/rap concept album (or two?). Slight preference for Speakerboxxx over The Love Below, but the latter's themes of a player investing himself too far into The Game to accept love when he finds it shines -- and stands in critical contrast to many of its contemporaries at this time. Both albums stand out from the male-dominated misogyny of rap at the turn of the millennium -- at least questioning it, if not breaking that mold totally. This is also a watershed moment for the Atlanta scene in terms of artistic achievement, reinforcing the commercial success of contemporaries like Nelly. I think, anyway. I dunno, I'm still learning my history on these things. Not going to be a regular listen, but well worth a dive.

loved second half better

I miss rap like this. It's got good flow. I feel like a lot of hip hop nowadays is just "a guy talking" (I'm looking at you Jay Z). On top of that, side two is fresh, what with the jazz / lounge infusion. And on side one we have "The Way You Move", an awesome recreation of something Earth, Wind, and Fire might do (and which they wound up covering). I wish there were more hip hop like this.

creative, aber seeeehr lang

20 years on I now much prefer Speakerboxxx to The Love Below, which just seems weirdly retrogade and misogynistic on a lyrical level (especially 'Roses'). Too many skits and interludes. And instead of 2 separate albums this could have been one stellar album. Still 4 stars, though, I think?

Oh boy you're in for one of the longest albums in your life, it would have been great if it were good but alas i'm not that fucking lucky.

Love this sh!t

A very cool and unique concept for a double album. Individually I would get each half 4’s out of 5. I did slightly prefer the speakerboxxx half, however the two biggest hits are from the love below half. The collaborators they had on here is quite impressive and a trip down memory lane. This was a very innovative record.

Great Mix of pop and rap

Muito bom. Me surpreendi MUITO com o lado B do álbum. Realmente diferenciado.

An ambitious album to split off the different styles of Big Boi and Andre 3000. But I feel like it has too much filler. My favourite tracks tend to be on The Love Below though. I guess I prefer Andre’s spin on eclectic funky jazz stuff. He’s channeling Prince vibes

Cool ideas, cool sounds, just too long for someone that isn't a fan of hip hop. In fact I like The Love Below more than Speakerboxxx

I like it better than most of the rap & hip hop on here, and Hey Ya is a bona fide classic. Still, don’t care for all the interludes and don’t see myself deeply connecting with it. And it’s so long.

no

Cool record. I wish rap was still like this. Or not. Very original.

40 tracks is insane even for a double album. Second half is much better than the first.

Even though the album seems to be hip hop, there are some nice chill songs like the collab with Norah Jones. Giving it 3 cos Heeeyyy Yaaaaaa

Speakerboxx: This really gave me to appreciation for Big Boi, and the features here all smash. Hearing a young Killer Mike is especially fun. Very high 4 stars. The Love Below: God I love Andre. When he is good, he is among the best in the game. But this here is just so, so inconsistent. Some of the ideas go on for too long for their own good, and others shouldn't have gone on in the first place. But then the next song will be a mind-boggling new direction that works so well. High 3 stars.

The most Double of Albums, since it is literally two Albums that were smashed together. I think that it is missing some of what I enjoy about OutKast, but Andre really makes up for it in The Love Below.

A COMPLEX hip hop album. It needs another listen to fully grasp.

Prototype is favorite track

Pretty good stuff. I'd listen again and I added a few songs to my favs list.

🐐🐐

Hey ya är fantastisk men det är också den enda låten av de 40. Det duger ju förstås inte.

I knew some of the latest songs of this group but the album was so fresh, so clean ;D

long ass album

Probably could have cut this down to about 90 minutes but I'm sure there are folks that feel like 2 hours wasn't enough. Regardless, it's an album of the year and deserves the accolades.

прикольно можно чувствовать себя как в гта но 2 часа репа это пиздец

Liked it more then I thought I would

A lot of the songs were good, but I was worn out by the end.

Objectively: 5 Subjectively: 3 Overall: 4 The album is easy to listen to. It's fun and entertaining. I don't think I can take it too seriously though. I listened to it front to back. I ended up listening to The Rooster three times in a row. I love that song. It's entertaining, and it's hilarious. The lyrics make me laugh. Church is good. Tomb of the Boom is good. Flip Flop Rock makes me laugh, Last Call makes me laugh. The album gives me party vibes, not serious vibes, funny vibes, cheesy vibes. The rap at times is hard to take seriously, but Outkast has never maintained a reputation of being "gangsta rappers" anyway. To me, they've always been the entertainment rap type, not the cold calculated type, and I think the album fits the former definition perfectly. I love the name and theme. The references to speaker box throughout the play through are a nice touch. Overall, it's sugary and light and entertaining. Some songs I will eat up like candy, but they metabolize quickly. There were never moments where I got chills or thought to myself, "wow, that was deep." It was always, "haha, that's hilarious, play it again." So, for what they claim to be, this album hits the spot perfectly. It's entertaining and it's well made. As far as personal taste, it leaves me a little unsatisfied, but it's fun to listen to and it would not be torture to have it playing in the background of a party or at a public event or anything like that. 4.

I don't think anyone is out there bumping this album everyday; with that being said, it's a very good record. With half the songs written by one member and the latter half written by the other, the album stays interesting and fresh throughout. There are a couple party bangers placed among what are otherwise cerebral, lyric-centric tracks. I'm a big fan of the intelligence and subtlety in the lyrics juxtaposed with with their somewhat zany and unorthodox approach to hip hop sounds.

Goddamn boys, just release two solo albums instead. Or a 10/10 40 minute hip hop classic. Completely unforgiveable to release a 2+ hour record with 10 interludes/skits/intros etc… Last time I fought my way through this, I vastly preferred André 3000's effort, but this time around I actually found Big Boi's to be the most focused. Even though there are no clear lows, it will probably be another 10 years before I sit through the excrutiating experience of listening to this album yet again.

There really is no reason for this to be this long. It’s outrageous. It’s not even an OutKast album if we’re honest. It’s just two solo albums sold under one flag. But when that’s said and done, it’s surprising how few times I find myself actually bored during its run. Speakerboxxx is easily the best of the two album. Big Boi delivers some of his best work to date and the list of guests is insane. It becomes a bit too interlude-heavy toward the end, but it’s an easy 4/5 album. Just listen to “Flip Flop Rock”. André 3000’s The Love Below is not half as tight and focused as his musical partner’s effort. The singles are still great, the humor most often works and he knows how to put together unconventional beats and make it work. Unfortunately the highs are not enough to counter the lows. André 3000 really needs Big Boi to toil some of his weirder ideas. I probably won’t give The Love Below another listen for the next years. Speakerboxxx on the other hand….

It’s a lot. Not bad, a lot. But not 5 star great either. It can be a touch indulgent in places. But it’s very funky and eclectic. I’ll go strong 4 stars but not quite 5.

Blir alltid sur når folk (nora) sette på outkast på fest

Nice long drive today, the perfect time to listen to a 2 hour and 15 minute album. Unlike some other albums of that sort of length, this never really got old for me! Enough different sounds throughout (Plus the fact it's actually comprised of two solo albums from both members of OutKast. I don't think it's quite a 5* album for me, as there were only a few songs I think I'll come back to, but yeah, this was a really fun listen with some absolute classics. Never realised how good André 3000's rapping was, and I wish there was more of it! Favourite: Hey Ya!

It’s alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright.

a game of two halves, both concluding well into extra time

I can understand why this album is so heralded - It seems I'm a bigger fan of Speakerboxxx than The Love Below, as I think most of the standouts come from Big Boi.

Unhappy // The Way You Move // Church // Reset Spread // Prototype // She Lives In My Lap // Hey Ya // Roses // 3.5/5

I'd give the first half 3 stars but the second 5 stars, so it gets 4 stars

One long ass album...

4 for speakerboxxx, 2 for the love below. I wasn't expecting to like Big Boi's album so much more, but it was banging, funky, lots of highlights, not as esoteric as some Outkast albums but more energetic, and great lyrical flow. Andre's album...is coherent narratively, but often cynical, and musically kind of all over the place. It's ambitious, but the length is trying and I found a lot of the genre riffs hollow. I'll listen to it again some time, separate from speakerboxxx, but for now it didn't land with me.

Just no!! Sorry not my cup of tea at all.

Huh. I liked this way more than I thought I would

Long but good

the love below clears

It's a weird criticism but this album is a bit "much" as in bit over produced and they may have been better going their won directions completely than releasing this double album which is really to single albums. Still there is some really interesting intelligent music here as well as some great tunes.

Very mixed and interesting offering- I'd only really listened to the hits

As usual with Outkast, there is always a solid beat. Heard a few clever lines I liked. I like the mix of classics and some stuff I haven't heard before.

Solid

Album starts very strong with some great energy in the opening tracks and then get's lost for a bit in generic hip hop sounds and tropes. Andre's eclectic sounds and inventive lyrics keeps the album flowing in between the well known, timeless songs that even your grandparents could enjoy. Killer Mike provides a solid, aggressive contrast in a few spots.

This is the angriest this project has made me. I want the 2 and a half hours of my life back that have been wasted listening to this self-indulgent garbage.

Absolutely delightful. What a fun double album. Very cool to essentially see two solo albums considered one collective band album. Definitely a must-listen.

Way too long to consider it one album. The first disc was more consistent than the 2nd.

3*

Fun!!

Ah rap albums and the super fucking longness of them. What a huge waste of time. This could have been a trim 45 minutes and been pretty good. Instead we get an over 2 hour bloated monster. So many shitty skits. Some songs are listenable so this avoids 1 star but just. 1.5/5

Wow, I mean this is a chunk of work. There's a lot to get through and a lot of it is great.

High density, two albums combine, two solo albums, 2 hours long ; but i know you have to condition yourself for such a time, or just for listening something, so maybe my context didn't help.

Déjà eu en LP

I absolutely adore this album. Every single song (with the exception of Behold A Lady) was a solid 4.5/5. Shoutout to Andre 3000 and Big Boi for making one of the best hip-hop albums ever. It's fucking fantastic.

This album was way too long and incoherent, Hey Ya! rules but that’s the only track I’d go back to

This one is a five star classic, these guys never missed!

How do I review this, speakerboxxx is a 5, its really catchy the rapping is top notch, and any song with killer Mike can do no wrong. The love below, I just cannot get into this, u hated the intro, I think alot of Andre 3000 "jokes" fall flat and I don't think much of it is memorable. So that's a 2. It shouldn't be a double album either this makes it too long and I like artists that respect my time.

When I was a teenager the local record store sold packs of random used CDs for pretty cheap - I used to love buying them because you'd find all kinds of weird shit in them, and also some all time classics. One of them had just The Love Below and not Speakerboxxx, which ended up being my first foray into Outkast - a group I love dearly. That's all a roundabout way of saying that, despite my love of all things Outkast, I've for some reason never listened to Speakerboxxx until today. What a mistake; I think I prefer it to The Love Below. I wish they'd get back together, but what an incredible album to leave on (shhh, Idlewild doesn't count)

I don´t know if make a serious review of this, or just ignore the fact that I spent 2 hours listening to this record.... I supposed I just enyojed this. Fav Tracks: Speakerboxxx: The Rooster, Bust, Unhappy, Flip Fop Rock, Ghettomusick, Reset. The love Below: Prototype, Happy Valentine´s day, Hey Ya!,

"Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast. It is a double album with a solo album from each member, Big Boi and Andre 3000. Big Boi's "Speakerboxxx" is southern hip hop with a P-Funk influence. It has themes of family, philosophy, religion and politics. Andre 3000's "The Love Below" is pyschedelic, pop, funk, electro and jazz with themes of basically love. The album had widespread critical acclaim and was a commercial success spending seven weeks in the US at #1. It also won Grammy's for Best Album and Best Rap Album. "Intro" opens "Speakerboxxx" with weird noises, a Gong and goes straight into "Ghetto Musick." This is fast and hard. We're kind of in EDM and industrial territory. It slows down with a sample of Patti Labelle's "Live, Need and Want You." Goes back fast. Big Boi using the vocoder. OutKast has one of the seven times when a song of theirs replaces another song of theirs at #1. And that's what "The Way You Move" did to "Hey Ya." Guest vocals by Sleepy Brown. The beat starts. Horns. Great R&B groove and overall song. Killer Mike brings it on "Bust." This is a little more hardcore rap. Big Boi still adds weird noises. Oh, those are throughout this album. Another great groove song is "Knowing." Big Boi going falsetto. "Last Call" has a host of rappers. Catchy chorus. Yes, they are talking about drinking. Right away you know, it's a different album with "The Love Below (Intro)." Strings. Piano. More majestic. Andre 3000 crooning. "Happy Valentine's Day" is funky with a great beat. Very Prince. A catchy female backing vocal chorus. "Prototype" is slower, acoustic guitar. Andre can go falsetto too. He's in love....again. "1,2,3, uh" and we're off with "Hey Ya!" Extremely catchy chorus. That bassline. I think Andre's background vocal sounds are a highlight. "Roses" is more in the R&B vein. Very interesting lyrics "Roses really smell like poo-poo-ooh." One of the few songs with actual rapping. I thought I was back listening to New Order in "Love in War." An 80's synth/key melody. Alright, I'm in. Acoustic guitar and Norah Jones in "Take Off Your Cool." I was just thinking what's needed here is a folk-rock-pop song and got my wish. Wow! This is a lot of music. No denying the creativity and substance of both. "Speakerboxx" is more rap and hip hop but the weird noises and everything else make this unique for that genre. I don't even know if I would consider "The Live Below" hip hop. It's jazzy, poppy, danceable, folk, EDM and probably more. Both of these albums are worth a listen. Give yourself some time.

This is the epitome of "Cry because it's over, smile because it happened" RIP Outkast, you changed the game and put ATL on the hip-hop map

Essential listening. But man, it’s long.

Cat: this is sick AJ: they’re cool as hell.

This was good fun 20 years ago, how's it aged? Ok not incredibly. The overuse of 'panties' was a bit cringe back then and it's worse now, hey let's infantilise women and then go on and on about how much we want to fuck them, we're not creepy. That aside, the length. There's two decent albums hiding in here, but lads, one hour is too long for most records so the ' it's two albums ' excuse isn't cutting it all the way. Hire an editor, there's loads of forgettable tracks on Speakerboxxx alongside some great shit, and a lot of variety brought by guests. Enjoy the dude from RTJ here, didn't know that. Love Below, also fun, not a hip hop album at all really more a soul and rnb with a hip hop vibe. Heavily, HEAVILY, indebted to Prince. On like nearly every song. Spread is quite funny and musically interesting, Prototype is a decent soul number that gets ruined when Andre decides to smear shit all over it. Stank you smelly much. Generally good and immediate pop songs abound here though. Happy Valentines, Hey Ya, Roses (smell like poo ooh ooh - the guy is fucking obsessed with shite) The skits are nearly all heavily cringe. Pink & Blue through to She's Alive could be dropped. I don't think I really need to hear either of them ever again, though it was quite fun to let the whole thing play out over the course of about 6 sittings today.