Reviews (page 9 of 14)
It was really great but I didn’t listen to the whole album because it was too long for my day
2 albums, obviously but loses something from being too long when trying to listen to both consecutively. Prefer speakerboxx which I wasn't expecting, the love below is trying to do a lot but sometimes feels disjointed.
iskreno mnogo pesama, nisam ih bas detaljno slusao pustio sam u pozadini, andre 3k goat, speakerboxxx je sve big boi, i to je ono pare kola picke, a andre je ceo drugi deo i to je mekanija prica vise mi se to svidelo
Would have been 4 stars but the double album was too long to enjoy. With half the tracks it’s a better album overall
It was good even if not my favorite type of music. Too long. Haha
• GhettoMusick is a really cool first track • I love The Rooster, the piano chords in the back of the verses mixed with the trumpets sounds great • Big Boi's verses in both The Rooster and Bust have been incredible • The groove in Church is really catchy • I wasn't expecting much from the Interludes but Bamboo acting as a lead-in to Tomb of the Boom works really well • "That don't belong to urse–I mean us" to switch up the rhyming pattern in Reset is so good • Taking a break after finishing Speakerboxxx. I really enjoyed this half of the album. Big Boi's rapping is consistently great and there are a lot of really interesting instrumentals. I feel like Last Call is going to be stuck in my head until I listen to The Love Below. I also really like the repeated "Speakerboxxx" tag used throughout the album, it really made the whole thing feel cohesive. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I wound up listening to The Love Below while I was running errands, so I don't have in-depth thoughts for most of the songs. However, Hey Ya is obviously a fantastic song, and Roses, Vibrate and A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre were all standout tracks from this half of the album too. Favourite songs: Speakerboxxx: The Rooster The Love Below: Hey Ya
Innovative but not for me mostly. Some good songs but hard to categorize
Speakerboxxx: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Love Below: ⭐️⭐️
nice, rap is not my genre... but fineeeeeeee
A bold double album split into two distinct personalities. Speakerboxxx delivers solid Southern hip-hop with Big Boi’s confident flow, but it feels more “okay” than groundbreaking. The Love Below, on the other hand, aims for eccentric funk-pop but often comes across as a diluted Prince pastiche—ambitious yet uneven. The saving grace? “Hey Ya,” a timeless burst of energy that outshines the rest.
I don’t live it but it has bangers
Over time my allegiance seems to have shifted from the indulgence of the Andre side to the more pure hip-hop side of Big Boi. A great album but exhausting, especially with the final couple of Love Below songs Vibrate and A Life in the Day.
There were some great tracks on here but the majority of them I would consider to be just good. I tried to treat the halves as different albums but still listened to the whole thing in one sitting, which may have been a mistake since the whole thing got to be pretty tiresome and felt bloated. I'll probably come back to give it another shot at some point but the sheer length makes it pretty daunting.
I love OutKast and there are definite jams on this album but... meh.
Way too long (couldn't these have stood alone as 2 separate lps, or did they think Hey Ya would be enough to get people to buy this), but mostly kept my interest.
Very good, although a little bit long.
Best Song: Hey Ya Seriously, 2+ hour album?!?! I get it is two albums in one, but c'mon. There are some really good tracks on here. There are also some mediocre (at best) tracks on here. This is one of those cases where it is just too much. If they had tightened this up and only put out the best tracks instead of forcing this double album it would easily be a 4 but alas, that isn't the case. 3/5.
Ate
I appreciate the variety across the track list, but the quality isn't very consistent and 40 tracks is a bit much even for a double album. The Speakerboxxx half isn't really my thing, but GhettoMusick is an amazing song and Last Call was fun too. The Love Below was more interesting and has a lot more diverse influences but other than Hey Ya and Roses there weren't any tracks that stood out.
Bloated (long). Innovative in places. Doesn’t sound 20+ years old. Like aspects of both discs. But surprised for me it’s more of a 3 than a 4 on re listening after some time. Cut some tracks and there’s a 4 there.
Look, I’m never going to dedicate my time to an album(s) this long. I owned it back in the day. It’s vastly overrated and could do with some serious editing even to make it two separate and digestible release. There’s a 50 minute work of brilliance in there somewhere, but I can’t be arsed to find it.
If I could give this negative stars I would
40 songs! Interesting start but not gripping.
Хороший такой рэп-альбом. Стилистически - конечно это гламурные 00-е, а не гангстерские 90-е. Есть немало интересных битов, есть и абсолютно проходные треки. Альбом тем не менее очень долгий и за раз его послушать тяжело. Но все же - крепкий НЕПЛОХ.
This album is ambitious to a fault. It’s less a double album than two solo statements released under a shared name, and the contrast between the halves is so stark it becomes the defining feature of the experience. Speakerboxxx is competent, groove-driven Southern hip hop that’s well made but rarely surprising. It does what it’s supposed to do, but much of it blends together for me and never quite hooks in. The Love Below is more interesting, messier, and riskier. André 3000’s willingness to experiment, be playful, and veer into left-field pop is genuinely fun at times, and tracks like “Roses” show how effective that approach can be. But the self-indulgence becomes hard to ignore. Too many ideas overstay their welcome, and the lack of editorial restraint eventually dulls the impact. I respect this album far more than I enjoy it. The ambition is real, the cultural importance is obvious, and individual moments absolutely work. But as a full listen, it’s uneven and not something I feel compelled to return to. A three-star record for me: interesting, occasionally fun, historically significant, but ultimately more admirable than satisfying.
I hear some hints of old time R&B/Soul and nice use of horns.
Above anything, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below demonstrates that Outkast was greater that the sum of its parts. This is an overly long album that is sonically splattered. There is a lot to like about both parts, but my ears found “The Love Below” to be the more interesting part. There is some interesting experimental music throughout the second half, but like all experiments, sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. The result is higher highs and lower lows. The first album, Speakerboxx, is more straightforward hip-hop, with a fun and funky vibe. I enjoyed the tracks that leaned most heavily into the funky grooves. Some interesting horns and guitar work. The real trouble here, particularly with respect to this project, is the length. Normally I like to give each album several listens, but that simply is not practical in this case. Too bad.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed a lot of the songs on here. It's a very long album and not all of them were for me, but so many great hits and deep cuts I didn't know. So many different interesting sounds and clashing styles. A fun listening experience, even if not my type of musics. Top Songs: Pink & Blue, Spread, Dracula's Wedding, Roses
way too long
Speakerboxxx is a 4 let down by interludes The Love Below is a 2 with a small amount of excellent songs
I assume one of the longest albums of all time. Fun listen though.
Speakerboxxx: This album is so ATL. The features are great on here and the beats are very nostalgic for me. Big Boi brought the heat with this one. [4] The Love Below: So different from Speakerboxxx, wow. They were smart to put this second on the double album. How horny was 3K when he made this? This comes across as a love album made made for any woman willing to listen. Hey Ya and Roses in the middle of this feels like he just slapped a couple pop hits in the middle of his experimental hip hop project. [2]
7.4
Muy buen disco, descubriendo de donde viene la mítica "Killing me softly with his song".
I enjoyed this one. It’s a bop.
I’d love to rate this higher but it’s really unnecessarily long
Prototype supremacy
Ich habs mir jetzt gehört,schon geil aber nicht so mein geschmack. Ich höre gern Hip hop,aber ich habe ein weirdo geschmack weil ich kaum was aus amerika höre. Ich mag Gorillaz aber das glaube ich aus england. Naja Ich fühle es einfach leider nicht. Meine verbindung mit Rap/Hip Hop ist tief politisch über die verhältnisse in Deutschland,Frankreich oder Spanien oder es muss einfach sehr sehr dumm sein manchmal auch beides. Ich geb es jetzt persönlich 3 sterne, aber ich verstehe warum andere es 5 geben würden weil es gut sehr gut produziert ist und vermutlich flow feiern weil der sehr gut. Aber ich fühle es nicht
I like the jazzy tracks, interesting sounds, acoustic instruments on some songs, and the guys' sense of humor. But I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it again. Good stuff, but not my taste. 6/10
Something I heard when it first came out. Some big hits on here and Hey Ya! is a song which is pretty ubiquitous. Outkast are a group who get a huge amount of respect and deservedly so.
Too fun to ignore, even though I don't really like the genre too much. The musicality really shines here, I just can't relate to the music very well...yet.
I've heard OutKast described as Hip Hop for people that don't like Hip Hop and on listening to this, I can sort of hear why. I thought there were some great songs on here and the production level was really high. But.... at over two hours they could afford to pick some winners and put out a more concise and higher quality album. Couldn't quite manage all of it but will probably return and finish it off at the weekend.
5/10 Speakerboxxx 4/10 The Love Below The good songs are great but there is far too much filler. Should have been a single album
A busy Monday with an extended after school meeting was not the day for a double album of over two hours…
I can see why some people might highly rate this album. It really is one of two parts though. One a more straight rap album, the other wearing its other influences on its sleeve more and not being afraid to try something different. If they were independent of one another I’d likely rate speakerboxxx a 2 and the love below a 4 so trying to combine the two in an overall score. As a double album its length is a bit too long to really absorb in one sitting.
As with most OutKast albums there are some spectacular highs and some unbelievable lows.
Long
Cool but impenetrable. I just can't take in all of a 2.25hr double album and appreciate how it develops in just one day. Some fantastic individual tracks. Love big boi's rap style. Love some of the more R&B stuff on the love below (more than I thought I would certainly.) will listen more
later
Not my usual style of music but I liked The Rooster and Knowing the most.
Album 55/1001 My one criticism of this double album would be that I think Outkast are better when they're working collaboratively than apart like this. It's the juxtaposition of their 2 very different styles on the same record that makes them such a special and unique band. Still, 2 excellent albums that bring back some great memories. Back then I much preferred The Love Below, but listening to them back now, Speakerboxx is a lot better than I remembered. Favourite lyrics: HEY YA! If what they say is "Nothing is forever" Then what makes, then what makes Then what makes, then what makes (what makes, what makes) Love the exception? So why, oh, why, oh Why, oh, why, oh, why, oh Are we so in denial when we know we're not happy here? ROSES Caroline, (Caroline), see She's the reason for the word 'bitch' (bitch) I hope she's speedin' on the way to the club Tryna hurry up to get to a baller or singer or somebody like that And try to put on her make up in the mirror and crash, crash Crash into a ditch (Just playin') (Bitch) Crazy bitch (Stupid-ass bitch) Crazy bitch (Old punk-ass bitch) Crazy bitch (Old dumb-ass bitch) Crazy bitch (A bitch's bitch) Crazy bitch (Just a bitch) Crazy bitch (Stupid-ass bitch) Crazy bitch (Old punk-ass bitch) Crazy bitch (Old dumb-ass bitch) Crazy bitch (A bitch's bitch) Crazy bitch (Just a bitch) Speakerboxx 🔊📦 Favourite song: The Way You Move 💃 Honourable mention: Unhappy ☹️ Reset 🔄 Knowing 🧠 War 🪖 Bowtie 🎀 3½ / 5 The Love Below ❤️⬇️ Favourite song: Hey Ya! 👋 Honourable mention: Roses 🌹🌹 Prototype 💘 Pink & Blue 🌸💠 Take Off Your Cool 😎🤓 Vibrate 📳 3½ / 5
Much of the music is good here, but I am soured by the context in which this album was released. This should have been two solo albums, and it feels like the studio's greed decided to put them together for easier marketing. Nevertheless, each side is good in their own way, but as a whole it feels less than its parts due to the cynicism surrounding it. Speakerboxxx (Big Boi): Bold, consistently good, fully-realized, solid. 4 stars. The Love Below (Andre 3000): Playful, inconsistent, higher peaks but lower lows. 3 stars.
This album hits with a surprising consistency for something that runs well over two hours. It moves with a confidence that makes it hard to find a real low point, almost as if the duo couldn’t help but deliver quality no matter how wide they stretched the concept. The split structure gives the whole thing its character. Two different visions, two different moods, but somehow still a unified statement. One side sharp and grounded, the other drifting into its own world, yet both pushing the boundaries of what hip-hop could be at the time. The production can feel a bit overbuilt in places, almost like it’s overflowing with ideas, but that’s also part of the charm. It’s ambitious in a way very few mainstream records dared to be. And the big tracks land exactly the way they should. Those huge, era-defining moments pop up almost casually in the middle of the tracklist. It might not be the OutKast album I’d personally place at the very top, but it’s undeniably impressive. Long, bold, inventive, and almost stubbornly free of weak spots. A record that still earns its reputation.
So good and creative. Just way too long. Needs editing.
I divided it into 2 listenings and i must say if you listen to only one take the second. Speakerboxxx was very forgetable and sounded like every other 90s hip hop album while the other was at least bit inovative and andres voice gives a more unique touch. Both albums are well mixed and produceced. but all hits are in the love below Subject matters are as you'd expect from hip hop so i just disregard that. Better than expected but the hits are still the only ones i remember.
For sure overly long. The Love Below is at least twice as interesting as speakerboxxx. But when that half starts, the music really kicks. Very cool and funky. Suffers from it's overload. A shorter version could have been perfect.
“Hey Ya” arrives on disc 2, as it were, about an hour and twenty into the whole affair, and it sounds nothing like rest of the album. It’s followed by a 6 1/2 minute track that’s just “you think your shit don’t stink, but oh honey it do”. Which is to say, there are many great tracks, the album is still way too long, and OutKast love to prank their audience.
Long winded - a few good songs but the double album is tiring to listen in full.
This album’s a near 4 for me, but it’s just too darn long. I’m not sure if I’d want an album from any artist that’s over 2 hours long. That being said, it still wasn’t a complete lull. It’s packed with a lot and it’s entertaining throughout. Some of the interludes and even the songs are hilarious. Hey Ya! is such a classic and always a welcome listen. Not bad by any means, but just too long.
Weird but surprisingly good. I'm not a massive rap fan - but this was a bit more than just rap?
Golden
Some super cool songs, but I'm sorry I couldn't wait for this to be over. Nearly 3 hours?? Far too long for an album (yes I know this is a double album, even so it should be <2).
There's four- or five-star album hiding in here. Waaay too much filler.
Its a great album, but its too damn long
I liked "The Love Below" a lot more. This is maybe a 2 for me but "Hey Ya" is great, I actually thought a lot of the skits were funny, and I do love Andre 3000's voice so it's elevated to a 3.
какой же он длинный, господи... зачем.... два альбома альбома из них нормальных бы вполне получилось. а так это ж даже не заслушаешь сразу все. а вообще-то музыка вроде бы вполне себе хорошая
There are some hits on here but it's too long. I'm not the biggest OutKast fan but I thought it was alright but I'm can't listen to this straight through.
Honestly, less impressed than I thought I'd be. Per usual for Outkast, the production was amazing but in this case, I didn't vibe with the lyrics. Still a great album. 7/10.
This is an example of music that’s aged well on me. If I’d recorded this double album back when it came out I’d have surely given it 1 star, but with time I’ve somehow come to respect OutKast a bit more, to the point where I even enjoyed the majority of tracks on this (albeit far too long) offering. I’d also totally missed that The Way You Move - a true banger - was by OutKast.
Pre: outkasts worst album? Post: 2 solo albums , completely disjointed. Some highlights
The first disc was a slog, disc 2 though was pretty damn good, this should have been released as two separate albums cause collectively it was TOO LONG!!
Just so long so deducting marks. the continuation of the 'speakerboxxx' theme throughout that part of the album was great.
That was a lot of music. It's very creative, but I am not sure it gave me the best picture of the group, since the two halves are almost entirely separate. I thought this one was pretty good, but it doesn't earn credit for being two albums.
Decent 3,5
Was fucking waiting for this one to be over oh my god. Like it’s not bad but did it need to be over 2 fucking hours long? No. The answer is fucking No
It has some good tracks, but definitely too long
The first record - awesome, liked every track. The second record felt like Andre had only Hey Ya and then was like “shit I gotta add like twenty songs” and threw them together in an afternoon.
Lot of great songs and inspiration for artists to come. The album is a bit long, but doesn’t quite overstay its welcome. OutKast, despite being wildly popular, somehow feels underrated for their influence
Great dancy pop album but I don’t remember a single song, nothing worth listening on repeat
Speakerboxxx is a 4/5. It's a clear, relatively concise (by 2003 standards) thesis statement for the next 10+ years of Big Boi's career sans OutKast. There are bops, bangers, and jams. Everything you need is here, but it's not superlative. The Love Below is also a 4/5. It has the most ubiquitous pop song of the last quarter century or more - one that somehow, none of us have tired of - as well as some really brilliant compositions that rank among the best things Andre3000 has released. It is smart, introspective, clever, and a little goofy. It is everything you could need from an Andre3000 album and maybe a little more. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, somehow, is a 3/5. It is less than the sum of its parts by virtue of both its length and the disparate nature of those parts. I would happily listen to either as a discrete solo album. I will probably never again listen to them both, back to back, as released/intended.
Very diverse set of music, mostly hip-hop, almost without anything tying it together. Well produced and an excellent showcase of talented.
This is a double album of two guys who were about to break up but released as a double album because they just won a Grammy? Already at cognitive overload. Anyway on Big Bois side I hated his hit singles (sound like 10 guys went into a music shop and pressed all the keys) but liked Bowtie and Rooster and generally about every other track. There are some killer tracks I‘d listen to again if I was into hip hop. Second disc is about alters ego of Andre 3000. Cognitive overload 2.0. How is Hey Ya the standout track? Cannot connect at all. Still the tracks are ok I guess. But then after Roses all tracks turn meh and it’s pure chore until my today’s duty is done. 2.3h! Sure I know they recorded separately but was there really no way to pack this into one album? Or at least a 2x40m double album?
A good album that kinda buckles under the weight of such a long track list
Enjoyable, many bangers, way too long.
Might just be a few too many tracks. Disk 2 is levels above Disk 1. Otherwise it's an absolute classic and some brilliance on there, just before Andre fell off the deep end and started doing mad shit.
Bloated but some good tracks, if you cut it down it would be on par with other OutKast albums
Some great tracks for sure, and overall a pretty wild ride. I'm glad to finally have the push to sit down and listen to this whole thing. I can't see putting it all on again though.
There is absolutely no reason why this album needs to be 2hrs and 15minutes long. That is too long. I liked it and it was good for the most part but wanted to turn it off after hey ya. Should be 4 stars but losing a point for the unnecessary length.
Yep, still only like Hey Ya!, My Favorite Things, and Take Off Your Cool. Rife with misogyny. So long.
I get why these guys each did their own disk, but the release is yet another reason why two-disk albums almost never work. Way too many intros/outros, among other problems. But the highlights have staying power.
Lot of creatively, but also some pretty bad songs on this 2-disc set, ultimately this stank of self-indulgence
Always a fan of these guys in passing. Never got into them that much, but I really did enjoy this one. 3.5 if I could rate it that way.
I don’t care for OutKast in general. Though, I suppose it’s good I’ve finally heard all of Hey Ya.
Hadn’t listened to the whole double album before. Lots of creativity, but probably could have been trimmed to just one album
long listen. some nice tunes. love the vibe
Wildly ambitious double album, Appreciated the differences between each member, everything sounded pretty good with a few hits in there, I just got tired of it all by the end
fun.
Pretty good, but this was way too long and while I get its a double album, each one could have and should have easily been cut in half. If all the filler/fluff was removed, I would rate this a lot higher. I did prefer The Love Below to Speakerboxxx (although The Way You Move does fuck heavily). The hits were amazing, and some others were just meh.
The second disc is more memorable than the first one for me. Both are probably pretty good. I didn't particularly enjoy either one. Hey Ya is still a great song. There's a thin line between 'playful' and 'silly', and the mood of the person judging it (me) probably has a lot to do with how it is viewed on any given day. Today most of this seemed silly but I could see it as playful in other mindsets.
It does have enjoyable songs but it has so many that feel like filler.
Koska levy on tungettu täyteen paskaa, niin edes muutama timantti ei pelasta kokonaisuutta. Minkä takia 40 biisiä joista moni täysin sekundaa. Taas käy sama sanonta, että kun tarpeeksi räiskii niin joku osuu. Voisi nousta helposti neloseen mutta nyt meinaa tipahtaa jopa 2 puolelle... annetaan silti 3, koska kakkonen on liian pieni arvionti levylle jolta löytyy kuitenkin yksi 2000 luvun suurimmista hiteistä
Ihan ekana, aivan liian pitkä levy :D Tuntuu siltä, että levylle olisi kerätty aivan kaikki julkaisemattomat biisit molemmilta herroilta, eikä mietitty yhtään mitä pistetään pihalle. Tästä syystä lähtee ainakin piste. Vähän lyhyempi levy ja enemmän ajatusta jos olisi biisikattaukseen käytetty, niin nelonen irtoaisi.. Mutta lopullinen fiilis levystä löytyy jostain kolmosen lähimaastosta, joten napataan se kolmonen tähän.
En kerennyt molempia levyjä kuuntelemaan, mutta ensimmäisen ainakin. Vähän sekavaa settiä, osin positiivisessakin mielessä. Joissain biiseissä piristävän epätyypillisiä sävelkulkuja, eikä kaikkea vedetty jostain universaalista biisipankista. Joitain todellisia täytebiisejä mikä jäi arveluttamaan, oliko aineistoa oikeasti kahteen levyyn vai oisko pitänyt paskat siivota ja tyytyä yhteen lättyyn. Laitetaan kuitenkin kolmonen sekoilusta!
No nyt oli kyllä sellainen höyryissä tehty sekametelisoppa, että on pakko arvostaa.
Pari killeriä, pääosin filleriä. Järkyttävän pitkä kokonaisuus varsinkin tähän projektiin. Rehellisesti kuitenkin odotin pitäväni paljon vähemmän, koska paljon huonompaakin olen kuullut.
I bought this at the time of release. The double album, released to placate both artists I believe, allows for some songs and skits that wouldn’t have made it into a cleaner, shorter album. As a result there are some tough listens interspersed with some quality songs. Both albums are very different in style and have some real gems, such as Speakerboxxx & Happy Valentines Day, but both have stinkers too. What it certainly doesn’t lack is creativity. Overall, 3 stars.
Undeniably changed my music taste as a teenager
Fun and interesting but they have better material
the length of a movie, good tho
Хип-хап, смешанный с поп музыкой, соулом и джазом.
Not my favorite OutKast album, but you've got to appreciate how bold and experimental this was for an early 2000s hip-hop project. It's like a competent artist looked at the vapid frivoloty of what was charting in the genre at the time and thought 'let's do this, but make it respectable'. It's too long, but surprising production choices on every track keep it from becoming tedious. It's also still got the unmistakeable vibes of an OutKast record, led by the unbelievable flow of Andre 3000. So the floor here is very high. Strong 3!
Speakerboxxx was 5. Love Below was 2
Really just feels like 2 albums that aren't connected, some pretty good songs but far too long, felt like a drag to get through in the end.
The pinnacle of the experimental production seen through former OutKast projects. Funky beats with heavy use of brass combined with great rapping. Plenty of hits on it too but it’s still far too long with too much fluff to be considered one of the best.
Very mixed styles. Some I really enjoy and some I can’t get through and skip! A couple of bangers though
one hit
I was really bracing myself to give a 1 to this album -- this absolute titan runs at over 2 hours long, and I didn't think too fondly of the OutKast album I heard roughly a month ago... but this one was actually good. Breezy, even. It helps that I listened to each side a couple hours from each other, I found this one a lot more soulful and less embarrassing than their previous entry. Big Boi absolutely carries this one, though. He had the better side by a country mile.
Alright, hopefully I won't be getting another 2 hour plus album for awhile. It's just way too long for any artist outside of a few greats. That said, Speakerboxxx was good and The Love Below is just okay. Big Boi is underappreciated vastly. I listened to this is two sittings and the difference between the two is stark.
Hmm, long, bit spotty
A bunch of bangers on here. Funny I didn’t realize some of them were Outkast.
I’m not a fan of them but I think it’s good. I just don’t want to listen to 2 hours of this.
Love it.
This album feels like everything and the kitchen sink. There’s some really fun hidden gems, an all-time classic, some boring shit, and an interlude that made me take off my headphones at work and go, “oh great heavens!” It all averages out to a 3.
It's two albums, both with no idea left out. It feels like it never ends. There's probably a great album in there.
Too long.. some good songs on it but it's too damn long. Liking the second part more.
Repeat listen
I mean it's Outkast so the rapping is amazing and there are some real classics - but overall it just felt soooo loooong. The interludes made the album hard to truly enjoy also.
Pretty good
What a genius idea for an album by a duo, especially since they both have such impressive solo careers. There's also definitely something to be said about an album that features Norah Jones, Lil Jon, Rosario Dawson, and Jay-Z. There's a great balance of genres here. However, I wish they'd trimmed this big boi (pun intended) down to be closer to the size of a "standard" album, cuz this was lengthy and my wee attention span was fighting for its life. I definitely related to the "y'all drivin your Subarus, sitting in your cubicles" line in Tomb of the Boom lmao. Favorite songs: Bowtie, Last Call, Roses
So, OutKast, we meet again. Stankonia has been a great surprise when I heard it, it was quite enjoyable or at least not annoying, and of course it had some hits like Ms. Jackson. Now, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below started off worse but also surprised me with some great stuff. Sudden jazz tracks? That's very very nice. More sang parts, nice, nice. A lot of experimental feel in this monumental record. Even some The Mars Volta-esque passages conbined with said jazz tracks. Not all of these experiments were my thing, I'll be honest. Towards the end there was a track that sounded like a combination of Ryo Fukui style piano playing with breakcore beat, which was a very cool touch. And of course, the famous Hey ya!, which is a timeless classic. Overall, OutKast showed me again that they are probably my favorite hip hop artist ever. Why am I giving this album a 3 starts rating, then? (just like with Stankonia). Well, it's still a hip hop record and it's one of my least favorite genres, it has no emotional or sentimental value to me, I didn't grow up with hip hop culture, not at all. It's just not my thing, but this list helps me appreciate the genre more, that's for sure. Plus, this album is LOOOOOOOONG. 2 hours and 15 minutes. And don't get me wrong, I listen to music almost always so it's not bad for me - plus I am a prog lover so long songs and albums are casuality for me. But still, 2+ hour long OutKast record might feel like a chore sometimes.
This thing is all over the place. No wonder they split shortly after this. Some great stuff here though.
Made it through most of the 2 hour and 15 minute album. The highs are Everest and the lesser known tracks I kind of zoned out on.
Decent
A frantic album in two parts. I think a lot of the songs are punchy but several which are filler. Though, I suppose that seems to be the point for some. It's a shame that Hey Ya! is on this album as it absolutely has to be the Standout Track: Hey Ya!
I tried this when it was released because it was the talk of the town and I loved "Ms. Jackson" so I wanted to give it a shot. It was eclectic and not 100% hip hop/rap ("The Way You Move"). I am just not a fan of either of their voices and the machine gun tempo of their rhymes. Disc 1 - In listening to it again today, it's just too fast for me to enjoy. The frenetic pace of Andre 3000 is not something I can enjoy, slow down dude, I can't keep up. Best tracks I forgot about, "Unhappy", "Knowing" (cool beat). Disc 2 - terrible start, hated the first 3 tracks. "Hey Ya!" was a huge hit, still is. "Happy Valentine's Day" wasn't bad and I enjoyed "Dracula's Wedding". "Spread" was unlistenable, as was "She Lives In My Lap", "A Life In The Day..." and "She's Alive". 50M people listened to "Prototype", I didn't enjoy it at all, self indulgent nonsense. All the skits were dumb and unnecessary. I'm in the minority, I get it, and I'm fine with that. They have an impressive listen count (255M for "The Way...", 1.6B for "Hey Ya!") across every full track, all over 3M. The production quality was really good and the music is much better than most rap bands, and light years better than today's hip hop mumble shit. 3 stars, it's good, it's just not my thing. Almost as much bad as good.
Didn’t listen to all of it, skipped some, but the tracks are good
A double album that’s actually two solo albums? That’s a weird way to announce you’re breaking up, but ok. Having both members produce an album in their own style helps me appreciate their contributions to the collaborative OutKast sound but, after listening, it's not surprising that they could get frustrated by the constant collaboration and both want to branch. While it's a weird concept, I do appreciate the peek behind the curtain... and that they managed to get a hit single from each album. I could do with less skits & interludes, at 2+ hours it’s hard to get excited about playing through the whole album again. Maybe a playlist of the highlights, though! “Hey Ya!” will always have a little piece of my heart and a spot on my lifetime playlist.
Bleh... too long
Didn't like Speakerboxxx at all, but The Love Below SLAPS
Speakerboxxx er en 4er for meg. Trodde ikke jeg skulle like denne best, men gjorde det. Andre 3000 har noen gode på skiva si og, men er ikke like god som Big Boi. Ender midt på.
I remember when this was everywhere. The singles definitely stand out. Like most double albums it seems bloated. This one I will need to return to. 3/5 Heard before? The singles Owned: No. 1/1001, 1/10 (10%) Will I get? No Recommend:
Revisiting this for the first time in, like, 15 years made one thing crystal clear: Big Boi's side is much stronger than Andre 3000's. It's kind of crazy that it takes the latter 3 tracks to really get going, and even then it's in no hurry. "Hey Ya!" sticks out for being a concise, focused pop song, because the Love Below is otherwise meandering and loooong (21 tracks?!). Speakerboxxx has lots of bangers and its own share of artistic flourishes, whereas the Love Below basically has "Hey Ya!" That was a nuclear bomb of a song, so maybe it all balances out?
Some obvious 5 star classics on here and some very good stuff that I didn't remember all that well from when I owned this album - e.g. Flip Flop Rock and Prototype - but man I can't condone an artist putting out a 135 minute album of two completely different solo albums with so much in the way of detour bordering on absolute frolic. As a 45 minute album of choice cuts, this is a clear five star album. I don't make the rules on how I rate these. Okay fine I do.
Weird album to rate given the two halves are so distinct and were written as solo albums. It would've made much more sense to just release them as the artists intended, but y'know, record company politics. It's a good album and there's plenty to like here but given both members had a lot of ideas to try and get in, it's VERY bloated. There's a lot going on, Big Boi's album is more hip-hop-oriented with some nice guests spots, great rapping and cool beats. Andre 3000's showed his more experimental side and is more of a genre mesh between soul, pop, funk, r&b. Which is all fine but it's a bit of an overwhelming album to take in, and I have a backlog right now so don't really have time to listen again. 3* as the highs are certainly very high but I was running out of steam by the end
Some classic songs but way too long of an album
Interesting concept that is well executed, but drags too long. A couple incredible songs cover for the less interesting entries.
A double album, sure, and it has peaks and troughs, but Hey Ya is a GOAT and there are several other amazing songs. Their best album? No, but, still very good. Mid to high 3s.
i don’t think Hey Ya! can make the length and amount of interludes on this album worth it
Not a fan of skits.
Looong
Speakerboxx> Favorite Track: GhettoMusick
It’s got Hey Ya! On it and that part of the album is great. Never did make it through the other album back in the day…. And even now found a struggle.
This is a double album where each of the two Outkast members contributes approximately half of the tracks, which is a novel concept. It would have been better for me if several of these songs were eliminated. Just because as album has 40 tracks doesn’t necessarily make it great. There was slightly too much rap here for my liking.
"the love below" clears "speakerboxxx" by far.
Rv/g
Bardzo eklektyczna płyta. Może nawet za bardzo. Niektóre utwory mógłby śmiało wypaść z tego szalonego projektu. Doceniam zabawę materiałem, eksperymentowanie ze stylem. I jest tu naprawdę dużo dobrej muzyki. Śmiało, po wycięciu kilku kawałków dałoby się z tego zrobić płytę 10/10 a tak to jest tylko 6.5 równane w dół.
Good
Mostly good, not my normal genre. Hey Ya is a banger.
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Not a huge OutKast fan but this wasn't too bad.
Recognize a few of the songs but have not gone out of my way to listen to these artists.
Doble album de Outkast donde hay un disco para cada uno. lucha de egos, doble tostón. Aunque como siempre, entre tanta paja siempre hay alguna idea memorable. Flop
I listened to this in two parts as it is pretty long, but it is consistently good. I think the length and it being two separate albums doesn't work so well for streaming but I imagine this was cool as a CD.
so....I know this is basically two solo albums smushed into one under Outkast's name, but 2+ hours is a lot. There are some absolute bangers on both albums that I love. That pushes this to a 3 for me. But the rest of the album has quite a bit of self indulgent filler that could have been cut. don't tell my son who is going through an Outkast phase right now...
Some really good stuff but a lot of things that could have been left on the cutting room floor. This might’ve been better as a single album with some of the fluff cut out. But it does have some great songs.
The Love Below is a fantastic genre-bending solo album from André. Speakerboxxx has some decent cuts but shows why Big Boi needed his partner from the get go
I actually listened to the first half of it was amazed how much I liked the first four or tracks. Fun and funky. Thought it was going to be a 4….until it descended into generic rap that just isn’t for me. I’ll quit while I’m ahead and call it a 3.
It was okay!
quite disappointing to be honest. i found speakerboxx to be quite boring which i guess is unsurprising when the wikipedia says it was “praised for being consistent”. the love below was more interesting but still overall unnecessarily long.
7/10 Speakerboxx is a lot more consistent but The Love Below has higher highs; Prototype, Roses, Hey Ya. It's a shame Big Boi and 3k rarely share the same song and overall it's too long. But it's still a good project.
So many great songs, mixes of hip hop styles. The interludes are unnecessary
Some decent memorable tunes. Couldn’t listen to all 2 hrs of it though.
Too long. I definitely liked The Love Below better than Speakerboxx. I knew three songs.
another outkast album. its ok I guess. Nothing too exciting. Not really my cup of tea. One song merged into the other. This is tooo long. I got bored only 11 songs in. The Rooster was okay. It was not unbearable though, in fact, there are some really good songs, but did mention...It's just too damn long. Any good songs get lost in the noise. Easy 3 stars but I downgraded it to 2.5 because it is too damn long
Wow, a lengthy double album. But does not have my favourite Outkast song, in Ms Jackson. Most of The classics are on here. Outkast know how to write a good melody, and they're filled with catchy hooks. Album is enjoyable, the highs are pretty high, but there's also a lot of "eh" on here. If this was a one hour album with all the chaff cut out it would probably be a 5 star album. Outkast could use a good editor. Unfortunately it's overlong and bloated. For me Roses and The Way you Move are the star songs. I also enjoyed Vibrate and My Favourite Things. Hey Ya is polished but holy God am I sick of that song.
Big Boi is criminally underrated within Outkast and solo, and this is a great showcase of his talent. The production and sampling gives a very good, fun base for some very talented vocal delivery and lyrics. Tomb of the Boom is the classic, but I loved Bowtie and Bust (with a great Killer Mike verse). Like any good 3Stacks record should be, The Love Below is delightfully strange and eclectic. A mix of beats from jazzy to simple drum machine loops and an equally varied array of vocal deliveries and flows keep the listener from settling into a pattern at the beginning of the record. Hey Ya and Roses are the classics from Andre, and for good reason.
If you ever need a smile, the opening tracks of this album will gift you one. That alone has to be worth some stars. Using a spray paint can as percussion is wacky and brilliant. Happy Valentine's Day may just be the new official song of the demi-holiday. Now if I just enjoyed all the music on the album. I do enjoy some of it, appreciate some more of it and actively dislike a few tracks. Many of the tracks would be better if they were a minute shorter. The length of the album in full made it hard to listen to, but the fact that this is art does not escape me.
Two very different albums and I much preferred The Love Below. I realize I'm in the minority with that opinion, but I found The Love Below to be a multi-genre album which was way more interesting to listen to than a traditional hip hop album. Top tracks: Hey Ya!, My Favorite Things, Roses, Where Are My Panties
TIL the idiom "a curate's egg" lol There is a solid 5⭐ album in here somewhere.
A few decent to good track, but way to long
ok I do like it but unforch for me it is a bit too long for my liking and not every track is hitting as hard as i'd like.. its a 3.5 for me
C'est le genre de rap/hip-hop que je préfère, faque je vibais bien au moment de me rendre compte que C'EST TELLEMENT LOOOOOOOOOONG JME SUIS DÉJÀ TAPPÉ 2h15 DE METALLICA HIER, POURQUOI JE DOIS ME REFARCIR UN AUTRE ALBUM QUADRUPLE OSTI!!! J'AURAIS MÊME PAS LE TEMPS D'ÉCOUTER LE NOUVEAU KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZZARD WIZARD!!! C'est quand même un trois, mais en dessous de 1h ça aurait été un quatre! J'dis ça, j'dis rien...
2 stars for the Speakerboxxx and 4 stars for The Love Below, which had some real bops
Highlight Song/s: War, Tomb of the Boom, Last Call, She Lives in My Lap and My Favorite Things This album is quite long; it being 135 minutes long. It was a bit difficult to get through. I like how the album is structured with the intros of both discs and the interludes with all of it being spread among the rap tracks. My favourite of all probably is the first 3 tracks of disc 2 with the jazzy instrumentation, even if one of them is a interlude. Now some things I don't like. Disc 1 had too many soul choruses, I was pretty over it by the end of the first disc. The track 'Reset' had what sounds like someone eating a bag of chips which bothered me a lot, which was kind of surprising. I don't think this is a bad album, I believe it's just that I really don't think the OutKasts are for me.
Double album so going into I knew it'd be long. Wasn't my style so it felt as long as I expected. But I enjoyed a lot of it. I could handle it better in bits and pieces and appreciate different styles and a few appearances of rappers I'd hear of later
Standout tracks: Unhappy, Knowing It might be because I just listened to the whole double album in one go but The Love Below was way less interesting than Speakerboxxx in general. Unsure if as an album/double album it would go on a "1001 to hear before you die"
3/4
I think there's a lot to love about this album (or rather, albums). It's a lot to swallow for sure with 40 songs and 2 full albums with different vibes. Speakerboxxx was definitely my preferred portion. The Love Below was also great, but not quite as consistent. I can appreciate a good rap album. The songs were catchy and the flow was great. I just think the length of it makes it difficult to get through, and, while there are definitely some great songs on this album, there are definitely a good amount of mediocre ones.
Jesus Christ, I usually listen to several albums a day outside of my daily album but I had to find time all throughout the day for this one due to its sheer length. Built off of one solo album by both Big Boi and Andre 3000 put together into one really long album, this is arguably Outkast’s most well regarded album. So I’ll split my review in two as well Speakerboxxx: Big Boi’s half of the album is a progressive hip hop sound. Overall I enjoyed this half of the album but I found that it was a sound I wasn’t wholly fond of being that I’m not exactly a hip hop guy in my music. But I really liked “The Rooster” and “Knowing”. Other than that I felt that this half of the album was too long especially considering the length of the entire record. I award this half of the album a 3/5 or so, due to it not being a sound I love but still being pretty good. The Love Below: Andre 3000’s half of the album largely departs from the hip hop sound of Big Boi’s part in favor of a soul, pop, and jazzy sound that I enjoy significantly more. I found myself enjoying much more of this one and not just because of the excellent “Hey Ya!”, but “Love Hater”, “Prototype”, “Roses”, and “Love In War” were all tracks I found myself enjoying quite a bit. But again this half of the album is around 80 minutes long which is kind of excessive for a regular album and I do believe is too long especially adding on the length of Speakerboxxx as well. Overall I’d give this part of the album a light 4/5 Overall: As you may have guessed if you read my review I found this album far too long, 2+ hours was too much, while I enjoyed much of it I found myself wanting the album to end fairly frequently due to the sheer length. This is not to say I didn’t like the sound of the music, I did especially The Love Below but I will likely never sit through the entire record ever again, and because of that I will give this album a 3/5 but be aware it’s closer to a 3.5/5
Two albums in one day? Feels like cheating, but okay... I've heard OutKast's other albums, but I never got around to this one because I didn't quite like them enough to want to listen to two hours of them. So basically, I only knew "Hey Ya" off this album, which led me to assume that The Love Below was the main draw of this album. As it turns out, I was wrong; Speakerboxxx is actually great! Production sounds so cool, and I fall more in love every time I hear those horns. Also, it turns out that I've almost certainly also heard "I Love the Way You Move" and just never realized it (are we *sure* the hook there isn't sampled from somewhere? It feels like it should have always existed!) It's maybe a bit long, but still an easy 4. As for The Love Below: It's fine, I guess? Everything sounds fairly nice, but the songs lack memorability outside of the aforementioned "Hey Ya". I was feeling like it was starting to drag well before it even finished. Honestly, it's probably a 2? So that averages out to a 3 for the whole album, obviously.
Pues me ha sorprendido para bien por todo el mix de estilos que tiene No suelo escuchar mucho rap así que me esperaba un album basicamente de eso y NO Con temas de jazz y D&B ya me ha super ganado Le pongo un 7/10 en escala wow
Shouldn't this count as two albums?. I preferred "Speakerboxxx" over "The Love Below". The latter is too poppy for me. I wish this album had "Ms. Jackson" on it. Hopefully, I get a fantastic album this week. 3 stars for "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below".
Intro n/a GhettoMusick 3.2 Unhappy 3.3 Bowtie 3 The Way You Move 3.1 The Rooster 3.4 Bust 3.2 War 3 Church 3.1 Bamboo (Interlude) 2.7 Tomb of the Boom 3 E-Mac (Interlude) n/a Knowing 3.2 Flip Flop Rock 3.2 Interlude n/a Reset 3.1 D-Boi (Interlude) n/a Last Call 2.8 Bowtie (Postlude) n/a The Love Below (Intro) n/a Love Hater 3.4 God (Interlude) 3.2 Happy Valentine's Day 3.3 Spread 2.4 Where Are My Panties? (Interlude) n/a Prototype 3 She Lives in My Lap 3.1 Hey Ya! 3.8 Roses 3.3 Good Day, Good Sir (interlude) n/a Behold a Lady 3 Pink & Blue 3 Love in War 3.1 She's Alive 3.3 Dracula's Wedding 3.1 The Letter n/a My Favorite Things 3.3 Take Off Your Cool 3.4 Vibrate 3.3 A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre (Incomplete) 2.8 Score: 3.132258065
Musically is very interesting. It is too long though. The hits are music jewels.
it's okay - not my thing. very long but cool album to have on : 3,5 stars
Worlds longest album but solid
Decent
Pretty good
Cover is whatever. 1. Into. 2. Funky. Fun. Good song. Maybe great. 3. Funny. Also sad. Also good song. 4. Good song. Entertaining. 5. Radio hit. Still good. Lyrics are not 💯 but close. 6. Good song. 7. Ok. I'm no gangsta, but a cool song. 8. Ok. 9. Music is interesting. I kinda like it. energetic throughout 10. Interlude. Cute kids. 11. Ok. 12. Interlude. It is what it is. 13. Meh. 14. Great song. Great lyrics. Great beat tempo. Probably didn't need JAY-Z. 15. Interlude. This one's kinda stupid. 16. Meh. On second listen, I like it. Mellow. 17. Interlude. It is 18. Upbeat and fun. Better than ok. 19. Postlude. 20. Into. Ok. 21. Ok. Just gott fun, I guess. 22. Interlude. For over two minutes. FYI, he's a cool guy. Never cheated. Except that one time (and probably every time). Sweet bitches, am I right? LOL. 23. Funky, fun. This shit is funny. 24. Whatever. 25. His play or something. And you is a ho, bitch. Is this supposed to be serious? 26. Also, whatever. Does Andre know he's fucking hilarious? 27. LOL. Ok. 28. Radio hit. Great song. Oddly, doesn't fit the album because it's not absurd. 29. Also great. Also, like the previous song, like Andre put down the pipe (or picked it up) and wrote a song that wasn't entirely "huh?" Taking a look at the credits, Big Boi clearly tempers Andre's weirdness. And can make his. 30. Interlude. He's being intentionally funny, I know this now. 31. The opening to The Love Below is weird and there's too much of it before getting to "good" music. I don't know if Andre knew this, but Big Boi definitely did. This is a pretty good song but a bit flat. 32. Whats. 33. Not bad but not great. 34. Again, I don't think Andre is the hit maker. This is whatever. 35. Weird topic, if course, but a good song. 36. Letter. Whatevs. 37. Jazzy. Classical . But seems like filler. 38. Norah Jones! Good song. Maybe great. 39. Chill. I can read a book while this plays. So... 40. Whatever. OVERALL: Big Boi might be more grounded than Andre 3000. Speakerboxxx half has ok songs. With one great song. The Love Below half has great songs interspersed with whatever shit. Making this an average album.
good for background listening
A two-hour double hip-hop album—Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was always going to be a love-it-or-hate-it experience for me. I went in curious and open-minded, but I knew this would be a serious time commitment. This is truly an album of two halves. The Speakerboxxx side delivers a lively, confident set of energetic hip-hop tracks. While some lyrics feel a bit dated, the overall production is vibrant and punchy. The clear standout is "I Love the Way You Move"—an absolute banger that still hits hard. It's a perfect reminder of why OutKast made such a mark in their prime. Then comes The Love Below. Honestly, the first eight tracks were a struggle—slow, dated, and lacking anything catchy or engaging. But just as I was ready to write it off, it pivots into two phenomenal tracks: "Hey Ya!" and "Roses". These songs completely change the momentum and show André 3000's flair for genre-bending brilliance. Side two is saved—barely—but it took a long detour to get there. In conclusion, I loved moments of this album. There’s greatness here, but it’s buried under too much filler. Trim about ten tracks, and this could easily be a 5/5. As it stands, it’s a fascinating but flawed listen. Favorite Tracks: I Love the Way You Move, Hey Ya!, Roses Least Favorite: Love Hater was a low point, the interludes were unnecessary, and most of the first nine tracks on The Love Below could have been cut. Album Artwork: Not exactly wall-worthy, but it reflects the bold, dual-natured concept of the album.
"Hey Ya" was inescapable, and for good reason. Probably the funkiest track since prime-Prince. But hard to ignore the fact there's a lot of filler here. Would a single album featuring more combined efforts have worked as well - hard to say, but I can't say I'd want to listen to all 2+hours back-to-back again.
An over two-hour album is ambitious as hell and insane lol could have used some editing, but wow what a time capsule
Way to Long ang bloated
Did this have to be a double album? Other than that it’s the best of Outkast
Реально удивили. Про рэп вспоминают на этих альбомах нечасто - и это явный плюс. К тому же, есть нестандартные треки и довольно интересные. В общем, 5 баллов из 10 за оригинальность.
Preferred the second half to the first, some good tracks. A very long album though, basically 2 albums.
First half was okay. The second half was the better more memorable listen
Bow tie and The Rooster were the top two songs, outside of Hey Ya which is obviously their no.1 song. Album is well produced and flows together well however it was too long for me and felt like a lot of the songs were filler/repetitive. 6/10
Speakerboxxx: Very busy sounding. Some great tracks, but overall to me it sounds like an overload of sounds sometimes. Favorite Track: Reset with Khujo Goodie and Cee-Lo. The Love Below: Has some classic tracks, like Hey Ya and Roses, but has too many tracks I would skip. Favorite Track: Roses Overall: damn long album, with some great tracks, but doesn't come close to the earlier Outkast albums for me. Speakerboxx 3 stars Love Below 2.5 stars
I haven't listened to this album since grad school. "Speakerboxxx" drags on forever and the songs are middling aside from "The Way You Move", while "The Love Below" is the superior of the two discs as a humorous homage to Parliament-Funkadelic. The 00s production values on "Speakerboxxx" also sound dated.
Would have been 4/5 for speakerboxx alone but despite aa on sprawling album the Love Below holds it back (despite som standout moments). Sounds like what it is two separate albums presented ad one to maintain the Outkast brand going a little longer. Ideally would have been 3.5/5 but just not quite strong enough for a 4 as a cohesive album.
4 for Speakerboxxx, 2 for Love Below
I'm not sure whether to rate this as one (bloated, occasionally self-indulgent, with flashes of brilliance) album or two albums, the first of which is interesting and fun and the second of which has one absolute classic but is otherwise kind of dull. I guess that all works out to a 3.
its difficult to average the scores of these two pretty different albums
Remember so many of the songs on this album from days in middle school (?). Don't remember Rosario Dawson being featured on one of them. Overall enjoyable and nostalgic but also a bit longer than I remember, which of course makes sense being a double album.
I think this is one I'll have to come back to. Hits and misses, but I do appreciate the eclectic and experimental nature of it all.
Way too long to listen to all of it. I like some songs, and think they're good, but not really my thing.
I liked it, has some bangers but its too long for me and some songs just didnt hit
Fav: Church Least Fav: Where Are My Panties The correct opinion is Speakerboxxx > The Love Below (but they’re both good in their own ways)
didnt finish finish another time
I can't give this a two from oure nostalgia alone but, damn this is loooonnnnggggg with a ton of songs that could have been cut. I get the whole concept isba double album so it's going to be longer but ea h album could have been shaved down by several.songs to make this palatable. Speakerboxxx is a slog to get through other than a few songs. The love below is a fun listen with an eclectic mix of songs and styles. Speakerboxxx gets a 2 and Love Below gets a 4 to give us a solid 3.
Years ago I would have said The Love Below hands down, but there's a lot of filler. I might even be a Speakerboxxx man these days.
I owned this on CD and clearly never listened to it all the way through as it's a little not great outside the hits
The fifth best Outkast album. Good but too much filler.
I’ve been down this road before. Andre 3000 is such an intriguing person that my mind when listening to these guys is probably more open than it is with other groups. The problem is, is every time I listen, I’m disappointed. Outlast heavily rely on their hits to propel them into stardom. There is a huge disconnect between those hits and everything else. The first half of this album is like an experimental Parliament album but it doesn’t work. The feel is there but it’s just flat. There’s swearing and sampling and decent beats but even that can’t carry this album. It’s passable, just not Dr.Dre the Chronic…
Sind paar Klassiker drauf (z. B. Hey Ya), aber auf die Dinger find ich es auch ein bisschen nervig. ;-)
liked songs: The Love Below (Intro), Love Hater, Prototype, Hey Ya!, Good Day, Good Sir (Interlude), My Favorite Things, Take Off Your Cool I got whiplash when Speakerboxxx ended and The Love Below started. Not a big fan of the offering from Big Boi, but I have to say I'm impressed with André 3000's half. There's some crazy range and really interesting songs (not to mention Hey Ya!). Speakerboxxx: 1.5 The Love Below: almost a 4 Average: 3
Listened to this one before. It’s way too long if I remember right.
Speakerboxxx 1. Intro / 5 Just an intro nothing special 2. Ghetto music / 6 Pretty cool, Interesting changes, Not something i would listen to though 3. Unhappy / 6 Muaa 4. Bowtie / 6.5 Pretty cool, still nothing very special 5. The way you move / 6.75 Smooth, cool, nothing that would make me write back home tho 6. The rooster / 7 Interesting, nice flow, almost makes the playlist 7. Bust / 7.25 This just makes the playlist, Interesting mix of rap, guitar vocals 8. War / 7 Another interetsing mix, don't really like the flow 9. Church / 7.25 Groovy, could make for a good house remix, you can hear the gospel/praise influence 10. Bamboo (interlude) / 5 For what it's worth 11. Tomb of the Boom / 4.5 Simply not so good 12. E-Mac (interlude) / 6 For what it's worth 13. Knowing / 7.5 Nice beat/flow, love the vocals 14. Flip Flop Rock / 7.25 Pretty cool, makes the playlist 15. Interlude / 6 For what it's worth 16. Reset / 7.5 Smooth R&B, mellow vocals and rap 17. D-Boi (nterlude) / 6 For what it's worth 18. Last call / 5.5 Muaa. just average 19. Bowtie (Postlude) / 7 Cool for what it's worth The love below 1. Intro / 2.
Interesting double album. Fun history about why that is. Both albums have their bangers, but then they have quite a few songs where it's just there. You can feel the vibes, but not always straight through. Can't deny Hey Ya, Roses, or The Way You Move......but also that's a lot of filler. Stays solid 3, maybe 3.5.
3 Songs that are pretty good, but also a lot of shrapnel on here. Crazy that this is a 2h long record.
I enjoy most of it, but it's just too much music for it to be getting a higher score than three stars. Cut the album in half and you'll have a four star album, closing in on five. Overall I enjoy The Love Below more than Speakerboxxx and I generally enjoy the more experimental material over the more traditional hip hop material.
I have not listened to a lot of Outkast, until today. They are undeniably a very talented and influential duo and I enjoyed listening to this. However, they should have released this as 2 albums. For a single release it is too long and self-indulgent. A lot is good, but there is a lot that doesn't need to be here. There is probably a really great 45 minute album in here somewhere.
Little bit of a mixed bag, & a little long, but overall still enjoyable.
Man this was LONG, but they sure cover some ground stylistically. I think I prefer the first disc more overall - specifically The Way You Move and Rooster. On the second disc - that cover of My Favorite Things is pretty fun and the final track too. Hey Ya! and Roses on the second disc have just been played so so much - hard for me to appreciate those. Probably need a little more time with this one.
Forty tracks, really? This was like watching a very long full 15 rounds of boxing, where 95% of the time the fighters spent dancing around, hugging, and throwing empty punches. A couple (literally) of knock out punches were landed. Rounding up because they were heavy hitters. 2.5/5
Man, I wanted to like this more than I did. Solid but just too much here. Edit down to the best rather than putting errthing in there. IMO Stankonia is a better album so hopefully we see that show up.
Why doesn’t this shit let me rate by .5? Good album I liked it more than any of the other albums we listened to. That song with Kelis is legit a 10/10
long album jesus i loOoOve da way u mooove solid, back loaded
This is a LONG ASS album oh my!!! There are some certified BANGERS in this one, but idk the length of this was a lot. I like that it told a story at least?
Too long
I dont listen to rap albums much. Engaging project though. Enjoyed the second half more. - GhettoMusick - Unhappy - Church - Knowing - Flip Flop Rock - Love Hater - God (Interlude) - Happy Valentine’s Day - Spread - Roses - She’s Alive - Take Your Cool Off
Would be a 4 if it wasn’t 135 minutes long. Some bangers on here for sure
I can understand the appeal of this album. I did prefer The Love Below (second half) over Speakerboxxx. This really touches on a lot of genres and is more accessible than I would have expected. Honestly the length is probably the biggest drawback in my eyes, but nonetheless, I could see listening to this again.
Voor een lang album alsnog engaging en entertaining. Weinig nodig om te zeggen over Outkast, vm wel de eerste keer dat ik een album volledig luister. Lastig raten, aan de ene kant veel interessante elementen, aan de andere kant misschien ook door de lengte en vele nummers veel mindere of forgettable nummers. 7/10
Still not impressed
Coming back to this one due to length
A number of fantastic grooves on this album. Disc 1 was a better listen than disc 2. The album is way too long. 3 stars.
3.5
3 or 4 five star songs. Overall great double album. Maybe a touch too long 3.75
Before this album I only knew OutKast from their two hits. I was pleasantly surprised by this album. It’s a double album and it also feels like two different albums, probably why they chose two names. I liked “The Love Below” more. The interludes are funny but sometimes also distracting, overall a good album and one to revisit one day. Favourite songs: - The way you move - Spread - Hey Ya!
Well, turns out The Future didn't actually end up sounding like quite what we thought it'd sound like back in '02. But what we thought it'd sound like still occasionally sounds cool. Like with so many double LPs: there's certainly a fantastic 45 minutes of music in here somewhere. As it is though, this is just way. Too. Much. They threw literally everything AND the kitchen sink at this, and then decided to grab some lampshades and wear them as hats, if memory serves (but after 2+ hours of basically ADHD-turned-music, how could it possibly?).
Speakerbox 4 Love below 3
This is one of those albums I never owned but became really familiar with over time since it always seemed like someone nearby was playing it. Overall, it’s a cool album with an interesting concept, each MC takes their own disc in a unique direction, giving a taste of their individual styles. Unfortunately, like a lot of albums I’ve heard over the years, this one has lost some of its appeal just from being overplayed in the past.
swag.
Speakerboxx ist fast unhörbar, The Love Below hat 3-4 gute Nummern, der Rest ist so naja. Es gibt bessere Outkast Alben…
I liked the songs "GhettoMusick" and "Hey Ya!"
Preferred speaker box to love below, obviously hey ya is a classic and roses is great and the album in general was very good but I expected love below to have more poppy tunes and to be more accessible. Still good but long run time to get through it all
Suffers from the same problem most double albums have, would have been far better with some serious editing 3.5*
Very innovative especially for a rap album from 2003. Pretty interesting at the start but it really really dragged on
some iconic songs but kinda mid
#528.Speakerboxx is a solid 4, but The Love Below is a weak 3. I guess that averages to 3.5, but I'm going to round down because fuck it. 3/5: half good
I like hip hop/ rap music this was welcomed. I also like Outkasts most popular songs, I didnt realise they had this many sounds or had these other sounds. I liked the album but something I probably wouldn't listen to again.
Long but enjoyable. Some legitimate hits.
Speakerboxx - 4/5, the Love Below 3/5
Roses smell like poo poo lol. Outcast bring a nice sexy tone to rap. With creative beats and lyrics about love, this album stands out to me. And there are some killer features in this album too. It's a bit long for my liking, but still a solid album.
i’m not a big hip hop listener but this was an interesting experience! i definitely like the love below more with the genre fusion stuff, but i definitely didn’t hate speakerboxxx either. this only counting as one album is kind of cheating though, especially since i just happened to get this on saturday in the evening after enabling weekend albums <.<
The beats are very 90s style, but overall too long. The beats get annoying after a while, but I get it was kind of new at the time. I listened to it pretty quietly so I did not pay attention to the lyrics. Only song I really knew was Hey-Ya lol I liked the second half much better.
This album could definitely use some editing down- it has a lot of hits and jams, but also a lot of filler songs and a few too many skits. The hits are definitely good, but some of the b sides really better capture Outkast's sound. Overall- decent album
Of course I knew Hey Ya! from this album, but not the rest. I know other projects that Andre did or contributed to, so I was expecting to prefer his part than Big Boi's one... And that was actually the contrary. The first part is really good, solid beats, solid flow, not boring one second. The Andre 3000 part is way more chill. Too chill, there are not so many songs that keep you awake in the midst of all this mellow, down tempo songs. Could have been way better, imho.
En cuisine, j'aime à peu près tous les plats, tous les aliments. Je suis ouvert à toutes les saveurs. En musique, c'est différent: mon ouverture n'est pas aussi grande; mon oreille aime certains types de sons plus que d'autres. OutKast n'est pas dans ma palette de goûts, mais j'ai eu l'impression que c'était un excellent album pour une personne qui aime cette musique. Je pense même que les fans doivent être du genre trop enthousiastes et parler de «génie». C'est généreux et foisonnant d'idées, comme si on visite l'atelier de l'artiste. À l'auditeur de faire sa sélection; le groupe ne veut rien jeter, veut tout montrer. À partir de la pièce «Church», mon intérêt a quintuplé. Ça demanderait une cinquantaine d'écoute pour faire le tour!! Du costaud.
Speakerboxxx : Prod crap qui vieilli mal. Church, c'était le summum des fréquences désagréables. Flip Flop Rock c'était aussi bon que du Linkin Park. À mi-chemin, j'ai pris le temps de calculer qu'il fallait attendre 1h25 avant d'entendre Hey Ya!. The Love Below : Dès que ça part, on comprend qu'on est entre meilleures mains avec André 3000. C'est wild, éclaté, ça part dans tous les sens en restant cohérent. Suffit de regarder la pochette pour avoir une idée avec lequel des deux t'as le goût de faire le party. 5 étoiles pour Love Below, 1 pour Speakerboxxx ou 4 étoiles pour Love Below et 2 pour Speakerboxxx pour une triste moyenne de 3 dans les deux cas.
Lets get the first part out of the way. This is and should be two albums, and I spread the listening over a few days. It's too long to listen to in one sitting. That said, it was more enjoyable than I expected. I'm not a fan of Outkast for the most, but the Big Boi songs that leaned heavily into R&B were good, and I enjoyed the Andre 3000 songs more than I expected. Particularly the Jazz-heavier songs and the ones that were not heavily misogynist (which were too many).
Great concept with some solid bangers but didn't enjoy listening to it through the day very much
There’s some great songs in here, but this is WAY too long with way too many not-great songs.
Good listen.
Some interesting stuff her. But OMG way too loooooooooonnnnng.
The South got something to say - the 'Nevermind' of hip hop. Iconic.
Fond memories of this growing up, but it doesn't really do it for me anymore. Not sure exactly why. Too frenetic, maybe.
Das ist viel zu lang wirklich, einfach über zwei Stunden. Es sind aber gute Lieder bei und wäre es kürzer und die weniger guten Lieder wären nicht da, wären es vier Sterne. Sehr vielfältig
One of those albums that I don't enjoy that much (not my thing), but I can see the creativity and quality. It's much more than hip-hop, it's an album of two halves but both are quite quirky and very varied. Love the funky and jazzy (esp. on The Love Below) elements.
Man undrar lite om de någonsin gjorde en annan platta? Alla bangers samlade på en!
I played the hell out of these albums when they came out, so much hoping that Outkast would once again rise to the heights they had with Aquemini, and wanting to like them more than I did. I do like it for how much it highlights the differences in Big Boi's and Andre's production styles, but I think ultimately they are better as a duo. Speakerboxxx (3/5) is a little too maximalist to enjoyably listen to the whole thing in one sitting, so I tend to replay Love Below (3.5/5) more often. 3.25/5
So. Long.
Ok.
Good album if it’s what you like
This album was too long and I think that if you want me to listen to a 2 hour long album it should be perfect. The good songs were great from this album but there were also a lot of duds.
Solid 3.5. loved the music, but I just can't get into calling women bitches.
Hella long
This is a 2 for one artistic special. I would give 4 stars but having 2 albums is just so long for one sitting. I liked having both Rap flavor and then artistic exploration with Andre 3000. I also wasn't expecting Andre’s portion to be a love centered album.
Enjoyed this.
i’m gonna be so honest that i didn’t listen to all of it but hope to at some point. it’s just such a long album and feels not particularly inspired like so much of their other stuff does
Basically two distinct albums. Speakerboxxx is consistently very good, but mostly didn't stand out to me to be honest. The Love Below isn't a hip hop album -- it's also probably got the record's highest highs and lowest lows. Overall, I'd say the album is like a 7/10... but Outkast has better.
Could have made one sweet album instead of two decent ones
Speakerboxxx was somewhat disappointing, but I enjoyed The Love Below. The mixes are better and it kept me more interested in the marathon of an album that this is.
TWO AND A QUARTER HOURS? I enjoyed Stankonia more than I thought I would but I thought it was overly long Liked the first few songs and perked up when I heard The Way You Move. As the album continued I enjoy myself but I got to thinking, a lot of albums deal with one or two major themes and have a line they stick to. This album feels very much like a big melting pot or mosaic of ideas, themes and styles. The interludes are fun and creative, but after a while this just became a bit full on for me. There are songs here I would return to without a doubt (it's got Hey Ya! and Roses for fuck's sake) but as an album it's a bit much. Probably great to put on at a party or hangout, but who is putting on a whole album at a party instead of a collaborative playlist/jam where the vibe is 'improved' by some really funny, original and tolerable person who puts on Ram Ranch? Also just to reiterate, this album is really fuckin long Highlights: The Way You Move, Bust, War, Tomb of the Boom, The Love Below, Love Hater, Hey Ya!, Roses, My Favorite Things
3 sterne
2 étoiles pour le premier album, 4 pour le second, un 3 bien tassé.
6/10 Too long. No shortage of ideas at least. Speakerboxx was easily the more interesting half, despite Hey Ya. Highlights: Hey Ya Roses Unhappy GhettoMusick Church