Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

While not my style, it's obvious that both Big Boi and Andre 3000 are incredibly talented and able to bridge that gap between Southern Rap and mainstream music effortlessly.

I remember purchasing this when it came our and being blown away by the creativeness of a group releasing two albums in one. It was great to be reunited with it but I am not convinced it's an album that will go back into regular circulation.

4/5

Classic, first listen- long but good lyrics and stories

Live below carries

This was a really good end-to-end album that blended a lot of tradition with some really interesting beats and elements. A lot of fun to listen to.

Not Outkast's best album but still a fun, funky sexy time. For a double album the runtime flies past, barring the middle of the love below

J'avoue, quand j'ai vu le nom d'Outkast apparaître sur la liste, j'ai eu un rictus. Moi, le type qui a usé ses Docs dans les fosses de concerts post-punk, qui considère que la joie de vivre a été inventée par des publicitaires sous cocaïne et dont la discothèque ressemble à un manuel de la dépression nerveuse mis en musique, me voilà face à un monument du hip-hop. Un double album, qui plus est. Remettons-nous dans le contexte. En 2003, le hip-hop, pour un mec comme moi, c'était le grand cirque du bling-bling. C'était 50 Cent, les chaînes en or qui pèsent le poids d'un âne mort, les clips avec des piscines remplies de créatures siliconées et des paroles qui, pour la plupart, tournaient autour de trois thèmes : je suis riche, je suis le meilleur, et je vais te buter. Passionnant. Je connaissais déjà Outkast, ces extraterrestres d'Atlanta qui avec "Stankonia", avaient prouvé qu'on pouvait venir du Sud et avoir un cerveau qui fonctionne à autre chose qu'au bourbon et au barbecue. Mais là, avec ce "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below", ils n'ont pas juste sorti un disque. Ils ont balancé un putain de pavé dans la mare stagnante du rap game. Le concept, si on peut appeler ça un concept, est aussi simple que génialement suicidaire. C'est un album schizophrène avec deux disques solo réunis sous une seule bannière. D'un côté, Big Boi, le pilier, le roc, le gardien du temple du son sudiste. De l'autre, André 3000, le dandy cosmique, l'elfe sous acide, le type qui a dû naître sur une autre planète et qui s'est réincarné en Prince après une indigestion de champignons hallucinogènes. Commençons par le plus simple, le disque de Big Boi : "Speakerboxxx". Lui, c'est du lourd, du solide, du hip-hop qui sent la gomme chaude des Cadillacs, le funk poisseux et la soul moite d'Atlanta. C'est un disque qui ne cherche pas à réinventer la roue, mais à la faire tourner plus vite et avec plus de style que n'importe qui. Big Boi, c'est le maître de cérémonie parfait. Son flow est impeccable, technique et puissant. Il rappe sur la vie, les femmes, les voitures, la fête, avec une assurance déconcertante. C'est un disque calibré pour les clubs, pour les autoroutes, pour faire trembler les murs. Des morceaux comme "The Way You Move" sont des machines de guerre, des hymnes hédonistes qui vous rentrent dans le crâne pour ne plus en sortir. C'est brillant, terriblement efficace, et ça rassure. On se dit : "Ok, je suis en terrain connu, c'est du rap de très haute volée, mais ça reste du rap". C'est la base solide, l'ancre qui empêche le navire de partir complètement à la dérive. Et dieu sait qu'il en a besoin, car la suite est un aller simple pour la folie pure. Et puis, il y a "The Love Below". Et là, on quitte le hip-hop, on quitte tout. On entre dans la tête d'André 3000, et c'est un endroit aussi fascinant que déroutant. Ce n'est pas un album de rap, c'est une comédie musicale barrée, un opéra funk, un disque de pop psychédélique. André 3000 chante plus qu'il ne rappe, il croone, il hurle, il minaude. On pense à Prince, évidemment, pour cette liberté totale, ce mélange des genres sans aucune inhibition. On pense à Sly Stone, à George Clinton. C'est un album conceptuel sur l'amour, mais un amour vu par un type qui a visiblement le cerveau câblé à l'envers. Ça part dans tous les sens, on a des interludes jazzy, des ballades au piano qui vous fendent le coeur, des explosions de funk débridé. Et puis, il y a "Hey Ya!". Ce morceau, en 2003, il était impossible d'y échapper, c'était l'hymne planétaire. Même ma grand-tante qui pensait que le rap était une maladie de peau connaissait "Hey Ya!". Une tornade de pop sixties joyeuse et frénétique, une chanson tellement parfaite qu'elle en devient presque suspecte. Le genre de tube qui, normalement, me ferait gerber par sa gaieté forcée. Sauf que, comme toujours avec André 3000, les paroles sont loin d'être aussi simples et joyeuses que la musique le laisse penser. "Pourquoi l'amour ne dure-t-il pas ?" demande-t-il, avant de nous secouer comme des Polaroïds. Et c'est ça, la force de The "Love Below", c'est un disque qui cache sa complexité et sa mélancolie sous des dehors exubérants. Des morceaux comme "Roses" sont des bijoux de funk acerbe, des critiques assassines de la superficialité cachées sous un groove irrésistible. C'est drôle, c'est touchant, c'est parfois complètement con, mais c'est toujours génial. Alors, que penser de cet objet à deux têtes ? C'est là que réside le coup de génie. Pris séparément, "Speakerboxxx" est un excellent album de rap sudiste et "The Love Below" est un ovni pop-funk-jazz expérimental. Mais ensemble, ils forment une oeuvre monumentale, ils se complètent, se répondent. C'est le ying et le yang du hip-hop, le corps et l'esprit, la Terre et l'espace. Big Boi nous ancre dans la réalité, dans la tradition, dans la puissance brute du son. André 3000 nous emmène dans les étoiles, dans l'expérimentation, dans la vulnérabilité de l'émotion. Pour le vieux con de l'indie rock que je suis, cet album a été une claque. Pas seulement parce qu'il est bon, mais parce qu'il est courageux. À une époque où le hip-hop se complaisait dans des formules toutes faites, Outkast a dynamité les codes. Ils ont prouvé qu'on pouvait être populaire – et Dieu sait qu'ils l'ont été – tout en étant radicalement créatif et personnel. Ils ont fait un disque de plus de deux heures qui ne ressemble à rien d'autre. C'est un disque qui a redéfini les limites du hip-hop, qui a ouvert des portes pour des artistes comme Kanye West ou Childish Gambino. C'est un classique, un vrai. Pas seulement un classique du rap, mais un classique de la musique tout court. Verdict : Un gros 4 sur 5. Pourquoi pas 5 ? Parce que c'est parfois trop, trop long, trop dispersé, trop ambitieux. Mais c'est précisément ce qui en fait un disque si fascinant. Pour la folie, pour l'audace, pour "Hey Ya!", pour avoir fait danser la planète entière sur une chanson triste, et pour avoir prouvé à un vieux rocker cynique qu'il pouvait encore être surpris. Un album essentiel, même s'il faut prévoir une après-midi entière pour l'écouter. Et croyez-moi, ça en vaut la peine.

This thing is insane in the best ways. The vibes of both albums are totally different, but they both manage to explore a lot of sonic territory while keeping a unique vibe. I'm here for it.

sweetie

I wish I could rate Speakerboxxx and The Love Below separately. In my mind, these are basically two separate albums put together simply because Big Boi and Andre3k were both halves of Outkast. Speakerboxxx is basically a Big Boi album while The Love Below is an Andre3k album. Speakerboxxx is full of bumpin ATL bangers, but doesn't have much substance. It's a fine .album on it's own, but doesn't stick strongly with me. 3/5 Best Songs: GhettoMusick, The Rooster, The Way You Move, Worst Songs: Last Call The Love Below is basically a concept album telling a full blown love/hate story. I'm shocked I haven't heard the whole thing before this. It has some revolutionary production, which obviously inspired Tyler the Creator and Thundercat. 4/5 Best Songs: Happy Valentine's Day, Prototype, Hey Ya!, Roses Worst Songs: She Lives in My Lap

Over 2 hours? Yikes. This shouldn't be a chore, really. There was a lot of good stuff on it, but I just felt like this could have been edited down to maybe 90 minutes: lose the interludes, the "Where Are My Panties?", maybe "Roses" (roses really smell like poo poo. Deep, man.) You can definitely feel the influence of other acts before them, especially Prince. So many different styles in each of the songs, which is always good. It's not hard to believe "Hey Ya!" came from this, but if people were expecting a whole album of that, they are in for a surprise. I hover between a 3 and a 4 for this album. It's just that for every 2 good songs, there is at least one song that... yikes. The fact that it was over 2 HOURS long probably turns it to a 3 for me. Top tracks: "The Way You Move," "Bust," "Flip Flop Rock," "Valentine's Day," "Prototype"

I own this album but I found it a bit disappointing. Which is unfair because it's very solid. But I was expecting it to be epic. I always thought that Andre 3000 had the better album of the double album, even though Big Boi had the best song in I Like the Way You Move (so smooth). The Love Below has more musical variety and has some real slick, fun tracks - Hey Ya (obviously, it was a smash hit for a reason), Happy Valentine's Day, Roses, and Behold a Lady. It pays some homage to Prince and Funkadelic but it is really up and down, and more down than up. Speakerboxx is more straight ahead rap/R&B and not as fun or grandiose, even though it is more lyrically complex or deep. On retrospect I found it more consistent and the better album, and I quite enjoyed several additional tracks - Bowtie, The Rooster, Bust (Killer Mike is awesome), War, Tomb of the Boom, and Last Call. All in all, this is a very ambitious double album but with some holes.

Way too long, but I decided to consider this as two separate albums, which is really what it is. Big Boi's Speakerboxxx is a funky groove but like a lot of rap the lyrics are definitely not for me. I'd probably give it a 4. Andre 3000's The Love Below was ok but didn't draw me in as much. I got pretty bored with it after a while. I'll give it a generous 3. So, 3.5 average, which I'm going to pull down to a 3 for just being too damn long. Favorite tracks: GhettoMusick, The Rooster, My Favorite Things (high point on the second album for me).

Just doesn’t speak to me

1e album geskipt The love below eerste 3 nummers is niks album begint goed te worden na happy valentines day 1e helft zeer sterk, tweede helft neemt de kwaliteit iets af

Both albums are a lot of fun. Low brow, but fun. Each individual album is too long, together they represent an awful lot of skits. Speakerboxx 3.5 / The Love Below 3

Some good / iconic tunes but ultimately not for me

i’ve heard a few songs on this album before but i don’t think i realised just how long it is. it actually has my favourite outkast song on it, roses. i wouldn’t say i’m not a fan of hip hop as i’m kind of a fan of a bit of everything, but i did find myself worried listening to intro that i wouldn’t enjoy this album that much, but honestly by ghettomusik i was confident i actually would enjoy it a lot more. outkast, and this album, just has such a unique sound that mixed with their fast style rapping and vocal layering makes everything that should make you feel overwhelmed, feel calm. it’s one of those albums you don’t have to listen to the lyrics to like, you can just feel the music and enjoy it, and i love that.

Man this one is a tough one to rate. "Speakerboxxx" is easily a 4 for me. Then "The Love Below" is hovering somewhere between a 2 and 3 for me. NGL that disappointed me. There are elements to the second album that I enjoy, thematically. But some of the delivery and backing sound I dislike. I guess that says something to me about which half of the duo I prefer. I guess the closest I can come to right would be a 3.

# Album Name: Speakerbox - Love below # Artist: Outkast # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Honestly, wtf is wrong with these people who think double albums are a good idea? For me this was extremely painful. 2 hours and 15 minutes. honestly, that is mental. Theres too many shitty skits. What the F is it with these skits and rap albums. I mean, what is the point. There must be 30 mins of skits on this thing. OK, thats an exaggeration, but theres a lot. It literally brings no value to an album imo. I would have gave this album a 1. However, Hey ya is a standout 5/5 track. That song was everywhere back in the day and rightly so. Its was a cracker. This saved the album and bumped it to a 2. # Top Tunes: Hey ya # Would I listen to it again? god no.

3.9 1x i listened to this dozens of time upon release back when driving for SteakOut delivery. Speakerboxxx is a 4.5 but the Love Below brings this down despite having a few good tracks. Older Outkast much better though.

A Modern Masterpiece. There is depth, breadth, and complexity here that is rarely captured in any genre...and this album has genres in abundance.

I think I only knew two of these songs. But holy hell do they kick ass. This is two hours- and I don’t think it justifies its runtime, which is what gives it a 4 instead of 5- and there is a breadth of styles and they nail them all. Quite an impressive undertaking.

This is always a vibe

Was ok. Got boring

Not for me at all. There's the very odd (in both senses) moment of - of clarity, I suppose, of a simple melody sung in a straightforward and unembellished manner. I enjoyed those bits, but the rest of the album doesn't do anything for me. It's inventive, though, I'll give it that, and wildly eclectic.

Obscenely long why did they need to release their solo albums as one long album. Talk about self indulgent. Fortunately they are both genuinely really decent and hey ya is a really good song.

Prefer The Love Below to Speakerboxxx but both are solid. Pretty good mix of different influences and this works well for someone who’s not as big on rap. I can hear the Prince influence. The number of songs is wildly too many and the interludes are always unnecessary. Still some very good songs here. I don’t totally get why are they separating Big Boi’s and Andre 3000’s albums but it’s still in the same package. Highlights: “The Way You Move”, “Bust”, “Prototype”, “Hey Ya!”, “Roses” & “She’s Alive”. 3.5 stars.

(7.6) ★★★½

I especially like The Love Below, but as a doubt album this is too much for me of a style I don't care that much for. 3.5 stars

Moments of greatness, but bloated and messy as is. I prefer the Speakerboxxx half. 3.5 stars.

A smattering of good tracks - Hey Ya, The Way You Move and maybe Roses. Not a great ratio for a 40 track collection. Even though it gets very eclectic, something about OutKast’s style I find very tacky and annoying and too often the songs just sound ghastly. 2.5 stars.

Not very memorable. Got bored.

Big nostalgia on this one

Not every song is an absolute banger, but 95% are. This was the soundtrack to my college years.

Pretty fun

Not my genre. There are some great things here but a lot that bores me, and the interludes really dragged me down.

Has some obvious classics but largely not my style, fine for background listening

Amazing!

Its essentially 2 long albums. 40 songs/2 discs/2+ hours. Speakerboxx was a 3, The Love Below was a 4. 3 certified bangers in Hey Ya, I like the Way and Roses.

A great album with inclusions of the dreaded rap album comedy skit.

Both halves are good, but it's a lot to listen to.

Not my favorite OutKast album but this one still slaps after all of these years. Came out right before I graduated high school and I still love it!

2.5 rounded up soooo fucking long and for what reason. neither of these albums needed to be an hour long…. and while i get the reason it was packaged this way, i think it could’ve been interesting to see what it was like if they had actually tried combining these into a single album. idk. album too long my brain is melting highlights: ghettomusick, unhappy, the rooster, church, prototype, hey ya!, my favorite things (feb 25 2026)

a couple of bops and a lot of filler. standouts: Last Call, Hey Ya

Filler, lengthy, ambitious

Double so incredibly long. But each with its own unique flavor.

No

mir gefällt es, eine bunte mischung von verschiedenen stilen und einflüssen. OK, ein doppelalbum ist mehr als genug lang, ich habe dann die zweite hälfte nur noch durchgeskipped. klassiker: Hey Ya!

Beginnt schnell, wird dann aber zu funky.

Occasionally very puerile and stupid; occasionally very good, never boring despite its length.

Takes me back to high school

You prob know what your are getting into, its fine.

Other than The Way You Move, I say, no my genre.

great

Great vibes

Tour de force by one of the greatest hip hop duos of all time. Innovative idea, but it floods the album, the danger of a double lp. Clocking in at over 2 hours it's a bear to try to consume in one sitting. Each really gets to flex into their individual style that made Outkast great, but two sides to one lp may be been a superior "5."

Look, I am 39 of god’s own years old. This album is Quadrophenia for people in my cohort and we aren’t allowed to give it less than 5 stars. Still, I feel vindicated in this relisten in thinking as a contrarian 18 year old that Speakerboxxx is the much better half as I listened to it on computer speakers in Foobar2000.

I always knew this was a double album but this one felt long!

Overalll, not too bad but I am not really into that kind of rap music, although that was popular at around that time. I was disappointed that the album was 2+ hours and had 2 Discs but I had it playing in the background. Then things turned into jazz at some point and after that - just weird stuff, where you weren't even sure what you were listening to anymore. The weird stuff was better than the beginning of the album, and the whole thing was decent while playing in the background, but overall a bit meh.

Ok, not sure how to rate this. It’s a good album but just not for me. Hey Ya rocks though. They sound great.

It’s too long. If you were to listen to Speakerboxxx/The Love Below as one full album, as I did, then it’s length is the main problem. I started at about five o’clock after getting off work, and finished at about the time I was ready to get tea ready. But that’s the double album experience isn’t it, and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below isn’t just a double album. As two solo albums from the two members of OutKast it’s a pretty fascinating experience, both with their own strengths and flaws, both with something to say, and both with a host of good songs. I can see the arguments for both discs being the superior one, and as such I do think that it’s best experienced as two sides of a whole. But then you get into the problem of length again. Yet as much as I harp on about the flaws, it cannot be denied that Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is one of the most remarkable pieces of art produced in the early 2000’s, brilliant not despite it’s messy, overblown, and contradictory nature, but because of it. And because of that, it deserves the full five stars

I got halfway through disc 1, it's okay and I'll go back and try to finish the album (I really hate long albums now).

Audacious and fun, but 20 years later I still don’t really understand why it’s a double album rather than two releases.

sick as fuck but honestly just a bit too long for me. Speakerboxxx better than the second half.

Quite fun and interesting 6/10

Speakerboxxx > The Love Below. One of the first albums I listened to when I started getting into hip hop, but the double album nature can make this a slog to get through, especially after finishing Speakerboxxx. The Love Below just doesn’t catch me as much. 5/5 for Speakerboxxx 3/5 for The Love Below 4/5 total

If they cut out the skits, 1/3rd the songs, and 1 minute out of each song, it would be a masterpiece.

Way better than I gave it credit for back in the day. The second album is probably about 20% too long though.

Not whay I was expecting. To be honest it was a pretty good album. W

I only had time to listen to the entire album once yesterday but it’s so much fun! Im definitely going to spend the weekend with it. For now, I’m giving it a 4/5 as it is incredibly long and at times does feel bloated but who knows maybe upon further listens it can grow to a 5. Also, except for a few songs, I think I much preferred Big Boi’s side for now.

I hadn't heard Speakerboxxx before, but The Love Below has been in my playlist for years and I love them all. The Speakerboxxx tracks were awesome as well. Four stars.

Speakerboxxx wins again.

I love this album

Unreal album, I'm not sure how to describe this album tbh but it has everything.

Starts off sounding like the record's stuck. Which is weird, because I'm listening to it on youtube, and I'm *pretty* sure they don't use records or even tape. These gentlemen are more than a little misogynistic and racist. They also appear to be materialistic. I'm not fond of those traits.

Way too long. Good range of styles, but ultimately just couldn’t wait for this to be done

Middle of the road fare

A hefty but fantastic hip-hop/pop/art jazz album. The classics still stand the test of time, and Andre 3000 is a musical genius.

I must admit, when I saw an Outkast double album clocking in at over 2 hours I wasn't overly optimistic. So glad to be proven wrong. This is probably best taken in as 2 separate albums like I did. Banger after banger after banger. Liked The Love Below slightly more mostly for the best version of My Favourite Things I've ever heard.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Bloody long mate but good 😃

Too bloody long mate!!!

This album is too long. I don't understand why it wasn't released as 2 albums since that's basically what it is. There are some major hits on here, but they are buried by a bunch of forgettable tracks.

Enjoyed listening to this

8/10. Really two albums, both very good but stretch on a bit. Entertained throughout though.

Not bad at all! Maybe overall preferred Speakerboxxx except obviously Hey Ya!

you get a lot of music for your money. and most of it excellent

Speakerboxxx 4 stars, Love Below 2 stars. 3 average.

This is basically a four star album and a six star album back to back, and which is which changes every time I listen to it. This time Speakerboxxx was the six star.

Too fucking long, even though I admit it’s a double album. Good stuff. Sounds to me like 90s hip hop. Surprising that this is the origin of Hey Ya

One of my favorite albums of all time, great songs and genre bending in a way that brings a lot of cool sounds to the masses, masquerading as a popular Hip Hop Album. Even the interludes are top-notch compared to others released around this time. More albums like this, less crappy boring British pop rock and punk. Would give more than 5 stars if possible.

This was so long. There were some very enjoyable tracks. I think I enjoyed Andre 3000's side a bit better. Especially odd tracks like an instrumental version of My Favorite Things. Perhaps I am a prude, but it was a little too sexually explicit for me to really love it. And to many interlude/skits.

Soundtrack of my life

Really torn between 3 and 4. Some excellent tracks but I got frustrated by the total length of the album. Rounding up because Hey Ya is such a classic.

This is all pretty enjoyable. Andre 3000’s half is better than Big Boi, but The Way You Move is the standout track. I really dislike interludes. Available in 7/1 surround on Apple Music — quite cool. I might like Stankonia better. The Idlewild soundtrack album is a gem as well. The movie was decent.

Because it’s so long, I probably haven’t listened to this all the way through in 20 years. I have about nine favorites that I play occasionally, and I remember the rest being mediocre. Let’s see if this listen bears that out. I think it’s a soft 4. There’s a lot I love (Bowtie, A Life in the Day…, Take Off Your Cool, Prototype), plenty more I like, and then way too many interludes. But very little is ill-conceived (my favorite things) or boring. I’m going to weigh the stuff I like more than the rest and round up to 4.

Double your pleasure with the finest output imaginable from the legendary duo.

Great album, too long for my preferences.

probably not good

Again, this is not what I usually listen to and so this makes it hard to rate. However, some of the music definitely feels accessible. It is okay, but not great in my book.

Is it their best album? No. Is it a good album? eh. Are the hits good? Yes. It was different and a good way to try and keep the group together but let them do their own thing.

Not my cup of tea.

Iconic album from my youth. Still feel pretty much the same as I did then: Speakerboxxx is a 3* - solid pop rap record, dating quickly as southern rap turned crunk (though album closer Last Call is in that vein.) The Love Below is a 5* - probably one of the greatest avant pop records ever made. Still sounds incredible and fresh, and paved the way for the alt soul of Frank Ocean, Steve Lacy, etc. Andre 3000’s sophisticated, poetic, and witty lyrics on love and sex were kind of revolutionary to this teenager! 4* overall, and a great nostalgia trip.

I do wish this was shorter. A lot of very good songs, could definitely be shortened to be an amazing album. Will I listen to again: 60%

I prefer stankonia but this one is great too

The funky edge of both albums is seductively infecious. The growing contrast of OutKast's two stars is evident. Big Boi is motivated rap: contmeplating the ongoing cyles of violence after 911, asking the for meaning of life and praying for repentence. Andre 3000 is party pop: contemplating his lady spreading, asking where her panties have gone and thanking the Lord that she "got that thang". Three and a half shakes of a polaroid picture.

Two albums for the price of one, and both feel fresh, innovative and funky.

Hey Ya is fun, I really enjoyed some of the hip hop rap that Outkast isn’t normally known for. But it is two albums so it’s fairly long. Almost two hours I think

Speakerboxxx is like a 3.5 and the love below is a 5, so im gonna have to give it a 4 overall

In 2002 there was no escaping OutCast, nor did you want to. They took rap/hip-hop to a new level by incorporating New Orleans Jazz, techno, rap, and every other genre until it all spilled out the Speakerboxxx! A personal favorite is Bow Tie for the jazz roots. There are some great collabs here too: Tomb of the Boom with Ludacris, Big Gripp and Konkrete; Reset with Cee-Lo; She Lives in My Lap, which is kinda’ weird thinking about Ahsoka’s Miss Dawson that way (…so I am told from a friend, I would never…); and Take Off You Cool with chanteuse Norah Jones. …and that one with Jay-Z. Overall this album delivers and through its multifaceted approach feels just as relevant today as it did two decades ago.

This was a beast to get through since it was technically 2 albums. 2 hours and 15 minutes! I think I owned this album but I've definitely listened to it before. Anyway, I went into this listen trying to decide which "album" was better, Big Boi's Speakerboxxx or Andre 3000's The Love Below. I have to give the nod to Andre 3000 only because I like his eclectic style, his overall weirdness and horniness. Big Boi's side is more party and I was surprised by all the guest rappers on that one. I didn't remember any of those big name collabs (Jay-Z, Killer Mike, Lil' Jon). Meanwhile, Andre 3000 hits so hard with probably one of the biggest song of the 2000s with "Hay Ya!" but I also like Happy Valentine's Day, Spread, Behold a Lady, and Roses. Even a throw away track like "Dracula's Wedding" is so weird and freaky it is still fun. Listening to these 2 albums now while still good, does bring a bit of melancholy realizing that Outkast had really broken up by the time this album came out and would not be releasing anymore real albums ever again (at least through 2024).

Fortuna che l'ho già ascoltato. Tra le due metà preferisco Speakerboxxx ma anche l'altro non è male

Um Welten besser als Stankonia…abwechslungsreich im Sound, In den Lyrics im Genre Mix

Look there's some really good stuff in this, but definitely not enough to fill 2 albums. This could have been a solid 4 with some heavy trimming. 2.5, rounded up to 3 because I'm feeling generous today

Hyvä albumi. Big Boin puolella enemmän omaan makuun, Andren puolella osa liian hapokasta itselle.

At last! A hip-hop album from after 1992 that actually sounds quite original! Phew! Sadly it's over an hour too long. Boo! Does take more than half an hour for all the n*****s and p***y and b*****s to appear so that's nice. It's still not very amazing, but it's less bad than a lot of the rest. I listened to it all in one go and now I would like my saturday afternoon back. I've mentioned time a lot in this review. Temporally challenging.

Classic album, didn’t like all the interludes but gotta love the hits on here

Amazing top to bottom

Outkast is the greatest hip-hop duo of all time, Aquemini is top 5 all time album for me. But Stankonia was the last album from them, I enjoyed. This was bloated, and lacked the same energy as and swagger as the their previous albums. Some bangers for sure, but not the same love.

Good long album

It's got some high points (mostly Speakerboxxx) and some low points (mostly The Love Below, but hey, it has Hey Ya on it too!), but overall I think it's a good showcase of both of their skills.

I find it almost universally true that a double album would have been much better as a single one, but this isn't really a double album, it's two solo projects that have been released together because of management decisions, so giving it a single rating seems odd as there is, unsurprisingly, no real link between the albums. Speakerboxxx is by far the more consistent of the two albums, and the only one I'd bother listening to again. GhettoMusik I already knew, and liked, from the b-side of Hey Ya! but I also particularly liked Bust and Flip Flop Rock, both featuring Killer Mike. The Love Below is a mixed bag of mostly rather self indulgent songs but featuring one of the true great pop songs in Hey Ya, the only song I'd go out of my way to listen to again. Both albums suffer from the common hip hop inclusion of skits and interludes that don't really add anything other than becoming more annoying the more the album is replayed. There's also a clear degree of grating misogyny, also something that is a frequent feature in, but hardly exclusive to, hip hop. Speakerboxxx 3*, consistently decent with a couple of good songs. The Love Below 3*, mostly 2* songs with Hey Ya! being a 5* banger giving it an extra mark. It's tempting to give the whole thing 2* because listening to it all in one go make it worse than the sum of its parts.

2 hours too long. Lacks focus and interest. But, on the upside, it does finally end.

Too long, monotonous, mundane, not very enjoyable.

8/2/24. This isn't my top OutKast album but still consider this a classic. Never gets old, amazing production, and loved the idea of each member highlighting their individuality as a double album.

bof

sprawling album of 2 hrs with two distinct flavors from the two main artists. Favorite track: Hey ya other picks: Ghettomusik, the way you move, roses, my favorite things.

Some really great songs and an eclectic mix of sounds here. Speakerboxxx is a great rap album. The Love Below is a solid pop/weird soul funky kinda album. They each are enjoyable and solid on their own rights, but not sure the sum is better than the individuals here. Put together it’s a little too long with a bit of filler. But still a solid album with a bunch of top tier tracks.

Я никогда не слушал Ауткаст, уж тем более альбомами. Я знаю, кто такой Андре 3000, слушал его прошлогодний флейтовый эмбиент пис (который очень даже, в общем-то), но вот гипер-влиятельный южный (поп) хип-хоп вместе с Биг Бои - никогда. Собственно очевидно, сольное творчество каждого из них с этого двойного альбома не говорит мне ничего в контексте группы, что несколько грустно. Музыка неплохая. Они умеют сделать хук, вот что. Мне больше понравилась вторая половина. Лучшая песня - Hey Ya!

I’m not listening to 2 hours of OutKast bruh

It's a shame that these albums are paired together, because Speakerboxxx is a 5, while The Love Below is a 1. It took me a second to adjust to Speakerboxxx, but I was grooving and vibing to every track. There wasn't any 1 particular song that stood out, but rather the entire album was well-constructed, well-thought-out, masterfully executed, and each feature was used to elevate Big Boi, rather than take the spotlight for themselves. The Love Below did a similar thing with its features, the issue is there's not a whole lot that's great to highlight and elevate. The album is overly repetitious and also quite a bit over sexualized. There's a time and place for that kind of musical content, but the first half of the album goes too far for me, and it ends up being a really bad first impression that never really improves. I did like what they did with My Favorite Things. That was very good. Favorite Song(s): Unhappy, Reset / Hey Ya, My Favorite Things

Better than I expected, I really enjoyed the lyricism of the songs and the storytelling in the album

Arrancamos nueva semana con disco nuevo para mis oídos. Recuerdo las canciones más hiteras de Outkast de cuando era niño pero jamás escuché éste trabajo completo. Disco súper arriba, lleno de cancionazas. Tremendísima forma de empezar un lunes.

anything can happen in the bronxxxx

Lots of good music but would have benefited from being 2 albums instead of one… liked it a lot but docking for being unnecessarily long

I didn't get through both discs but it was pretty good

This actually commits a lot of the crimes that I’ve marked other albums down for. It’s too long (2 albums mashed together), there’s some seriously annoying skits that ruin the experience of listening to the album as a whole, there are some overly horny moments and there’s a lot of filler. I still really rate this album though. There are some weird songs on speakerboxxx which I enjoyed but it does lose my attention towards the end. I actually believe the love below is a work of art, there are some incredibly strange pop songs on there, as well as some cool unique sounding hip hop that is blended with jazz and other genres. It is a work of art. It gets a hypocritical 4 from me.

I get that it’s a double album, but I don’t get why it had to be 2 1-hour+ albums, instead of 2 45-minute albums. It just goes on too long. Great and not so great songs on both discs.

Really fricking long album. Some good stuff, some less-good, some funny skits.

Very long with very few highlights, Hey ya can't carry 40 mediocre songs

interesting album, some of the lyrics were a bit crass, but good sounds!

This album is excellent! Since it's a double album, each one of the albums is easily 5. Speakerboxxx has a distinct sound and is full of lyrical inventiveness, while The Lover Below contains artistic freedom and sounds Jazzy. OutKast were perfect!

Some decent songs in it that I didn't expect to like but a lot of filler.

To long. Got bored. Like some of the music, the rapping not so much. 2/5.

Too long, too self-indulgent.

Okay so this is really TWO albums, apparently marketed together. I found the second disc to be much more interesting. Speakerboxx is fun, good beats but nothing particularly groundbreaking. Good party album. I am not a fan of the interludes. I really didn’t need to hear a toddler talk into the mic, sorry kid. The Love Below was musically and lyrically more creative, although as a woman I did cringe at some of it.

2,5

alltof löng, mikið uppfyllingarefni. þó að hittararnir séu hjá andre er drengurinn mun betri.

I love this album. I don't listen to it enough just because I am not this huge rap/hip-hop enthusiast. But I do recognize classic/legendary albums

This album won a Grammy for Album of the year, which goes to show how irrelevant the Grammys are and how absolutely awful the state of pop music was. I remain astonished by the way critics fall over themselves to laud stuff like: Better come back down to Mars Girl, quit chasing cars What happens when the dough gets low Bitch, you ain't that fine, no way, no way, no way Better come back down to Mars Girl, quit chasing cars What happens when the dough gets low Bitch, you ain't that fine, no way, no way, no way [Outro: Big Boi] Crazy bitch Crazy bitch Crazy bitch Crazy bitch Crazy bitch Crazy bitch Crazy bitch (Bitch) Crazy bitch (Stupid-ass bitch) Crazy bitch (Old punk-ass bitch) Crazy bitch (Old dumb-ass bitch) Crazy bitch Nice. "Hey Ya!" is a fun song, but it's not as praiseworthy as many made this out to be. Mostly weak rap tropes and computer-generated, dirty R & B. The little 'chp chp chp' sounds and fake handclaps (I know, they make them sound even more artificial than they need to be for interest) are just on the cringey side of annoying. Still looking for the "conscious" rap here, maybe self-conscious, because it certainly is that. Like you're Gil-Scott Heron? Overrated hype train with no redeeming value except for the single. Way too long, took me three days to finish it and I felt like I needed a shower afterwards. 1 star for SpeakerBox, 1 star for the OH SO SUBTLE Love Below.

Actually not bad as background music. Not my thing but could listen to again

great combo album between big boy and andre 3000 long but quality throughout

Primera vez escuchando este trabajo. El año 2003, el dúo de Atlanta nos regalaría el trabajo que sería convencionalmente entendido como el último de la agrupación. Así, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below funciona como dos álbumes solistas contenidos en un extenso álbum doble: La primera parte correspondiente a Big Boi y la segunda a Andre 3000. Respecto de la calidad del trabajo pueden decirse varias cosas. En lo principal, que es el trabajo más débil de la agrupación. Ello es evidente si consideramos que el elemento esencial de la agrupación se pierde: la química. Es bien sabido que Aquemini (1998) recibe su nombre de la mezcla de los signos acuario y géminis, haciendo alusión al encuentro de los dos artistas para entregarnos un mismo trabajo (el cual es considerado uno de los mejores de la historia del hip hop). Aquí esa química se pierde, privando al oyente de la combinación BigBoi/3K y limitándola a un par de canciones. Otro factor importante para mi análisis es la extensión del trabajo: con 2 horas 15 minutos y 40 canciones (contando los interludios), este es con creces el trabajo más largo del dúo. Si bien la agrupación nos había entregado antes trabajos extensos (con duraciones +60 minutos) este trabajo es significativamente largo. Ello probablemente se debe a que buscaban crear un álbum para cada uno de los integrantes. No obstante, considero que 2h 15m es quizás demasiado para un Lp que cuenta con un numero no menor de canciones que, más que aportar, rellenan. Ahora, ¿Qué sea el trabajo más débil lo hace necesariamente un mal trabajo? No. Este trabajo destaca en composiciones, letras y flows, lo cual ya es consolidado como la marca distintiva del dúo de Atlanta. Por una parte, el álbum de BigBoi es consistente, remarcando el lado hip hop de la banda sin perder las influencias de otros géneros. Por otra, el álbum de 3K contiene las partes más altas del trabajo, pero también las más bajas, distanciándose un poco del rap y acercandose más al Neo-Soul. En síntesis: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below se trata de un buen álbum, el cual no llega a la altura de sus predecesores, pero cumple someramente las expectativas. FAVTRAXS: GhettoMusick, Bowtie, The Way You Move, Bust, Flip Flop Rock, Reset // Love Hater, Spread, She Lives in My Lap, Hey Ya!, Roses, My Favorite Things, Take Off Your Cool LEASTFAV(S): Behold a Lady, She's Alive 3.5/5

Speakerboxxx was ok, but The Love Below was not for me 2/5

A long listen. Speakerboxxx does more for me as an album but The Love Below has some highlights. Overall just a bit bogged down by being too big. 3.5

No. 217/1001 Intro NR Ghetto Musick 3/5 Unhappy 4/5 Bowtie 5/5 The Way You Move 5/5 The Rooster 4/5 Bust 3/5 War 3/5 Church 4/5 Bamboo 2/5 Tomb of the Boom 3/5 E-Mac NR Knowing 3/5 Flip Flop Rock 3/5 Interlude 2/5 Reset 4/5 D-Boi NR Last CALL 2/5 Bowtie NR The Love Below 4/5 Love Hater 3/5 God 3/5 Happy Valentine's Day 3/5 Spread 2/5 Where Are My Panties 2/5 Prototype 4/5 She Lives In My Lap 3/5 Hey Ya! 5/5 Roses 5/5 Good Day, Good Sir NR Behold A Lady 3/5 Pink & Blue 3/5 Love In War 3/5 She's Alive 2/5 Dracula's Wedding 3/5 The Letter NR My Favorite Things 2/5 Take Off Your Cool 3/5 Vibrate 3/5 A Life In The Day of Benjamin Andre 3/5 Average: 3,24 Really interesting listen. Some incredible songs, but ultimatly I think some songs could have been cut to make a better album.

El primer disco puag. Pero el segundo bastante bien. Tiene Hey ya!

y’all don’t wanna hear me you just wanna dance ‼️‼️ Speakerboxxx is ehh - too many damn interludes and sounds all the same The Love Below was really fun to listen to 🙏🙏 hey ya! Supremacy

love below daughter or speakerboxx son??? Love outkast sm and there were so many CERTIFIED BANGERS on this double album but the INTERLUDES PLEASE STOP!! Speakerboxx started solid but I fully lost the plot at the end but love below was very good throughout and actually felt like a collective album 😭😭 (sorry big boi) Anyways highlights were bowtie, ghettomusik and love hater also roses was a silly listen 🌹💩 Solid 3.5/5

Oh Andre my glorious king... to have your brain and your wit and your creative vision.... I will admit I will ride for this album (albums??) HARRRDDD because its just sooooooooo fun and silly I also think its insane that this album is not just AWFUL, considering Outkast was just falling apart by this time, I mean this is literally two solo albums with each of their distinctive styles glued together and promoted as one. The fact that their respective sides are consistent at ALL is astounding, but the chaos is definitely there and it damages the value of the album as a whole. If you treat this project as two separate albums you can totally see the value in both, but I felt myself growing bored of Speakerboxxx as I got further into it, though it started off VERY strong. I feel that the only way this works as one full project, is that once Speakerboxxx starts to fall flat and bore you, you're hit with the refreshing and eclectic side of The Love Below which I feel, is better as a whole and it's hard not to give it that when it has Hey Ya!, Prototype AND Roses on it. There are a considerable number of skips but for a double solo album with a 2 hour runtime, I didn't expect less. ALL of the singles off this album are spectacular, but its brought down overall with all the bullshit sandwiched between it and that the two sides do nottttt fit together well. Definitely not the best Outkast project, still super fun though. I guessed I would end up giving this album a 4/5 or even a 4.5/5 but listening to it all the way through at once definitely makes that an unrealistic rating. 3/5

I’m sorry but I’m not listening to an album that’s longer than an hour, unless it’s Taylor Swift.

Familiar songs, sing along

4.0

Speakerboxx got some bangers liked 90% of them. Love below got the popular Roses and Hey ya but apart from that most on that disc were misses for me.

Usually I rate based on the quality of the entire album. An album this plentiful, however, despite having it's downs, has some insane ups. There exists a kind of substance that a "five star album" lacks, even. Outkast will always be on my list.

Wow it really is two completely separate albums. They are both good, I actually like big boobs more traditional hip-hop/rap album. Clearly andre 3000 is trying something different,but you can clearly see in hindsight he was going to make a flute album. It was coming. Not that there is anything wrong with that album but it seems the more "pop" the more bored he sounds. It's a wild album.

2 for 1 and both great albums, what more could you want?

I definitely enjoyed Speakerboxxx more. I kinda wish they'd been released separately.

I was excited to get this album as I already like Hey Ya and The Way You Move. This album is interesting as it is basically two in one so I'll review each one separately. Speakerboxxx is the first album and it's great. This is the Big Boi side and it's style is more traditional Outkast. The balance of Big Boi's deep voice while rapping with the great backing and usually higher voice of the chorus work really well together. Every song is pretty good and all work together. Favorite songs: Bowtie, The Way You Move, Church, Knowing, Flip Flop Rock Now for Andre 3000's side, The Love Below. Immediately you notice the difference from the first half. Every song is different taking from a bunch of genres creating a cool eclectic listening experience. It especially works considering Speakerboxxx tends to not switch it up like this half does in terms of musical styles. I mean there's an instrumental version of My Favourite Things which is crazy. Lyrically it is also impressive showing the different views of love both positive and negative. Favorite songs: Love Hater, Happy Valentine's Day, Prototype, She Lives In My Lap, Hey Ya, Roses, Dracula's Wedding, My Favorite Things, Take Off Your Cool Overall these albums are amazing musically and lyrically. Combined it is a legendary listening experience which is easily a 5/5.

Não consegui ouvir inteiro. Não porque as músicas são necessariamente ruins, mas elas não me pegaram, achei cansativo de ouvir. Fora isso, ele é extremamente longo. Uma versão com metade das música ou menos seria o suficiente.

I'm listening to this album 3 months after I was supposed to, so I am going to keep my listening notes brief. This album is too long and I hand out a lot of negative reviews for that crime. However... this time.... I'm going to let it go. This album is nothing but bars the entire way through. Amazing features and beats. I put it on and two hours flew by. My neck started hurting from two consecutive hours of head bopping. You're supposed to see a doctor after four right? So good, I saved the entire album. 9/10

My pick for Outkast’s best album. An insane amount of range given that it’s over two hours. One of the only, if not, the only album I can think of that long where the length is justified. Production feels new and original. Lyrics and flow are substantial and unique. My only suggestion would have been that it may have worked better as two separate albums rather than two stitched together, but it doesn’t feel forced. They complement each other well. Love it. 5/5

Inspired by pirate NES multicarts. I think I liked the first half better, but they're both not my thing. Not bad tho, there are some nice songs like My Favorite Things

listened to this a few times now and I kinda like it. Thought it would be too long for me but even some of the interludes were fun. Favourites were Reset and Prototype

Okay. I love some Outkast. I usually go for Stankonia because it's tight and ALIVE. This is, to be sure, two albums. 2 hours 15 minutes. A lot to listen to at once as a package. I preder Speakerboxxx, but The Love Below has some highs, and the better singles. The whole package of Speakerboxxx just works better for my tastes. Love the ambition, though. No one as big as Outkast can I think of has done something comparable, and they were always pushing the boundaries like that. Who's even close? Boris?

Not too knowledgable about 2000s hip hop. What I do know I'm not too fond of, but this starts off strong. Front half (Big-Boi) is a perfect combo of quality production that doesn't overshadow the rhymes and flow. Really like it all. Back half (André 3000) unfortunately fails to live up to the front. It was actually REALLY hard to sit through. Production is too busy. Vocals are too sing-songy and it's laced with far too much pop influence. Upon completion, I cannot even be diplomatic... it's fucking awful. Should've left this a Big-Boi solo album clocking in at half the time.

Objectively good but

Stretching the boundaries of everything that hip hop can be (especially the Love Below section), and stretching the boundaries of patience with a two hour plus running time, Atlanta’s finest nonetheless come with thoughtful banger after thoughtful banger. A timepiece of expansion, before everything seemed to start to contract again.

Torn on this one. The high points some of the best songs of all-time, the low points aren't bad so much as forgettable. Turn it from a double LP to a single and it's basically perfect. As it stands, it's good enough for an 8/10 but it could be so much more

So fun and odd. I love OutKast for their ability to add so much joy to their music, while adding a good deal of funk and groove to every track. I could listen to this all day.

Speakerboxxx was really good. I hadn't heard the Big Boi part of this before and it was bangin. 5/5. I had heard The Love Below before, and while I love Andre's creativity and musicianship, there are too many skits and forays into weird areas, so it's more of a 3/5, so overall a 4/5.

This is a double album, and it was absolutely worth the 2 hour and 15 minute runtime. Speakerboxx is primarily conscious rap, and The Love Below can best be described as a beautiful mix of soul, pop, funk, and hip-hop. Speakerboxx was strong, but this entire record truly starts to shine with The Love Below, in my opinion. On The Love Below, Outkast transcends hip-hop, or any other genre invoked, and they simply become “musical,” so to speak. The best artists do this. Speakerboxx/The Love Below ultimately merits a 5/5.

6 / 10 Poco escuchado. Tiene el éxito Hey Ya, y poco más interesante.

Sadly, even with what feels like three days worth of music, this album has not changed my opinion that Outkast are one of the most overrated hip hop acts going.

This album is entirely awesome and entirely too long. Still funky enough for a 4 tho.

Bad

Hip hop once again. I only listened to it briefly. There were actually a few melodies that seemed interesting. Beyond that, I only heard the usual gangsta chatter and didn't feel like getting into it any further. 1/5

This was a funny one, I enjoyed the first album more. Although the Andre 3000 side had more familiar tracks on it overall was a little experimental for me. Didn't enjoy the jazz tracks or the norah jones stuff. Pleasantly surprised by the big boi side. Killer mike and Jay z were good too

High quality hip hop but even at half the time it’s too long

Hard to give this anything but a one! Double album and only one song of interest! Just not my thing - I tried but not for me!

I liked The Love Below a bit better but both albums have their moments.

Hell yeah

GhettoMusick The Way You Move Prototype Hey Ya! Roses

This is annoying. I put off listening to this album for over a week because of the length. Speakerboxxx is excellent. I really enjoyed it, and it's a four-star album for me. The Love Below is less to my taste, and by the time I was two-hours into a constant stream of OutKast I was pretty sick of it.

I like this more than I thought I would but it's still not my taste.

So I find it particularly difficult to rate hip hop albums because they are so foreign to what I tend to listen to. Clearly I like some of it. I can also appreciate the artistry of it even if sometimes am uncomfortable with the lyrics. This album even has songs I recognize due to their popularity. 3.4

Really cool. Really fun. Really too long.

Not terribly interesting music.

Speakerboxxx maybe but hey ya is the standout

gli OutKast sono sempre una garanzia nonostante l'hip hop fatigue. bravi, anche se è davvero lungo

Fortuna che l’ho già ascoltato. Tra le due metà preferisco Speakerboxxx ma anche l’altro non è male

This is such an odd double album. A few good tracks, some bizarre, some skits. Not really my thing, but I enjoyed it for the most part.

This thoroughly blows. What an overly long and disjointed mess. The story of it being two albums helps make sense of it but it doesn't excuse the terrible call to slam then together. This runs way too long and ruins any chance to find something in individual songs.

An interesting choice. Risky move. I listened to this a lot when it first came out. Speakerboxxx A great representation of music at the time and Southern hip hop. Big Boi's flow does just that, flows. Some fun guest's like Ludacris and lil John. I like GhettoMusic. The Way You Move, great to dance to. Last Call is fun. As for The Love Below it can feel a bit all over the place, but it was fresh and interesting at the time. The composition on Spread, Hey Ya (before it got over played) was perfect pop and got over played for a reason, Roses, Take off Your Cool. Perhaps a little over indulgent at times, a bit surreal and some awkward tracks. But some fun music.

I mean...it's just such an absolute beast of an album from both rappers. Full circle type projects.

Sometimes I think the album selections aren’t so random. Go back and look at my history you’ll see that just yesterday I was handed OutKast’s previous album “Stankonia.” You’ll also see that I didn’t exactly give it a favorable review. You’ll forgive me if I think this project gets a mind of its own sometimes. The good news is, I liked this a lot more, even if it had an absolutely excessive runtime. Wikipedia describes this as two solo albums released as a double album. Which is a little annoying because one of them is so much better than the other. Andre 3000 is a creative genius and I won’t be told otherwise. The fact that he was beholden to a, by comparison (don’t come after me, I’m not saying he’s bad) average artist in the form of Big Boi is kind of a drag. Speakerboxxx is a really creative concept. It’s like its own radio station or something. The problem is that it only plays one genre and a lot of the songs are similar to each other. The good stuff is actually pretty great, but it’s lost in a bunch of average tracks. The Love Below…damn. What a confluence of ideas and genre. So many different combinations of sound and mood. It flows so easily from one to the next and it all exists on the same sonic level. Jazz, funk, hip hop, rap, rock, soul, R&B - it’s all here and it’s all amazing. The exploration and combining of genres is downright experimental at times and those experiments are largely successes. That’s not something I would’ve said about “Stankonia.” At all. The remix/interpolation of “My Favorite Things”?!?! What!?! Too good. I respect the hell out of this half of the album and of Andre for creating it. Only thing I’d change is drop the interludes and make better use of Norah Jones. Other than that it’s a masterpiece. Now the tricky part - a rating. I’m gonna do this individually and the average them out. If this was just Speakerboxxx, it would get three stars. If it was just The Love Below, it would get five. Average that out and you get four. Four stars. I wish I could give them individual scores. Hell I wish these were released separately. But here we are. Four stars. Standout Tracks: GhettoMusick, Bowtie, the Rooster, Bust, Church | The Love Below (Intro), Love Hater, Happy Valentine’s Day, Hey Ya!, Roses, My Favorite Things, Take Off Your Cool

Personal all time favourite of mine! Fond memories of listening to it in the car with my dad when it came out.

5 stars! Fond memories of listening to this in the car with Will's Dad

No va

ta bueno pero es una locura un álbum de 2hs

I prefer The Love Below over Speakerboxxx, but enjoyed both. 4/5

Ja hard the love below is wel meer mijn cd dan speakerboxxx

Some really killer hits mixed with some filler, but when it slaps, it slaps.

All Bangers all the time.

The big hits are great. Loved the addition of R&B and jazz, just way way too long.

A classic concept album reflecting the two sides of masculinity: being cool and being pathetically horny

It's like a southern hip hop, jazz, and dance variety show about the tribulations of love.

The last thing I was expecting from this hip hop album was hearing such a varied setlist which includes radio friendly hits such as The Way You Move, Flip Flop Rock, Hey Ya, and Roses. However throughout as you progress into the second half of the album Andre 3000 lets you take a peek into his new found love of eclectic indie vibe feels of R&B and Jazz with tracks such as Prototype, My Favorite Things, and Take Off Your Cool (feat Norah Jones). You can definitely see a switch flip on as a precursor to Andre's focus and personal projects with his flute 21 years later today. I enjoyed the trip.

Such a great Album! 4.5/5.0 if it was not +2h it could be a 5 star album. B-Side def my favourite side but booth are very strong.

Fantastic. Diverse, groovy, interesting, etc. Absolutely banger album.

Not my sort of thing.. it may be good if you like that.. but to me.. it's just noise.

Loving the background beat in Ghetto Musick. This album is ridiculously long.

The love below carries speakerboxxx imo but the love below wouldn’t be what it is without speakerbox . Prob like. 3.7 but rating up

One half is better than the other, I'll let you guess which one. 4+

Rounding up

Pretty complete

Not my favourite Outkast album.

Lots to enjoy.

A bit long so I didn’t listen to all of it but I liked most of what I heard and enjoyed the sense of fun

I liked it! I drove in GTA5 while listening to this. Good soundtrack. Nothing extremely special tho.

Very good but too long!

Honestly, this was a crazy cool experience. Big Boi and Andre 3000 have such unique approaches to art, and the fact that they pieced together this behemoth of a double album which so distinctly captures each of their styles is crazy. It took me several days to fully experience this thing, but it is certainly deserving of a spot on this list. 4.5/5 -> 5/5.

86/100

Outcast albums always a handful of good songs and the rest is disposable.

2 hours? 40 tracks? They have too much time and not enough talent. Absolute rubbish.

It's OK in places, cheesy in others. It's way too long and just not my thing, but better than most stuff of this type. 2

#1 Looks like we're going to start with an Outkast album I haven't heard, and it's one of their best! Rating: 3.5 Date: 06/06/24 Wow that was great, I love how many different instruments and styles are incorporated into this. The album could hold its own instrumentally but the vocal performances just push it even higher. The tracks with Killer Mike especially are amazing. Really seeing the appeal even more for Killer Mike although I already love Run the Jewels. This was great.

good rainy music. feeling artistic in this loft rn

de fast forward knop heeft overuren gedraaid

Two albums for the price of one. Speakerboxxx is definably a better album. Both have great flow and theming and maybe it wasn't fair to Andre that he had to go after Big's whole album. That said, putting Hey Ya directly into Roses is a big statement

Andre 3000 album is better but enjoy both thoroughly.

Not bad. Didn't realise it was a double solo album. I remember Hey Ya from the radio, but the rest was a bit of a slog to get through. Much prefer Andre 3000's album to Big Boi.

I think I’ve only listened to some of Stankonia, and obviously Hey Ya which I remember being EVERYWHERE in 2003. This album is 2 hours long which is HOOO BOY. My first reaction to GhettoMusick is my god this is fun. I’m really nostalgic for that early 2000s southern hip hop sound. Really love the vibe on this so far, smooth and catchy and just feels good. Big Boi is really good too. 6 tracks in and every real song has been incredible, all for different reasons, all of which have something unique that sets them apart while still seeming like a part of the same album. My god this is amazing Killer Mike shows up and is just as good back then as he is today with RTJ. CHURCH, WHAT THE HELL THATS AMAZING

Absolutely excellent! Like progressive hip hop

Steeped in the history of space funk and psychedelic soul but ahead of their time in terms of beat making and their pop / hip hop sensibility this album is an eclectic epic full of hits and hooks, catchy as hell, raunchy, funny, and perfectly executed. It's It's too long, but it's the pinnacle of their career: great features, distinctive voices, signature production style.

Somewhere in this album are all the elements of a five, but I think there is just a little too much of it. The production is incredible front to back but the rapping was disappointing. I can respect them wanting to do their own things but I think the real talent of this group comes from their collaboration. I think it’s telling that one of my favorites songs growing up off this album was roses which was one of the only ones they collaborated on. And the interludes. There were far too many interludes. If they cut some of the chaff I would have given this a five easy.

Wow what a journey! 2 hours is a hell of a long album but there are some bangers on here.

Two hours fifteen is a big commitment, and I don't think I was really rewarded for it. A few fun tracks on either half, some interesting cameos, all of which would have happily spanned 40 minutes. It's wild that this album has some of the most successful hits of the decade sandwiched in this chaotic oddessey of sound.

拽，放纵，hiphop

The album as a whole contrasts its self in an interesting way. Part one is a solid hip-hop album while part two is an experimental mix of hip-hop, RnB and several other genre influences mixed in. Part two really does the heavy lifting of this album for me, both thematically and in execution. André 3000’s unique artistic vision combines with strange romantic-ish songs and messages that are different than a lot of what comes out of hip-hop, especially modern hip-hop, and are much needed from music as a whole.

Speakerboxxx > The Love Below, although The Love Below is more interesting. Good but long. I do wish they had blended the two better into a single album (cut out the skits for one). It’s a big reason why, IMO, “Roses” is the best song here, although “Hey Ya” still effin slaps. Truly OutKast’s White Album.

2 for 1! the skits are actually pretty funny, normally not a fan of those but these were good enough.

Passo facil. Nao consigo godtar de rap, ja que se trsta de um tipo de som muito de nicho, de um grupo de pessoas e somente americano. Nao comunica nada comigo e exige, para apreciaçao completa da música, que se tenha muita contextualizaçao e conhecimento da língua inglesa e gírias. Não é global, não é comigo. É para o nicho

The first half is a 1 the second half is a 3. Sorry just not my thing.

There are some good songs here but waaaaaay toooooo long

Didn’t love the album, but there is a reason why “Hey Ya” has 1.4 billion streams on Spotify alone.

cool

🎧A sprawling, wildly ambitious pair of statements from Big Boi and Andre 3000. Outkast in their “fuck it/anything goes” empirical phase. The Love Below has some bangers and I appreciate the adventurous p-funk/Prince/jazz kick Andre was on, but I think I prefer Superboxxx.

Two albums. Same old flow Speakerboxxx: Holy FUCK this is one of the best hip hop albums I've ever heard. Oozing with style, filled to the brim with not just incredible wordplay and flow, but also SUPER catchy choruses. The features are all great too, and I love the beats The Love Below: And yet somehow, André 3000 tops Speakerboxxx with a concept album detailing every single aspect of romantic love. So diverse, long, yet every song is incredible and an experience of its own. The fact that these 2 albums were sold together is astounding, because they both hold their own easily. But together, it's the greatest deal on Earth

Gear: Sony WF-1000XM4 Artwork: 🗑️ Mix: 💎 Musik: 🔊/🃏 Wertung: 🌓🌓🌓🌓/5

1. intro - 0 2. ghetto - 1.5 3. unhappy - 1 4. bouutie - 1 5. you move - 2.5 6. roozter - 0 7. buzt - 1 8. uuar - 0 9. church - 1 10. bamboo - 1.5 11. boom - 0 12. e mac - 0 13. knouuing - 1 14. flip flop - 0 15. interlude - 0 16. rezet - 1 17. d - boi - 0 18. lazt call - 1.5 19. bouutie - 0 20. love belouu - 0 21. love hater - 1 22. god - 1 23. valentinez - 1.5 24. zpread - 1 25. pantiez - 2 26. prototype - 2 27. my lap - 0 28. hey ya - 3 29. rozez - 1.5 30. good day - 0 31. lady - 1.5 32. pink and blue - 1 33. uuar - 0 34. alive - 0 35. draculaz - 0 36. the letter - 0 37. thingz - 1.5 38. your cool - 1 39. vibrate - 1 40. andre - 1

After getting really behind and playing catch-up all week whilst dealing with life admin on steroids I finally thought I was on track. And then an album the length of FOUR albums comes up. I was awash with dismay - I knew there were some great songs on here but did I really have 2.5 hours to listen. It’s taken me about 2.5 days to get here. It is full of five star bangers and was great in instalments but boy it’s long.

Here's one I own and love, and I went into this listen with the prejudicial bias that it was a 4 before I even started listening. It's brilliant, and chock full of good tunes, but it's incredibly long and I considered that would be a detraction. But, god damn, it's just really good from start to finish. For us CD lovers, the album is packaged as two discs, but more than that, as two distinct albums. It's not so much a double album as two simultaneous releases. And that makes a ton of sense, given the material within, and doing it differently would have been detrimental to either release. So I am fully on board. Big Boi's Speakerboxxx is pretty frenetic, but I love the eclectic sounds and vibe that he produces. At the end of the day, it isn't even super rap-heavy, or at least rap is one of the many elements that make the album what it is. Great production. Excellent album. And, while it's been a little while since I listened to this (loved that I had to grab the CD out of Sylvia's car because he was borrowing it), I'll admit that, with each listen, I wonder if Andre 3000's schtick is going to start feeling tired. But, man, it's not a schtick. Dude is ice cold, and I can't think of another album that makes me want to dance and groove and then makes me laugh out loud as I'm doing it. I love his sense of humor and style, and his album is killer. The song Roses has always tread on being a little sillier than necessary, but damned if that wasn't the song running through my head all morning after having heard it yesterday. It's a big ask to get through this whole thing in one sitting — it took me a day and a half to do it — and I typically listen to this one album at a time. But it's an extraordinary work, and for that, what else can you rate it?

Damn. This thing is a beast. There's so much to enjoy here. OK, the second half isn't as strong as the first, but even there it has some timeless gems. I guess I can't go the whole 5-star on it, at least not today. But I'll definitely be returning to this one. Also, it's nice hearing Killer Mike.

Cooler and better than I remember

I remember this one quite well from my youth. I've listened to OutKast's entire discography up to and including "Speakerboxx/The Love Below" and I must admit that this is not my favorite of the bunch. Not to say that's it's a bad (double) album by any means, I mean it's one of OutKast's more creative works and I still get a lot of the track's beats & samples stuck in my head from time to time. With any double album, you obviously have to split it into two and in this case, you have to look at both halves of OutKast. With Big Boi's "Speakerboxx", you've got a noticeable southern hip-hop sound (much like most of OutKast's previous work) featuring many regional collaborators as well. Rooted within is some progressive and socially aware content matter like religion and politics. Then you have Andre 3000's "The Love Below", which is a more tender, jazzy, funky pop sound concentrated on well... love! Andre 3000 really flexes his creative juices here too, opting to showcase his singing over his familiar rapping "voice". When comparing the two, I prefer "Speakerboxx" because that kind of hip-hop sound was what drew me into OutKast in the first place. "The Love Below" feels like too long of a comedown and gets to be a little much in its lovey-dovey-ness. Though it's really interesting hearing the mammoth hits like "Hey Ya" and "Roses" within the context of "The Love Below", as both are conveniently smacked together. A bloated album for sure (11 interludes?) but always a worthy listen. I'd also implore everyone to check out OutKast's prior work if they want know why OutKast was such a big player in the southern hip-hop scene. I'd assume "Stankonia" will appear later in this list for me, but can't speak for the others.

Bueno

An interesting take

Hey Ya is NOT the only banger on this album. A few skips here and there, but if you like the OutKast style beyond the titular tracks, it's a pretty solid listen.

Never heard an 808 work so hard. Sublime.

Not really my taste of music, quite a long album. That being said, a few obvious bangers (Hey Ya!, Roses and The Rooster) and quite comedic interludes (Good Day, Good Sir).

Nope.

Didn't hold up as id imagined, especially Love Below which was overly long and has some wasted space. Random vampire love songs?

speakerboxxx 3.5 the love below 4.25

Sekava kokonaisuus minusta, vaikka rakkausteema pysyy ja speakerbox muistetaan heittää väliin. Toki taitavaa räppiä ja featit istuu hyvin mukaan. Vähän vain tylsistyttää, kun jatkuu ja jatkuu eikä tule huippukohtia. Saksofoni välillä.

Ei kuulosta vanhentuneelta 2000-luvun alun koneinstrumentaatiosta huolimatta. Asiaan voi vaikuttaa se, että duo käsittelee melodiaa kuin se olisi muovailuvahaa. Onko levy liian pitkä? Sisältääkö se myös filleriä ja jazz-flirttailua? Totta kai, mutta samalla nöyrryn sen massan edessä.

I can appreciate what it is but just couldn’t get into it. It’s also over 2 hours long.

At the beginning of this, and during multiple moments throughout, I thought this was an easy five-star album. But it overstayed its welcome by the end. Loved it! Would have loved a bit more editing, though. I think it would have been better if it was under 2 hours, and I think it could have gotten there pretty easily.

This dual album does indeed belong on this list. Big Boi and Andre 3000 are the hip hop/funk duo that the early 00's needed. It can be argued that they were instrumental in making rap and funk part of the mainstream by making the genres fun again.

Funny, stupid, wonderful songs about life from a perspective.

Speakerboxxx - 2 The Love Below - 4

Wow that’s a lot of music. I consider myself a fan of Outkast but I’m both overwhelmed and underwhelmed by this collection—and I do think collection is a more accurate word than album, because this is two solo albums mashed together without much cohesion between the two projects (aside from both being packed full with mostly unfunny skits). Both of them are solid but not especially memorable, and listening to them back to back doesn’t elevate either of them. I think it deserves a spot on the list because it received so many accolades at the time and it produced one of the biggest singles of the decade, but I don’t think it’s an ideal showcase of this duo’s talents. Best song: Hey Ya

Was never a huge hip-hop listener growing up, but this album was the one exception. Specifically, The Love Below pulled me in and I have always held it in super high regard. Over the years, though, I've come to realize that I actually like Speakerboxxx better. The Love Below has higher highs, but Speakerboxxx is more consistently awesome. In the end, collectively, it holds up as one of my all time favorites.

I only knew the hits and I really HATE Roses but the whole album is very good!

It was okay

This album is... sprawling. Compared to the first three outKast albums, it is far more indulgent and the moments of pure head nodding bliss are farther between. But they do come up with some bops here and Andre 3000's contributions are pretty interesting. A keeper that will probably reveal more on further listens.

Crazy enough to be cool!

Great album. Quality songs and writing. I think I enjoyed the Speakerboxx album a bit better, but overall I had fun listening to it. It gets 4 stars because it was a really long slog to listen to this as a whole. If they would’ve cut 5 songs overall, it would’ve the perfect album for me

Weird listening to a double album which is literally that - not just an extra disc, but two distinct albums stuck together. An interesting concept that I don't think many other groups or duos could pull off. Like other OutKast albums I've heard before, I thought this was very good, but something I'm unlikely to listen to in full again just due to how long the album is. Despite The Love Below having the hits on it, I definitely preferred Speakerboxxx as an individual album. Fav tracks (Speakerboxxx): GhettoMusick, Tomb of the Boom Fav tracks (The Love Below): Roses, Take Off Your Cool

Prima album, iets te lang en laatste kwart wel wat moeilijk en minder geslaagd qua experiment.

Too much hip hop for me

I’m just gonna say this is a 4/5. So much stuff and different ideas. Some good in there but wish it was more gelled.

I'm not a huge fan. But it did have some 90's memorable hooks.

I enjoyed speakerboxxx way more thsan TLB, but a double album is just too much bloat. the singles off these are eternally fantastic, I'll never tire of hearing Hey Ya, Roses or The Way You Move. Outkast produces some really cool and unique music trying all sorts of different sounds, My Favorite Things turns all weird and jazzy/trance, or Take off Your Cool with Norah Jones. The experimentation is awesome but the experimentation doesnt always hit the mark.

The circumcision has already begun! Like all double albums it’s too long and there’s plenty of skippers. Speakerboxxx is the superior of the two albums but even it’s completely front loaded. “Hey Ya” might be the catchiest song ever made and I’ll always love “Roses” for giving us a radio hit that ends with the word Bitch like 100 times. But overall just listen to the singles and “Dracula’s Wedding” and you’ll have a better time Stupid ass bitch

Not me at all.

The world knows this is two solo albums fused together in an effort to boost sales and not piss off hip-hop heads, so you have to take the sum of each part. To Big Boi: A good but never great first solo effort. He’s always been a great rapper with great classic tastes, but often those tastes feel derivative, not expansive, and that is very much the case here. It has its moments, but even at its height — “The Way You Move” — it’s never exceptional. Worse, Big Boi shines in comparison to other rappers, which is why he’s shined post-Outkast on his features, not in his solo albums, where there’s just…too much of him. The biggest issue is that this sounds distinctly 2003/2004 with its cluttered, everything-and-the-kitchen-sink production style, which doesn’t help its case when it wasn’t particularly unique even for its time. It’s also way too long, which is, again, clutter. It’s never horrible, but it’s never special, either, except in how dated/annoying it can be stylistically. 3/5 To André: Doing everything can certainly prove a point, but that doesn’t mean you *should* have done everything, because sometimes it can distract from the point entirely. There are soooo many ideas here that I would adore with some hard editing, and/or even the balanced addition of a Big Boi verse. I know this has been compared to Prince a lot, but even at his most ambitious, Prince stuck to a style, and that’s The Love Below’s biggest issue – it has no singular vision. (Ironic, given that Speakerboxxx’s main issue is that it has too narrow of a sonic vision.) It goes from R&B to rap to jazz like an undiagnosed kid in a candy store. And the lyrics are equally childish, especially from a Top 5 Dead or Alive Rapper who’s known first and foremost for his pen game. I can’t rate it too poorly because it does include “Roses” and “Hey Ya!,” but even a couple all-timer songs aren’t herculean enough to save this mess, even with the midpoint boost from some fine but not good neo soul tracks that still suffer from André’s excessive horniness. Speakerboxxx may be monotonous, but The Love Below is a chore, and that’s a greater offense. Some think this messy sort of chaos means the album was ahead of its time, which it isn’t, it’s extremely dated, but ignoring that, it feels like an artist burning out in real time, and time has kinda proven that narrative true. The man literally became a jazz flutist, which is cool, but maybe that’s the direction of someone who’s done all he can do in the pop realm. Based solely off of The Love Below, it seems like all he could do was “Roses” and “Hey Ya!” Which is still better than most of us can do, but I don’t need the rest of the mess to get to the diamonds. In conclusion: if a sample of Aaliyah’s “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number” makes me want to listen to THAT R. Kelly apologist song instead of your song just so I can be listening to Aaliyah instead of you, then you’re doing something wrong. But hey, cool jazz cover of “My Favorite Things.” 1.5/5 OutKast has always been greater than the sum of its parts. I get how this ended up on this list based off sheer popularity, but it’s bad representation. Still, the sum of the parts here result in the same feeling the whole gives me – a couple great singles from two people who can’t work with or without each other, making one feel numb and the other feel manic, making me feel respectively apathetic and exhausted.

A classic concept album, where Andre 3000 asks the question, "what if you were in a relationship but still horny for other people" and Big Boi asks "what if you were a cool dude." Somehow when I was 17 years old I remember thinking this shit was soft. 20 years later it sounds incredible. I wonder what that means.