Top Ten Songs by Outkast

Outkast, my favorite Rap group of all-time, is one of the most creative and captivating duos in the history of rap/hip-hop. Each Album (dating back to 1994) has been different and stylistically better than the previous one each time. It took years for people to gain the respect for this Southern group from ATL with superior lyric-spitting capability, but the world has finally caught up with what I’ve been saying for years.

Here is MY top ten Outkast Songs.

10 – The Whole World feat. Killer Mike (Big Boi and Dre PresentsâÂ?¦Outkast; 2001)

‘The Whole World’ was another smash for Outkast and another song that I couldn’t stop listening to. As always, Dre and Big Boi were great; delivering witty lyrics and catchy phrases. However, the introduction of Killer Mike (an artist on Big Boi’s label) stole the show and kept me interested on what other songs I can hear from him in the future.

9 – B.O.B (Stankonia; 2000)

Bombs over Baghdad (B.O.B) starts off with a big bang and ends with some of the best lyrical content that you will ever hear from Outkast, in my personal opinion. B.O.B is definitely a club banger or a song that will get anyone’s adrenaline going. I can still listen to this song all day.

8 – So Fresh, So Clean (Stankonia; 2000)

“Aint nobody dope as me, I’m just so fresh, so clean” – Chorus –

By the time “So Fresh, So Clean” came out, Outkast were beginning to be recognized as one of the top rap groups in the game. This track was a proven success off the Stankonia Album, one of my favorite cuts and worthy of being on my top ten list.

7 – The Way You Move feat. Sleepy Brown (SpeakerBoxx/The Love Below; 2003)

Big Boi matched the intensity of ‘Hey Ya’ with ‘The Way You Move, which was also on top of the billboard charts. This song has more of a classy beat and rhythm that can be found in soulful ballrooms as steppers (young and old) tear up the dance floor. It took a while for me to get used to this track, but once I seen the video and the atmosphere that Big Boi was trying to get across in the song, I immediately fell in love with it.

6 – Hey Ya (SpeakerBoxx/The Love Below; 2003)

Andre 3000, turned John Lennon on this hit, definitely scored big and displayed the creativity of the group. ‘Hey Ya’ is not a rap song, but more of an R&B track with a little bit of Beetles flavor. I love it because it’s different from the rest of the crap that comes on the radio. Andre 3000 is a genius for creating a track so diverse and risky as well. Either the Hip Hop community would shun him or love him. To answer that statement, the track was number one on the Billboard charts for weeks.

5 – Git Up, Git Out feat. Cee-Lo and Big Gipp of Goodie MoB (Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik; 1994)

This is the one song that definitely represents the style of music that I am used to hearing from Outkast. Git up, Git out is a serious story/song about making something of your life and not wasting time procrastinating and worrying about what others are doing. I was only 14 years old at the time when Southernplayalisticaddilacmuzik came out and this particular track was something that I needed to hear as a freshman in high school, struggling between what was right and wrong.

4 – Rosa Parks (Aquemini; 1998)

Named after the famous civil rights leader/activist, Rosa Parks is a catchy, soulful club track that quickly became a hit after it’s release. Andre and Big Boi’s lyrical content is witty as well as cultivating. It was very rare to hear a southern rap artist/group with a flow as good or even better than the rappers in New York who claimed to be the best as far as lyrical content. I can’t think of anyone I knew personally who disliked the track except Rosa Parks herself, who tried to sue Outkast for illegally using her name without permission. The case was later dropped and Outkast went on to win numerous awards for the song.

3 – Elevators {Me&You} (ATLiens; 1996)

Me and You/Your Mamma and your cousin too.
Rolling down the strip on vogues/comin’ up, slamming Cadillac doors

What I like most about Elevators is the percussion and the melodic southern sound that was rarely heard during the mid to late 90’s in the rap/hip-hop era. In this song Andre and Big Boi tell of their struggles to break into the music industry as southern hip-hop artist and the bond that they share together. ATLiens is one of my favorite albums from Outkast and songs like Elevators are the reason why I love it so much.

2 – Spottieottiedopaliscious (Aquemini; 1998)

Spottieottiedopaliscious is my favorite track from the Aquemini album. This track is really not a song, but more of a spoken word or poetry over a soulful beat. Andre and Big Boi speak their version of life, Atlanta and the famous club atmosphere of the popular city.

One of my favorite lines:

“Can’t gamble feeding that baby off of dope money, might not always be sufficient. Plus the united postal service, them people from the post office ain’t call you because you hadâÂ?¦..cloudy piss”
– Big Boi –

1 – Ms. Jackson (Stankonia; 2000)

Ms. Jackson is the mother of Erykah Badu, Andre’s ex-girlfriend and mother of his child. On this song, Andre and Big Boi focus on break-ups between couples and the affect of relationships when the mother of the daughter is involved. Andre’s first seems to focus more on his personal life with Badu and the strained relationship with her mother, while Big Boi raps in general regarding relationships, mother in-laws, and children born into the situation. ‘Ms. Jackson’ is one of many conscious songs that Outkast perfected. It’s also a former number one hit on the billboard.