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Outta Most Other Rapper's Leagues: Outkast
Their first big start came all the way back in 1992, when they signed with LaFace Records. When did the first Outkast lyrics get heard on a studio album? Those came in the 1993 release of a remix of one of TLC's songs. But the first real Outkast song came that same year, called "Player's Ball." And with that start, they already made it to the number one spot on the Billboard rap chart.
If you listen to Outkast music from back in the earlier days, you definitely notice a difference in sounds. Sure, even on their first Outkast single they had a funk to them that made them stand out. But they also could be considered back them more of a G-Funk sound, with Dirty South thrown in. That is not too far cry, but still different, than their totally unique sounds on say, for instance, the last Outkast record, the diamond selling Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
Creating a Sound
Their sound at the outset, in fact, is often said to have started the whole Dirty South and Dungeon Family sound, principally on their first full Outkast album called "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik." How do you say that title? Try saying ten times fast and let me know what comes out. Seriously, though, this was the Outkast record that set out to announce their presence on the national scene, and Atlanta's place there, with their pimping stories, funky beat, mixed in with political charged themes and opinions.
Their second album came out in 1996, called "ATLiens," after the ATL that usually stands for Atlanta. The big Outkast song off the record was the one titled the same as the record, which became a Top-40 hit, matching the earlier success of "Player's Ball."
Next came the 1998 "Aquemini," which hit number two on the charts and the hit Outkast song "Rosa Parks." The group started producing a lot of theirt own material at this point, allowing them to start really exploring different sounds.
Big Time
Outkast went huge in 2000 with their next album, "Stankonia." They had two huge hits with the Outkast songs "Ms. Jackson" and "So Fresh, So Clean." Here, if you listen to Outkast lyrics, you get a sense for how they could mix humorous, often ludicrous topics such as how clean you are, with the stories of pregnancy and life in Ms. Jackson.
Then came the 2003 "Speakerboxxx/Love Below," a two-disc album with each guy, Andre 3000 and Big Boi, having a whole disc to themselves for the most part. Both had humungous hits, with Big Boi scoring on "The Way You Move" and Andre hitting universal appeal with his "Hey Ya!" The album would win the 2004 Grammy for best record.
With widespread success, now Outklast faces rumors of a breakup. But there is talk of another Outkast record coming out, after both members explore solo projects.
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