Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is THE best rap album

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cobl04

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Definitely of the past few years. And in my opinion one of the greatest of all time.

Speakerboxxx is a great mash of studio knowledge and prowess and collaborators and production, and The Love Below is an all-round enjoyable great collection of songs.

Speakerboxxx has the single Ghettomusick, which has a kick-ass intro and is a generally fun, fast-moving song. Unhappy contains one of the best choruses of this decade, Bowtie has great vocals and is extremely catchy. The Way You Move was a very successful single and is quite the funky. War starts off novelty but then completey doubles takes into an emotional, acrimonious ballady type song. Chruch may sound weird, but proves that not all rappers are gun-toting gangsters who do not want to pop a cap in everyone's asses. It has a great line, "sometimes life can get you down, with your face all in the dirt, now if you feel that left behind need to get up and go to church." and has a great outro. Bamboo is an "awww" moment, Knowing gets down and dirty, and is a wicked track. Flip Flop Rock is probably the best song on Big Boi's offering. Killer vocals from Killer Mike and improves with seasoned rapper Jay-Z. Reset gives Flip Flop Rock some competiton. Quotes from the bible, great verses from each collaborator and a genuinely good tone. Cee-Lo is magnificent. Last Call features collaborators from all around and ends Speakerboxxx in a lightweight, fun way.

The Love Below is Andre 3000's offering, and is the ultimate R&B/Urban record. Distorted guitar, trumpets, things you didn't even know existed exist. Everything is so catchy. Love Hater makes no sense, but is wicked. God is funny. Happy Valentines Day has possibly the best outro for a rap track in a very long time. Spread is laced with some subtle and very unsubtle sexual innuendo and moves along at a frenetic pace. Prototype was the soft, love ballad offering that just works. You can feel the sincerity. The vocals are magic. Hey Ya! is the quintessential party track. It gets everyone up on the dancefloor right away and is increidbly infectious. Had a terrific film clip as well. Roses was my favourite song for a very, very long time. The vocals are terrific, and again had a great film clip. The music is what does it for me. Big Boi stars with a typical rap verse that adds another element to the song. Behold a Lady again showed that rappers have respect, people should take notice. Pink & Blue kicks off with a sample of "age ain't nothin but a number" and moves slowly but surely. Love in War meshes together the music terrifically and with a great vocal thrown in too. the lyrics are symbolic of this album. Dracula's Wedding makes no sense but has a great verse from Kelis, then comes the not-so-hidden track My Favourite THings, inspired by the Sound of Music and has a James Bond feel, and is five minutes of hectic music and pace. Take Off Your Cool, with Norah Jones is a definite highlight, a real chill-out track. Only problem is its length. Far too short. Vibrate has a message, and is funky as well.

Appreciate.
 
Difficult to call them both 'rap' albums as such, because their boundaries seem to go far beyond just rap and R n' B. I have to say The Love Below is as good as the most impressive Prince, a wonderful album indeed.

Limiting it more to the rap side of things, Aquemini and Stankonia are better, though Speakerboxxx/TLB and to a lesser extent, Idlewild - are probably more inventive.

Outkast have been the most consistant group of the past 10 years, as far as I'm concerned.
 
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it's a good album. but for me didn't have much staying power. I think Aquemini, ATLiens and Stankonia are all better than it.. and that's just Outkast. Other awesome rap albums that I enjoy more include Aesop Rock - Labour Days, El-P - Fantastic Damage, Cunninlynguists - A Piece of Strange, Roots - Phrenology.. etc

No doubt it is a really good album, just to me not as consistent as many others.
 
The Sad Punk said:


Limiting it more to the rap side of things, Aquemini and Stankonia are better, though Speakerboxxx/TLB and to a lesser extent, Idlewild - are probably more inventive.


Yeah, Aquemini is definitely their best album, and my personal favourite rap album. Brilliant from start to finish. Chonkyfire has one of the catchiest beats of all time :drool:

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is quite good though... a friend of mine burned me a copy of The Love Below years ago and that's how I got into Outkast and rap music in general. Not that I listen to tons of rap, but I might not like it at all if not for that.

I agree that Flip Flop Rock is the best song on Speakerboxxx. Great beat and guest appearences that are actually worthwhile.

you didn't mention She Lives in My Lap in your review...easily one of the best songs on The Love Below.
 
I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in an album/double-album. I've been a fan of rap/hip hop/r&B since I was in the fifth grade, and I've never paid that much money for something so...overrated. I like a few of the songs, but Outkast has done much better. It's great that y'all love it, but it does nothing for me. :|
 
Ugh.

A few of the 'Kast's best tracks do not a good (double) LP make. Dreadful stuff, taken on the whole. Go listen to Aquemini or any of the dozens of other, far better hip-hop albums released in the last ten years. We can all do a lot better than Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.

Also, without Big Boi's disc...wow. I shudder even to think. 'Dre had some moments, to be sure (and he sort of happened to co-write most of the good songs on 'Twan's disc), but that album is garbage. Garbage.
 
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