aesopfable's Full Review: Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik by Outkast
I am the first one to admit I'm not the biggest fan of Southern hip hop. Generally (so not ALWAYS) but generally I find the production to ecliptic for me, almost TOO laid back and dull. And as for the lyricism, I never find it delves in to deeper subject matter than cars and woman. But not being one to knock a whole culture of hip hop, I took a huge look into the whole Southern presence searching for an act that defied my assumptions and came across Outkast. I brought their 1994 release Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, and much like Kurupts album The Streetz Iz A Mutha thought my intuition was right and hated it. Then some months later went back to album and found out what I had been missing. Many (I feel) try to make Outkast more complicated than they really are. They almost try to define them using music philosophy, but it simply doesn't work, because Outkast cannot be defined. They are one of the true hip hop acts I've come across that are unique in every aspect of their work. From their laid back, bizarre production to the spontaneous and maddening (but usually retrospective) lyrics, they are hugely creative. If you want to find out more about an under rated and specific album that at first no one can pronounce the name of, join me with Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.
Tracklisting & Rating
1)Peaches Not Rated
2)Myintrotoletuknow 5 Star
3)Ain’t No Thang 5 Star
4)Welcome To Atlanta Not Rated
5)Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik 5 Star
6)Call Of Da Wild 5 Star
7)Playa’s Ball 5 Star
8)Claimin’ True 4 Star
9)Club Donkey A*s Not Rated
10)Funky Ride 5 Star
11)Film Flam Not Rated
12)Git Up, Git Out 4.5 Star
13)True Dat Not Rated
14)Crumblin’ Erb 5 Star
15)Hootie Hoo 4 Star
16)D.E.E.P 4.5 Star
17)Player’s Ball Not Rated
After an intro of calling trumpets, deep piano keys and basically production based on Southern blues, over a woman’s talking and introducing the album comes the first great song off the album Myintrotouknow. Over a crashing of tighten symbols, quiet (but gets louder each second) original scratching and a crowded drum loop produced by Organized Noize both members that make up Outkast, Andre and Big Boi call over with beautiful rhymes of life in the ghetto and vivid pictures of Atlanta life. This sound (and most of the album) sounds unbelievably bootlegged, and almost hard to hear. This gives the albums and wonderful atmospheric feel that strives to bring out the best in both the MC’s abilities. As they spit rhymes like ’Take a number, I caught you in a slumber, I hit you for a lick, I'm in the slammer for the summer. But now it is the fall, I'm having a ball, making my nickel sacks crawl, to my ni**az got to serving when they beep and when they call’. It’s quiet impossible to sum up the way Outkast carve and create their rhymes, it’s very effective for any fan of hip hop and I disagree with people who say that they have a style that doesn’t suit everyone.
The self titled album track Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik is served up next. Over really funky, chilled guitar strings and etched scratching, followed by and low base Big Boi is the first to spit off hand of his experiences of coming from the south and paints pictures of the racism he has first hand experience of. This reminds me a lot of Player’s Ball. The production on this song consists of mellow chanted keys and a beautiful sung chorus. But don’t get this wrong, we’re not talking Kelly Rowland from Dilemma chorus, we’re talking proper soul music. The passion is very much evident in both these songs, as the southern blues/rhythmic percussion plays such a big part in both the tracks. Both these tracks paint vivid, longing images of days spent for the poor youth in Atlanta. It really is fascinating to hear both MC’s describe their experiences in such an historic way:
’It's beginning to look a lot like what? Follow my every step take notes, on how I creep I's bout ta go in deep, this is the way I creep my season …’.
As you can see unlike many rap artists, Outkast don’t necessarily feel the need to rhyme every verse which in some odd way is very effective…brilliant.
Funky Ride is another one of my favourites on the album. Over a deep base, maracas and a very Jamaican feel to the strings that playing in the background, beautiful backing notes lap forward calling the titles name out. The maracas clap their authority over their voices and the deep base squeals over this very short track. Though short it gathers up so much with words like ’Let me take you on a funky ride. All around the world, and ahh, if you let me give inside your mind…feel your spirits fly’. This may be a love kind of song but it doesn’t feel sloppy or soppy or even pretentious, oh I love you crap. It’s just what it is, Outkast showing they can create a track that not only has masterful production but varies in subject matter also. Electric backboards and distorted noises are used effectively, for the metaphor of the complexity of love.
Outkast turn from their love option to framing woman and men in a respectable light. On this track they talk of how woman shouldn’t waste their lives, no matter how much they feel they can’t get where they want to go. The production on this is quite upbeat, which is quite rare for a positive song about woman, because normally people feel they have to make the production slow and sad like the subject matter. Over an instrumental of strings and guitars accompanied by a low deep snare and jazzy trumpets. Outkast expand their matters and vocabulary. Electric scratching subsides over the chorus as they talk of a woman that’s on their backs and how he want to support her but she won’t support him ’I gotta ask, how and I suppose to be the man I want to be, when negativity is all you really see’. So in a weird way this almost sticks up for the men as well saying not all of them are the same….great.
Crumblin’ Erb takes the rugged and raw Southern sound and aspires it to the new hip hop generation. Over rough beating drums and symbols accompanied by melodic keys. As the songs go on you also begin to notice how melody is very important to Outkast’s sound and plays in key factor to the way they define their own flows and lyrics. Once again they paints pictures of everyday life for them combined with some exclusive battle raps, of how some MC’s think the South’s all the same and their ruining hip hop. The rough drums beat over their courageous flow and metaphors of life and create a prefect onset that is excisable in the concluding moments on the album.
D.E.E.P once again expands Outkast’s production variables and a imitation alien announces at the beginning ’Greeting earthling let me take me to your leader’. This moment is nearly awkward not knowing where Outkast will take this matter. Then they take to the chorus and kick the first verse over a beating drum and wiggling keys. The song is beautifully creative rhyming different metaphors and similes with the word deep in the first few lines then carrying on to real issues in life, taking awareness to a new level ’Catch my blaze, ni**as catching aids, ni**as getting sprayed, ni**as on their way’. As you see the song uses the here, future and passive tense which is extremely effective. Basically this is a great song to a great album!
To say that Outkast aren’t dynamic in many regions of rapping, and that they haven’t opened up a lot of doors would be a lie. Outkast simply are one of the most unique, creative and bizarre rap groups ever to put out great to classic albums. Though this simply is not as good as ATLiens, it is a great album. The production done fully by Organized Noize is beautiful. Taking the roads down to the melodic blues, or the dusky keys, or even dark drum loop, it’s distorted and beautiful. The lyricism on this from Andre and Big Boi is quiet superior. They show to everyone that they can take subject matters beyond pitiful low claim rhymes of money and woman and turn them into real life situations. At times their voices are almost distorted by the production which makes the album even more intriguing to listen to! If you (like I did) thought you wouldn’t like the Outkast because you’ve heard Ludacris and didn’t like it, then do not fear, because Outkast are in a league of their own. They take relaxing, witty and self-conscious rap to a new level and really are one of the best rap groups ever, and needless to say they ARE accessible to everyone!
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