New Outkast release on Sept. 23!!! (1 Viewer)

I can't wait until Tuesday when Outkast's Speakerboxxx: Love Below is released. I heard a couple of the songs from this album on VH1 and loved both.

Any other Outkast fans looking forward to this?

I have heard some of the songs, and they sound VERY good and funky. Outkast is officically the most innovative hip hop duo around these days. I love the concept of making this a 2cd release, with a full length CD for each member!

If you want to hear ALL of the songs off of both discs (with the cursing edited out), then go to http://www.mtv.com/music/the_leak/outkast/index.jhtml.

Andre does a duet with Norah Jones on his disc! It was VERY unexpected and sounds amazing!

Yeah, baby! I've only recently started digging OutKast. I will so get this.

"9 in my hand, ounce in my couch. Diggin' the scene with the gangsta slouch"

I have heard the entire album, and have downloaded it. EASILY the best rap/hip-hop/soul/funk album of the year, hands down. I can't really tell which album I like better, Big Boi's or Dre's, but they are both amazing.
OTOH, I don't feel too guilty about downloading, cause I am going to buy the album on CD and on Vinyl once it comes out. Just needed to clear my conscience

Okay, finally another chance to tell my OutKast close encounter story.

A year or so ago, I was on a Delta business class flight from London Gatwick to Atlanta. I got on the plane and discovered I was sitting next to some guy dressed and looking EXACTLY like Jimi Hendrix. I had no idea who he was. He was real tired and looked like he had a big dose of jetlag. I figured he was some minor league hiphopper from Atlanta, said a friendly hello, and started to read some book.

About halfway into the flight, we started talking and I asked if he was in the music business and he said he was and was visiting his old girlfriend who was living in London. It turns out he was Dre from OutKast but when he mentioned the band's name I had never heard of them. I guess I'm really becoming an old fart and have lost touch with the "new music". He seemed like a real nice guy and we talked a bit about stuff I had done in jazz and he spoke of how he would listen to jazz for some ideas for his rap and funk music. He knew his funk and we did talk briefly about Bernie Worrell who I knew about as a Talking Heads fan.

I wish I had a picture of his outfit that day. Here you had a flamboyent Jimi Hendrix outfit is full bloom on a flight on the usual boring business types like myself.

When I mentioned the name of the band to some friends back in Atlanta, people acted like I had sat next to Sting or something. Who knew?

True story.

That's really cool Lee! Have you listened to any of the album at the site I linked to in my post? Dre's part of the 2CD release is the second one (The Love Below). Just try listening to it, because I think you might be pleasantly surprised (especially with the Norah Jones duet, which has no rap elements at all)...

Maybe I'll pick it up tommarrow while I'm at work. I can't say I have heard a song of theirs I didn't like. And since I will be studying for my 3 tests on Wednesday, I should have plenty of time to listen to it.

Seriously Lee. Take a listen to it. I really think you will be surprised.

Also listen to The Love Below (Intro), Love Hater, She's Alive, My Favorite Things (Has some great pianos and jazz elements combined over great hip-hop beats), Take Off Your Cool (with Norah Jones), and Vibrate (You might hate the record scratch sample, but other than that, the song is great).

If you like that stuff, the you might want to venture into the scary world of rap on the album...

I love GhettoMusick on Big Boi's part of the album. That is one of the most catchy hip hop songs I have ever heard in my life. "G-H-E-T-T-O-M-U-S-I-C-K..."

What's on the DVD, my copy from Best Buy didn't come with one.

Ok, I listened to it.

I was worried that the lost dynamic between the two seemingly disparate personalities of Dre and Big Boi (I call them the Lennon-McCartney of modern hip-hop) on this new two-in-one would dissappoint. Glad I was wrong.

Big Boi's album is refered to as the more "straight-ahead" rap album, but I wouldn't say that. A varied, engaging and upbeat set of tunes.

When I heard that Dre's CD was a sprawling mess, I was hesitant. It is a sprawling mess- but a fascinating, funny one. I just had big grin on my face throughout listening to it.

One of Big Boi's lyrics claimed that OutKast was not breaking up, just showing us their two sides. I hope this is true.