Outkast - Southernplayalisticadillacmusik (April 26, 1994)

As proof that, yes, I am aware of the South's existence, I present a review for Outkast's debut disc, Southernplayalisticadillacmusik. The well-regarded duo is made up of Andre Benjamin, who goes by the nickname 'Andre 3000' now but went simply by 'Dre' on their first effort, and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton, and are generally known as one of the most successful hip hop acts in recorded history. Let that sink in for a moment.

Both men represent Atlanta, Georgia, a city that has had its fair share of rappers walk in and out of the limelight . They met up in high school and started off as rapping rivals, a storyline that couldn't have sounded more contrived than if Disney had made a high school musical out of it. Once out of school, they decided to team up to take on the dominance of both the East and West Coasts in the rap game, and ascertained there was strength in numbers; together, Outkast, production team Organized Noize (which featured future hook star Sleepy Brown), and fellow artists Goodie Mob formed what would eventually become the Dungeon Family collective.

Southernplayalisticadillacmusik (thank God for copy + paste!), their debut album, was preceded by a guest spot on a remix for LaFace labelmates TLC's "What About Your Friends", which for the life of me I can't remember ever hearing. They also appeared on a LaFace Christmas compilation, with a track that was, hilariously, also their first single. That's right, kids (and everyone who hasn't already read this fact in ego trip's Big Book of Rap Lists): "Player's Ball" is a Christmas song. Go ahead and listen to it again, and read the lyrics online; it makes you look at everything in a whole new light, doesn't it?

The first album is truly the only one where Andre raps with the swagger of a guy who would like to be a pimp one day (fingers crossed!); his social commentary, while present, wouldn't dominate his rhymes until their second album on. Big Boi, who has always rhymed with said swagger, always provides a much-needed humorous contrast to Andre's self-seriousness. That's not to say that the rhymes aren't good, though: Big Boi improves with every single release, and Andre is on my list of Best Rappers Alive; as such, I'm thankful that he actually started to rap again, after the ill-fated Idlewild phase played itself out; I just wish he would find better collaborators than fucking Rich Boy. (That song Outkast did with UGK was a step in the right direction.)

Southernplayalisticadillacmusik was not a blockbuster smash by any definition of the phrase, but was successful enough to allow Dre and Big Boi a second shot, which is all anyone can really ask for in the rap game. It's considered to be a semi-classic, especially in the South, but I don't care about that: all I want to know is, does it still work today?

1. PEACHES (FEAT PEACHES)
Rap album intro. Meh.

2. MYINTROTOLETUKNOW
Not a bad introduction, but not a very good one, either.

3. AIN'T NO THANG
They actually played this track on the radio around my way. When compared to the three singles ("Player's Ball", the title track, and "Git Up, Git Out"), this song is the one that doesn't fit. In the album's sequence, though, it sounds just fine, thank you very much.

4. WELCOME TO ATLANTA (INTERLUDE)
...

5. SOUTHERNPLAYALISTICADILLACMUSIK
The second single. Has the relaxed feel of a song that's just good to lounge to, whether stoned, drunk, or just sitting around. The video (directed by, of all people, Puff Daddy (!)) was filmed around the time that Dre was promoting his 'player' image, so he wandered everywhere without a shirt, with his jaunty cap placed just so. Was this image preferable to Andre 3000's bizarre costume choices of the new millennium? Only time will tell.

6. CALL OF DA WILD (FEAT GOODIE MOB)
May be interesting for fans of Gnarls Barkley who refuse to believe that Cee-Lo has actually been in the music industry for damn near fifteen years. Otherwise, this song is kind of dull.

7. PLAYER'S BALL (ORIGINAL VERSION)
Not, I repeat, not the Christmas version. That version features a slightly changed-up beat that includes the sound of what could only be sleigh bells ringing. That's also probably the version that you've heard; it's certainly the only version they ever played on the radio in my neck of the woods. I actually prefer that version, now that I think about it.

8. CLAIMIN' TRUE
Meh.

9. CLUB DONKEY ASS (INTERLUDE)
...

10. FUNKY RIDE
This track sounds the closest thing to a prelude to the follow up, ATLiens, that I could find, with its spacey funk sound, and bizarre placement in the album's sequence. That said, it doesn't actually fit this album; probably could have been tacked on as a bonus track or something.

11. FLIM FLAM (INTERLUDE)
...

12. GIT UP, GIT OUT (FEAT GOODIE MOB)
This song is great. Sure, it's long as hell, but the four verses (the guest vocals provided by Cee-Lo and Big Gipp, who at the time were the only rappers in the Goodie Mob) all have something to say. I hated it when Macy Gray jacked the concept and hook for this song when she made her debut song "Do Something", but hopefully it exposed unwitting listeners to the brilliance of the original track. Once again, a great song.

13. TRUE DAT (INTERLUDE)
...

14. CRUMBLIN' ERB
From the Nicolas Cage film of the same name.

15. HOOTIE HOO
Of the album tracks that didn't make the cut as singles, this is by far the best, and the catchiest.

16. D.E.E.P.
Sorry, I spoke too soon. This song is the closest hint you would find as to the direction of ATLiens. This song actually works better than "Funky Ride" in that capacity, and it just sounds like a better song, as well.

17. PLAYER'S BALL (REPRISE)
How many rap albums end with a reprise? Name one. No, not this one.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Southernplayalisticadillacmusik, while not perfect, serves as an above-average introduction to the South. It includes enough locale-specific references to make the target audience comfortable, but is accessible enough for anyone in the world to listen, smoke a blunt to, or to drink enough liquid courage to talk to that cute chick at the bar. Listening to this today, though, is an interesting experience: if you didn't know any better, there is no way you could ever imagine that these two guys from Georgia would become hip hop darlings, with Grammy awards , eight-thousand-thread-count sheets, all of the women either guy could ever want, and loads of dispensable income. (Well, maybe if you listened to "Git Up, Git Out" again.) But Erykah Badu? Seriously?

BUY OR BURN? I advise you to pick this album up if you're looking or a good change of pace. I'm always going to lean a little toward the East Coast, but branching out is by no means a bad thing. Pick it up used, and you can marvel at the shiny reflective surface provided by the disc, while reminiscing about the time when Andre Benjamin rhymed because he loved to rhyme, not out of obligation (a problem that would persist with the later albums).

BEST TRACKS: "Southernplayalisticadillacmusik"; "Git Up, Git Out"; "Hootie Hoo"; "D.E.E.P."

-Max