Stankonia |
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Released: October, 31, 2000 Charted: November 18, 2000 Peak: 2 US, 2 RB, 10 UK, 4 CN, 33 AU Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 0.1 UK, 7.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: rap |
Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.
Total Running Time: 73:07 The Players:
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Rating:  4.277 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)
Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album: “Stankonia was OutKast’s second straight masterstroke, an album just as ambitious, just as all-over-the-map, and even hookier than its predecessor.” AMG “There’s a thrilling sprawl…a sense of limitless possibilities within the boundaries of hip-hop.” RS’20 “With producers Organized Noize playing a diminished role, Stankonia reclaims the duo’s futuristic bent. Keyboardist/producer Earthtone III helms most of the backing tracks, and while the live-performance approach is still present, there’s more reliance on programmed percussion, otherworldly synthesizers, and surreal sound effects. Yet the results are surprisingly warm and soulful, a trippy sort of techno-psychedelic funk. Every repeat listen seems to uncover some new element in the mix, but most of the songs have such memorable hooks that it’s easy to stay diverted.” AMG On“High Times, man of the millenium Big Boi and jodhpur-wearing thespian André 3000 have to bridge aesthetic galaxies just to make small talk, so it’s no surprise that their musical partnership, which started in high school, yielded an integrative masterpiece.” TL “The immediate dividends include two of 2000’s best singles.” AMG The first, B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad), “fuses funk, punk, techno, disco, Atari sound effects and a gospel choir into a millenial dance party.” TL “The music is sexy, bold, and hard, mixing…distorted metal guitar, an HBCU gospel choir, and a jittery techno beat. Big Boi says OutKast is ‘cooler than a polar bear’s toenails.’” RS’20 This “is the fastest of several tracks built on jittery drum’n’bass rhythms, but André and Big Boi keep up with awe-inspiring effortlessness.” AMG “‘We call it slumadelic,’ said André 3000.” RS’20 The other big single is “Ms. Jackson, which “is an anguished plea directed at the mother of the mother of an out-of-wedlock child, tinged with regret, bitterness, and affection.” AMG “Its sensitivity and social awareness are echoed in varying proportions elsewhere, from the Public Enemy-style rant Gasoline Dreams” AMG about “feeling excluded from the American dream.” RS’20 “The fluid rhymes (‘Speeches only reaches those who already know about it/This is how we go about it’) ground Stankonia in rap, but it’s the soul singing in the chorus that makes Ms. Jackson so tender and the jagged guitar riff that makes ‘Gasoline Dreams’ so hard.” TL There’s also “the heartbreaking suicide tale Toilet Tisha” AMG which discusses “the trauma of teen pregnancy.” RS’20 There are also songs about “good manners (I’ll Call Before I Come),” RS’20 and “the perils of sex (We Luv Deez Hoez) and alcohol (?).” RS’20 “The group also returns to its roots for some of the most testosterone-drenched material since their debut. Then again, OutKast doesn’t take its posturing too seriously, which is why they can portray women holding their own, or make bizarre boasts about being So Fresh, So Clean.” AMG “Given the variety of moods, it helps that the album is broken up by brief, usually humorous interludes, which serve as a sort of reset button. It takes a few listens to pull everything together, but given the immense scope, it’s striking how few weak tracks there are. It’s no wonder Stankonia consolidated OutKast’s status as critics’ darlings, and began attracting broad new audiences: its across-the-board appeal and ambition overshadowed nearly every other pop album released in 2000.” AMG |
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First posted 3/20/2010; last updated 4/21/2022. |
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