For the past 5 years, I’ve spent 95% of my time away from my home. Because of that, every now and then I feel forced required obliged compelled to do something to prove my unwavering love for Atlanta.
Another thing I often feel compelled to do is aggressively “take it there”. What better way to celebrate your blog being a weekend away from 100 straight days of posts (1/5 of the way to completion) than to work until sunrise on a single post.
People, without further adieu:
(Click on brackets to enlarge)
Yeah. This is happening. Right now. Cancel your meeting in 15, because I’ve got you for at least 25.
RULES
1. Seeds — #Based on popularity of song, determined by me.
2. Main Draw — Outkast songs ONLY
3. Play-in Games — Songs featuring BOTH Andre & Antwan
4. Advancing — No algorithms, no electoral college, simply based on which song is better, once again determined by me.
5. Final 4 Location — Tri-Cities High School Gymnasium, 2575 Harris St., East Point
Note: This is your last opportunity to leave this page, because in about 10 seconds, it’s getting super real.
……………………………
ROUND 1
Brief Run-Through of Round 1
Adamsville
B.O.B. easy; Crumblin ‘Erb is too good to lose this early; Git Up, Git Out is even more star-studded than Black Ice; Calling the “Me and You, Yo Mama and Yo Cousin Too” hook from Elevators “catchy” is a rude understatement; BIG UPSET: Although Jay-Z on an Outkast track is huge, Mighty O saved Idlewild and is one of the few times 3000 and Left Foot have hopped on the same song in the past 10 years; How dare a song challenge Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik; UPSET: Myintrotoletuknow is one of the most underrated Outkast songs ever; BIGGEST UPSET OF FIRST ROUND: The game isn’t “pick which song is best to play at a hip 40th high school reunion”, but if it was, The Way You Move would only fall to Step in the Name of Love. I’m proud to have Stankonia’s Gasoline Dreams make it to the Round of 32.
College Park
Does Hootie Hoo have a harmonica? Did they get sued by an old lady bittie Hootie Hoo Jenkins? I don’t think so; Andre rhymes “clandestine activity” with “soliloquy” in Wheelz of Steel, sorry D.E.E.P.; UPSET: The acceptance speech at the end of Chonkyfire is almost as good as the song; Andre invents a math term in Skew It On The Bar-B (Nigga Numerator) and we all know math trumps all; I love Mamacita, but I’ll still know all the words to 3000’s last verse in Ain’t No Thang when I have great-grandkids; BIG UPSET: Slum Beautiful is probably the greatest Track #22 ever made, also “Yo daddy must of gave you a teaspoon of honey every night before you went to bed, or was it a pack of now-and-laters cause you the sweetest thing on my head.”; UPSET: So Liberation 2-ups Slum Beautiful, by adding Erykah Badu and Big Rube. Also, this song is extremely important, which is unfortunate for Morris Brown, which really can’t afford any more losses these days…; Sure they’re not both rapping in Roses, but we get to at least pretend that maybe they were in the studio together and still are BFFs that like to share plates of fish and grits.
East Point
Hey Ya! will stand the test of time. (Human History — 2012); If I’m not mistaken, in Humble Mumble, Andre says “We chicken nugget, we dip in the sauce like mop and bucket” #winning; BIG UPSET: Royal Flush = Top 5 Dre verse ever. No question. It’s also like 17 minutes long; The story of Sasha Thumper > everything else; UPSET: My wedding will be shockingly similar to the Int’l Players Anthem video. Also, the song is alright, I guess; Ghettomusick is an achievement in frantic. It has no peers in the frantic category.; UPSET: I’m partial to anything associated with the Soul Food Soundtrack, and In Due Time is no different. Also, Cee-Lo is in full preacher mode in this song.; Before So Fresh, So Clean, I had no idea there was a company called YKK that apparently made the entire world’s zippers. Thank you, Big Boi.
SWATS
Although Big Boi did say he was “dropping bombs like a North Korean nuclear missile”, Ms. Jackson isn’t going anywhere… for now…; UPSET: Benz or Beemer is a unbelivable song, but Andre rapping the story of his life for 5+ minutes is too good to be true.; “Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn” – SODopaliscious; Aquemini is perfect. That’s all, for now.; Big Boi’s “cooler than a polar bear’s toenails” is one of the more classic rap lines. Also classic, the word ATLiens. Also classic, the song ATLiens.; Seems like a blowout, but easily the closest match up of the first round. There is a part of me that believes Dave Chappelle’s “Playa Hater’s Ball” sketch wouldn’t have been made without Player’s Ball, and that’s unacceptable. Sorry Claimin’ True; UPSET: In high school, I got locked in my “friend’s” trunk while he drove around, blasting the Intro to Speakerboxxx. That traumatic experience aside, an album can’t begin in a more epic fashion than this.; The Whole World, the surprise single from the greatest hits album, had great verses from Dre and Big, but Killer Mike delivers a career boosting verse. On to the next round.
Round 2
Brief Run-Through of Round 2
Adamsville
In the battle of the chillest vs. the hypest, B.O.B (the hypest) dominates; SMALL UPSET: Each rapper’s personal tale on Git Up, Git Out makes the message of Elevators almost seem childish; Wait, both Andre and Big Boi do three FULL verses on Southernplayalistic? Nothing from Idlewild stands a chance (not even you, Paula Patton); While Gasoline Dreams did pull the upset of the first round, the amount of great content the duo packs into 2:42 is incredible.
College Park
Rosa Parks is a significant portion of the country’s first introduction to Outkast. Not a bad way to introduce yourself; UPSET: Chonkyfire is one of the better album-enders I can think of, but the Raekwon sandwich that is Skew It on the Bar-B is simply a better song. Don’t believe me, listen to Big Boi come in on the 3rd verse when the music drops… too tough; BIGGER UPSET: Sorry Slum Beautiful, but there’s nothing you can do against Ain’t No Thang‘s front line of Pimps, Players, Mac Daddies, and of course East Point. Nothing.; EVEN BIGGER UPSET: Roses is awesome, because there are some girls that do smell like doo-doo, but Liberation is basically an 8+ minute religious experience. It simply overwhelms Roses.
East Point
Think about the first time you heard Hey Ya! By the time he says “My baby don’t mess around”, I knew this would be one of the bigger songs… ever (coupled with the fact that my mom would almost crash our car dancing to it while driving); UPSET: Suzie Screw and Sasha Thumper are taking no prisoners in this contest. Next.; BIGGER UPSET: I want a song to knock out International Players Anthem, because it’s not a true Outkast song, but Ghettomusick is not that song. UGK + Kast is too good.; The vanity that surrounds So Fresh, So Clean is great. When this song comes on, people have about four minutes to just show off, and there’s nothing more fun than being in a room where everyone is collectively showing off.
SWATS
#1 SEED UPSET: After more than 70 minutes of Andre not rapping in the Love Below, he ends his work with a reminder that he has not lost a step. Sorry Ms. Jackson (oooooh), but you are the first #1 to fall, please collect your belongings and leave the island. Now.; UPSET: SpottieOttieDopaliscious vs. Aquemini in the second round is just not an ideal situation, because with a better luck of the draw, both could easily end up in the final 4. With that said, SWATS is turning out to be the realest section of the bracket (and the city…) Someone must win, someone must lose, and (shockingly) it’s not too difficult to pick SpottieOttie. I don’t know how they came up with this song, but it’s nothing short of a masterpiece. Don’t ever try to throw it into a box or categorize it, because there is nothing like it. Sorry Aquemini.; UPSET: While ATLiens and Player’s Ball are 2 more heavy hitters, ATLiens is clearly a better song. If this song comes on and I’m by myself, I’ll STILL throw my hands in the air, simply because I do as I’m told.; BIG UPSET: The Intro to Speakerboxxx only has one lyric, “Speakerboxxx”, and it is still a superior song to The Whole World. I’ll gladly throw this into the ring as one of the 5 best beat ever made. Without hesitation.
Who’s Still Standing?
**************************************
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik — 4 songs | ATLiens — 1 song | Aquemini — 5 songs
Stankonia – 1 song | Speakerboxxx – 2 song | The Love Below – 2 songs | Other – 1 song
**************************************
SWEET 16
Longer Run-Through of the Sweet 16
Adamsville
There’s a reputable publication out there that chose B.O.B. as the song of the decade. While I disagree, I see where they are coming from and as an ATLien, it makes me extremely proud. B.O.B sounds like nothing before it and no one has even attempted to duplicate it’s sound since it’s release in 1999. Also, this is one of the few examples of Big Boi potentially out-weirding Andre in his verse. A hard task, but he definitely succeeds. Sorry Git Up, Git Out, but, per usual, the rag top prevails.
This is a match up of Track 2 vs. Track 5 from Outkast’s first album. Listening through the whole album, Myintrotoletuknow sets up Southernplayalistic perfectly, but once Track 5 actually rolls around, you almost forget any other songs exist. Like from this and other albums. The first single from their first album is just too good. Buh-bye Myintrotoletuknow, it’s been real.
College Park
Like the aforementioned matchup, Rosa Parks and Skew It on the Bar-B is an intra-album matchup, but this one’s even closer in track proximity (Rosa — Track 3 vs. Skew It — Track 4). Both of these songs are crucial cogs in Aquemini’s overall perfection, but if you use the MVP argument, which is, if taken off Aquemini, which song would cause the album to suffer the most, the answer is Rosa Parks. It’s easily the most valuable song of the two.
I referred to Liberation as a religious experience earlier, which it is, but at a certain point you just have to leave church. When it’s time to leave, the only thing I want to do is listen to Ain’t No Thang. It sounds like someone angered both Andre and Big Boi before they recorded this song, because they both seem a little peeved. I love it. They were angsty teenagers when they made this and it comes through in the brash lyrics. It’s like listening to an infinitely more talented, 1994 version of Odd Future. Swag.
East Point
#1 SEED UPSET: I’ll be the first to say Hey Ya! is an epic song. With that said, it’s just Andre, doing his spaced-out, Capt. Crunch, weird schtick and no Daddy Fat Stacks. For that reason, coupled with the fact I’m still not at a point to articulate my feelings about Sasha Thumper, Da Art of Storytellin, pt. 1 will easily move on to the Elite 8. Easily.
Finally, a song to oust International Players Anthem. This song and So Fresh, So Clean are sort of similar songs, in the sense that they both inspire an old-man two step and are only for the coolest of cats. While I love International Players Anthem as much as anyone, I think there’s an argument that this song doesn’t exist had So Fresh, So Clean not existed. They both will go down as legendary songs, but SFSC gets the nod. Sorry I’m not sorry.
SWATS
A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre, 5:27 of just 3 Stacks, is a beautiful work of art. With that said, once again, it’s just Andre and I’m definitely not one of those people that believes that Big Boi is a sidekick. They are equal parts of a dynamic duo and there are few songs that show off the duo in all of their glory like SpottieOttieDopaliscious. I mean, not to diss any solo-Andre projects (because the Love Below is one of my favorite albums), but the trumpet in SpottieOttie is better than any track on the Love Below. Just the trumpet. Add a plate of yams with extra syrup and some Old E and there’s no question who comes out of this matchup.
As much as I love the Intro from Speakerboxxx, ATLliens has too many good words to lose to an instrumental track, even if that track has ruined car stereos across the metro-Atlanta region. The Intro put up a good fight, but ATLiens is just too much. Way too much.
Still Standing?
**************************************
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik — 2 songs | ATLiens — 1 song
Stankonia — 2 song | Aquemini — 3 songs
**************************************
ELITE 8
Lengthy Rant on the Elite 8
Adamsville
When B.O.B. came out in 1999, the city of Atlanta had never heard music like that. So loud, so fast, so wild, so energetic. It was a wonderful time to be a Atlantan and a music fan. With that said, in 1994, the city of Atlanta and the surrounding world had never heard a song like Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. To quote another Outkast song, “I hope that you’re the one… If not, you are the prototype.” Southernplayalistic is actually the one and B.O.B. is the prototype. If that initial single gets released and no one likes it, then that’s that and Big Boi and Andre’s dropping out of Tri-Cities is for nothing. But it did work, and then some, and the rest is history. Final 4 bound, Southernplayalistic.
College Park
It’s really hard to pick between Rosa Parks and Ain’t No Thang, but the main difference is the multi-dimensionality of Rosa Parks. Ain’t No Thang is great, because it’s just them rapping their hearts out. That’s a beautiful thing to listen to, which is the main reason it’s stood the test of time (literally, and in Stankoff 2011). With that said, Rosa Parks has so much going on and they pull it off. The verses, the hook, the harmonica, the ho-down, and last, but not least, the fact that the song is called Rosa Parks. The quality of verses in the two songs are equally high, so the tie goes to the song with other things to offer. Winner: Rosa Parks.
East Point
I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but I’ve said relatively little about Da Art of Storytellin, pt. 1. This is true, because the song is overwhelmingly good. No disrespect to So Fresh, So Clean, but 5 minutes after listening to it, I’ve moved on. After I listen to Storytellin, pt. 1., I stop what I’m doing, I sit down, and I just think about things for a while. Few rap songs have more substance and tell better, more poignant stories than Da Art of Storytellin, pt. 1. Easy win to the Final 4 (Side note: My wireless network last year was called “Slay Like Vader”. No big deal).
SWATS
Picking a winner between SpottieOttieDopaliscious/ATLiens is like being asked to decide what is better, Denzel’s mid 90s mustache or my early April mustache? On the surface, they are equal and extremely important to society as a whole. With that said, the times that the members of Outkast decide to tell stories show them at their best and SpottieOttieDopaliscious could not be a better example of that. It takes you to another world for about 7 minutes and when you return, things are slightly different, regardless of how many times you’ve heard it. I have nothing bad to say about ATLiens, there are just a few more exemplary things about SPD that cannot be overlooked. For that fact, welcome to the Final 4.
Who Left?
**************************************
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik — 1 song | Aquemini — 3 songs
**************************************
FINAL FOUR
Southernplayalistic, Rosa Parks, Da Art of Storytellin, pt. 1, SpottieOttieDopaliscious
I could listen to these 4 songs on loop. Forever.
At this point in the tournament, there are no weak songs. Of these 4, Rosa Parks is the weakest and it has no weaknesses. What these final two rounds come down to is a set very personal feelings I harbor about Outkast, home, and what they have meant to me over my 24 years of living. Rosa Parks is a classic song and easily one of the most enjoyable songs to listen to. When I hear Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, however, my response isn’t “this is enjoyable”. It’s “Outkast might be the greatest duo, ever.” This song exemplifies the tempo of Atlanta and it’s residents and they somehow figured that out before their 18th birthdays. Legendary.
As for the battle of Aquemini tracks, SpottieOttie gets the upper hand for simply being the coolest song Outkast has ever made. To me, this is the song that took Aquemini from a great album to being heralded as one of the 6-7 best hip-hop albums of all time. It forced everyone to think outside of the box and reconsider what it meant to make hip-hop, something Outkast has made people do throughout the course of their careers. Storytellin, pt. 1 is my song when I need to get a wake-up call on life, but SpottieOttie is my song when I want to be reminded about how beautiful music can be.
**2011 STANKOFF CHAMPIONSHIP**
Game. Set. Match.
The Winner: Southernplayalisticadillacmusik.
Between the content, the context, and it’s staying power, this is the ultimate Outkast song. This should not be seen as Outkast peaking with their first song, but simply a testament to the strength of their mature, adventurous, complex, beautiful debut.
This album is my Illmatic and this song is my “N.Y. State of Mind.”
That’s all. I’m spent and I really need to take a nap.
Thanks for reading and thank you to all the people who I know will read this and send it to everyone they know and love. I hope you’ve enjoyed it, and it’s been a pleasure displaying my love for my city in the most aggressive way possible, outside of a Hank Aaron face tattoo.
I love ‘Kast and I love my city.
500 Days Asunder 
Fan-tastic, Rembert. You have truly done the world a service here. However many hours you spent on this, it was time well spent.
Two minor disagreements:
“Gasoline Dreams” is (slightly) better than “Myintrotoletuknow.”
“Slum Beautiful” is (slightly) better than “Ain’t No Thang.”
One major disagreement:
“I’ll Call Before I Come” doesn’t appear to be on the bracket. That’s a borderline Sweet 16 track.
I love this.
this is the best blog post i have ever seen anywhere.
how the fuk spottieottie only gonna get a 5 seed?
dude. i’ve put that song on and no one has ever heard of it. that’s why. it’s a shame.
you were in the wrong basement then?
damn
I cleaned my kitchen tonight in my b-boy stance, in flip-flops and socks, with sweat pants, because of this bracket.
Spottieottie is the best. I definitely spent 8 minutes arguing with myself about it vs. ATLiens, which was fun.
They’re all the best.
Quibble with Roses as a 2, but you ended with the right 4.
and it don’t quit, and it don’t stop
This post made me miss Atlanta in a big bad way. Killed it.
Thanks for puttin the time, thought, energy, and love into this.
Peace,
BK
Good work, just glad to see that Aquemini is very similar to the ACC in basketball: the Big East may be hot now, but the ACC has ever lasting appeal.
Glad that cadillacmusik got the win, “I’m down with L.A. Reid, cause yeah, he pays me…”
Rem: you just made my night, man.
Fantastic! ‘Slump’ shoulda made it in, but it couldn’t have won. It’d do better in the NIT.
I just turned this into a 64-song playlist. Pumped to relisten to old favorites and find some new ones. Thank you thank you thank you.
THIS IS DOPE !!!!!, A HISTORY LESSON ON THE ATLIENS VIA MUSIC, SOMEONE SHOULD DO A JAY-Z ONE, MAYBE I SHOULD OR ELLIOT WILSON HA !
Atliens was a bit poorly represented to me. Elevators should be a 1 or 2 seed, and I couldn’t even find Jazzy Belle.
Agreed. 2 Dope Boyz is a 15 seed? We played that on repeat when that song came out and we were just old enough to be driving around in a shitty car.
This was beyond wonderful. Tough draws for “Hootie Hoo” and “West Savannah.” I had them going deeper. But thrilled with “Da Art of Storytelling Pt. 1” making it to the Final Four. Very well deserved.
One’s for the players at the crib drankin dranks. And two is for the sound, hootie hoo that I makes, hootie hooooo
I’m out for weblogs that represent me.
I’m out for weblogs that represent me.
I’m out for weblogs that represent me.
I’m out for Southern fuckin weblogs that represent me.
Epic post. I must say, though, that while SpottieOttie is probably in my top-2 ‘Kast songs of all time as well, I take slight issue with the trumpet comment being better than all of The Love Below. The idea of the trumpet, I agree, is better than that entire album. But if you listen to the track closely you can tell that it’s clearly a synthesized trumpet. Yuck. If there’s one thing I hope for in the future of Outkast. Like, for instance, when they release their 25 year anniversary gold-plated album or whatever? I hope they hire the best trumpet player on earth and re-record a real trumpet playing over that track.
I mean the idea of doing a dub/funk track with trumpets? Mind blowing. Earth-shattering. The follow through of recording it with a synthesized trumpet? layup.
And, like I said, it’s still so up there as a track for me just because of the incredible amount of artistry that it took to pull that song (and that album) together. If they had a do-over, I’m sure they would excise Mamacita from that album and record a real trumpet.
Epic song. Epic post!
Your wish has been granted:
Lack of inclusion of “Jazzy Belle” and “Red Velvet” is totally baffling, but this was amazing.
Fantastic work sir. And, I’ll second the Spottie-trumpets-as-best-thing-ever. My wife and I entered our wedding reception to those trumpets.
AWESOME
gotta say though, i’ve never connected with southernplayalisticaddi to the extent u have, but no hating on personal preference. me, i actually like players ball more (*ducks). and mad props for having art of storytellin in the final four
ohmygosh that was amazing
This is seriously amazing and I love all the thought you put into this.
My two cents: I’m also wondering why Jazzy Belle isn’t on here. I probably would have had Liberation in the Final Four over Rosa Parks, but the rest of the Final Four was perfect. I’m also SO SAD that Spottie lost in the end! It’s the best song of all time.
WOW! Good read. You must have spent hours on this man. Worth every second. “This album is my Illmatic and this song is my “N.Y. State of Mind.”
Loved that the most………Proves once again that Illmatic is the STANDARD for Hip Hop Classics.
Bravo
Wow dude as wack as these march madness-like brackets are this time of year, you actually did this one justice and more..definitely the right choice in s’playalistic being the champion but c’mon man wheres jazzy belle??? That song, specially Screws version, is arguably the most chill beat ever. But all is forgiven cuz it wouldn’t of stood a chance to the undisputed champ
No love for Mainstream off of ATLiens….I think that should’ve been in the bracket but nonetheless….dope.
Mainstream and Jazzy Belle two of the big omissions TBH, but great article.
This was the best use of wasted time I’ve ever had. The word “awesome” pales in comparison to what this is…monumental homie…monumental.
Very interesting. Great job.
For one thing, this bracket was just ridiculous. I can tell you love Kast and I am Kast stan. Some of the first round matchups should of been in the Elite 8 or Final 4. “Aquemini” or “13th Floor” is like asking who is your favorite brother. That is how hard some of these matchups were for me. I have a bracket for like an hour now and still not finished with the 1st round. But this is a great pleasure man. Stanks you very much for doing this for all the Kast lovers and reppin the city of the A. Eastside representing!
Excellent job….with such a huge catalog to choose from pickin 64 can be nerve wreckin’…wish it was room for art of storytelling 2 and 4. The train 2 and as a play in smpkefest 99
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I wasn’t a huge fan of Hey Ya and it was an epic song can’t deny that. But according to your rules it shouldn’t even be on here it didn’t include both Andre and Big Boi. All in all it was a cool lil tourny.
Your personal preference sucks. Ain’t no way Wheelz Of Steel is better than DEEP….
@JPM
Well this guy put together a well thought out bracket that probably took a little bit of time to put together.
What the fluck have you done lately?
I must comment…. I will have to say that this is the best post i have ever read on HipHopdx. I am the ULTIMATE OutKast fan and this is such a great representation of respect to the Greatest and Best HipHop Artists (Big and Dre). It was great seeing this post. And im passing it on to all my peoples for our own debates. Great blog Pimpin….
B’ham (205) fa life….. H.A.M.
Let me digg into ya brain, Folks fallin like rain……
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NO RED VELVET??????? Get the fuck outta here!… This is like an Outkast commercial contest. Best songs IMO Red Velvet, Art of Story Telling, Synthasizer, ATLiens…
krizz relax
If I had lost this cd I would have baught it again in one second. Thr song "Rosa Parks" is the song of the year in my book.
I just got homesick reading this post…
ATL is the greatest city in the SOUTH & OUTKAST showed everyone why with each album!
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good stuff! thanks for crafting
You just brought me back to my college days when I had them on permanent rotation on the CD player – yes it was the 90s! I still can’t get enough of their beats and rhymes. Your opinion and my opinion aside about what is their greatest song…this is genius. So glad my girl from Dartmouth put me on and I hope you win the blog awards.
I have a lot of disagreements with this, but none of that matters. Outkast is my favorite musical act, and regardless of whether or not I agreed with the way each match up played out, this is amazing, and it was an amazing read. To hell with my personal preferences, I’ve got nothing but love. Mad props man.
I remember back in about 98 or early 99 when Lauryn Hill was on top and Outkast opened for her in Detroit. I bought Southernplayalistic to find out who Outkast was, not expecting much….and whoa…I kept re-listening to it and thinking, damn this shit`s good. Any room for Flim Flam as a #16 seed? “Got some gold chains…” Thanks for the awesome explanations…your story is gold.
I think by far the hardest draw is SpottieOttieDopalicious vs. Aquemini. SOD is amazing, but Aquemini slows down time. It changes the framework of the universe around me when it comes on. I’m always amazed when I see it’s less than 10 minutes long. And when the music goes out and the bells clinging is the only thing that lets you know the song may not be over, my whole body starts to tingle and then Big Boi just slams me when he comes back in. Epic line— “more than a hobby when my turntables get wobbly they don’t fall” . Amazing creation, fantastic job on this.
This was my very first thought when I scanned the brackets initially… I saw SOD and Aquemini on the proverbial collison course. I had little doubt that the winner of that match-up was likely making it to Tri-Cities HS. As a worshiper at the Parish of Aquemini, I was disappointed it didn’t go further… but it made me re-listen to SOD. Beautiful indeed.
anybody who has “Hey Ya” beating “Millenium” (the most underrated ‘Kast song ever) loses a lot of credibility. i scanned straight to the bracket to see if this joint was even worth reading…. the fucks on your mind fam?
I haven’t read it, so I couldn’t tell you. I’d guess not, though. #Zone4
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Great post. I was one of the few white guys in AZ talking about outkast when their debut album dropped in 94. Glad to see ‘da art of storytelling’ made the final 4. Big boi’s flow on that track is only rivaled by Nas’ contribution to ‘verbal intercourse’ on raekwon’s ‘only built 4 Cuban links’ album. Little disappointed ATLiens album didn’t have a better showing in the later rounds. Especially that you didn’t include ’13th Floor / growing old’. Once u get past the the first minute that song is top shelf chilled outkast. This made me reminisce about a lot of great music over the last 15 years. Wish I could get even half the quality from today’s artists and Andre and big boi hv been delivered.
This may be the single greatest thing I’ve ever read on Outkast. My only beef was Elevators getting eliminated so easily. Other than that i had 3 out of the same 4 u had (sorry Rosa Parks) in the final 4. Dope.
P.S. I read your ST Ides/Sprite competition on Grantland where you said Az and Nas teamed up for the 6th best song on Illmatic. Huh?!?! If Life’s a B* is the 6th best song i have to know the 5 better and if you did a write up on it please send link.
Brilliant. But you forgot “Tough Guy”…. That song could’ve at last made the Elite 8.
This & the Jay-Z post inspired me to do a “Nas” bracket last night. The Final was “NY State Of Mind” vs. “It Ain’t Hard To Tell,” with the latter winning. For hip-hop/sports geeks like me, you may have created a monster…. Even though VIBE sort of did it a couple years ago, but still….
Late to the party. Really liked the spirit of this post but the exclusion of Growing Old is ABSOLUTELY inexcusable.
The most underrated Kast song is Spaghetti Junction which in my opinion was the best track on Stankonia.
My boys and I @Southern U…used to sit and debate these same things for HOURS!!! Its really all that we could manage (along with playing TONS of Basketball, Playstation & burning CDs) to do to keep us out of trouble up on the bluff! Great concept materialized!
Awesome list, dunno Decatur psalms isn’t on there though.
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Where is Babylon and I reckon u could of stuck Land of a million drums in, sure it wasn’t great at the time but listen now its ill
Great concept, my dude! A lot of upsets in my opinion. Outkast is just one of those groups that pushes the envelope, evolves and still keeps its loyal fans from SouthernPlayalistic.
…catching this almost a year later and I’m hella glad I did. Just seeing all these songs compiled for ANY reason was worth the price of admission. For personal preference I would have found a way to slide Red Velvet and Funkin’ Around (Greatest Hits) on there somewhere…
Masterful. You are a outlast blackbelt
But Ya, I would have to say mainstream, jazze bells dpsalms and growing old should definitely b on there, “fat titties like fat ass turn to flab, souls that were open eventually turn to scab, trees bright and green turn yellow brown autumn caught them, see all the trees must fall down. Growing Old!”
I actually found this blog via the “Who Won 2011” bracket you just did on ESPN’s Grantland. You definitely get an A for compiling this list and breaking everything down.
Hard to disagree with Southernplayalistic as the champion. Southernplayalistic over B.O.B. in the Elite 8, is like choosing Chicago over Miami in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Both are great teams/songs that could easily be in the Final 4. And the winner between the two could’ve easily been the choice of Champion of Stankonia or in the case of Chicago/Miami, the eventual NBA Finals champ. If this were a video braket, B.O.B. would win hands down. But it’s hard to disagree with your reasoning for choosing Southernplayalistic.
As an OutKast fan, I just have to believe that you just forgot about “Jazzy Belle” ( hard to believe, but that’s the only explanation I can come up with ). That at the very least is a Sweet 16 song from OutKast and deserving of a 4 – 6 seed. Damn . . how DID you leave that song out of the bracket . . really? I guess that was equivalent to a real good mid-major team being left out of the tournament, because they got upset in their conference tournament and didn’t get an automatic bid into the Big Dance.
Also, Da Art of Storytelling ( part 4 ) is Andre 3000 at his finest, although Big Boi’s verse on that was kinda weak. No way is that song weaker than Kast’s appearance on the remix of Walk It Out. Storytelling ( part 4 ) at the very least deserved a 9 or 10 seed.
But that’s nitpicking. The bracket and breakdown was great. I need to do a Public Enemy version of this. Great job man.
Note : typing this from
my iPhone 3 , hitting a bowl watching Seinfeld . So I won’t be fixing spelling errors or punctuation .
At first I got excited to see 64 songs from outlast ( see ) and be able to go wayyyyy back and remember my life and how each song makes me think of bla bla bla
then I got pisses bc of your seeding . 2 dope boys as a 15 . That was the one that madee want to reply with an angry shit talking email. Luckily I am just barely not lame enough and I stopped myself because I had a thought . That thougt was basically this : here’s this dude who I’m guessing is around my age (26) … Another note .. Using parenthesees here is totally defeating the meaning behind my introductory note … Continuing on the thought … Instead of hating you I should be glad there is a fan of daddy fat sacks and the black guy from four brothers that was a thousand times better than Tyrese . I should be glad you like them so much enough to actually put this on a website that I’m assuming is important for your career . Since I’m high I don’t feel like checking to see if you put this right onto grantland or if it was like a blog you did before you got hired . But either way , and especially if you did it right onto grantland then I say tha is fucking awesome . for an outlast , ok I’ll fix it now , outkast fan to put this out is a good look for their music. And to write it all up in an NCAA style production and all that and get it into this website , which i love is even better . Anyway , good job but since I hope you know that I’m on your side I want to tell you that you’re rankings are very suspect . # 1 fuck up is putting 2 dope boyz as a 15 seed . Absolutely unacceptable . I’m glad there’s someone reppin the spaghetti junction in grantland but the seeding selection is boooooooty . Keep up the good work though I like what you’re doin . And if you see bill simmons tell him to either put up his NBA trade value thingy for this year or let us know when it’s coming . I know it’s early yet . Peace
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Seriously…how was Player’s Ball not on this list. First single and arguably the 2nd best track on Southernplayalistic. That being said, this list is fire!
No Hootie Hoo?
You cannot be an Outkast fan.