impressed by Outkasts lyrics

[newtrix1]

Much of the criticism aimed at hip-hop and rap are the offensive and viloent tone of the lyrics. Seems like I've been binging on Outkast albums lately (the latest one plus "Stankonia" and "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik"), and I'm continually impressed by the complexity and topics of their lyrics.
Outkast certainly won't win any awards from the 'moral majority', but their lyrics rise above the standard verse-chorus-verse, and songs like "Get Up, Get Out" (from "Souternplaya..."), are simply amazing to listen to.

[3-LockBox]

I know its essentially a two-disc, two solo set, but how would you catergorize it? More hip-hop than funk, or vise-versa? I don't mind an occassional hip-hop song, but wouldn't want to own an entire album of it. I do like old school funk, and I do like Prince's older stuff.

[ForeverAutumn]

Much of the criticism aimed at hip-hop and rap are the offensive and viloent tone of the lyrics. Seems like I've been binging on Outkast albums lately (the latest one plus "Stankonia" and "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik"), and I'm continually impressed by the complexity and topics of their lyrics.
Outkast certainly won't win any awards from the 'moral majority', but their lyrics rise above the standard verse-chorus-verse, and songs like "Get Up, Get Out" (from "Souternplaya..."), are simply amazing to listen to.

Gimme an example, please. I kinda like the music, but honestly, I haven't paid much attention to the lyrics.

[Snowbunny]

Gimme an example, please. I kinda like the music, but honestly, I haven't paid much attention to the lyrics.

'Scuse me for butting in here....

Ahem... I love this song, and it took me about half a dozen listens to realize what they were saying in this song, which, if I'm not mistaken samples from an old Commodore song? Anyone know this for sure?

Excuse the language if it makes it to this post!

Boom, Boom, Boom.
Heh, Heh.

[Big Boi]
Ready for action, nip it in the butt.
We never relaxin’, OutKast is everlastin’
Not clashin’, not at all but see my ***** went to do a little acting.
Now that’s for anyone askin’ give me one pass em’
Drip drip drop there goes an eargasm
Now you cumin out the side of your face
We tapping right into your memory banks (Thanks!)
So flickle the tickle lets see your seat belt fastened
Trunk rattlin’ like two midgets in the back seat wrasling
Speakerbox vibrate the tank, make it sound like aluminum cans in the back.
But I know ya’ll wanted that 808 can you feel that B-A-S-S, bass
But I know ya’ll wanted that 808 can you feel that B-A-S-S, bass

[Chorus]
I like the waaaay you move
I like the waaaay you move (Whoo-o-o!)
I love the waaaay you move
I love the way, I love the way.

I love the waaaay you move
I love the waaaay you move (Whoo-o-o!)
I love the waaaay you move
I love the way, I love the way.

[Big Boi]
Then the whole room fell silent (Shhhhh!)
The girls all pause with glee, turning left turning right hardly looking at me,
But I was looking at them, there, there on the dance floor
Now they got me in the middle feeling like a man whore
Specially the big girl, big girls need love too no discrimination in this world.
So keep your hands off my cheeks, and let me study how you ride the beat
You big freak!
Skinny, slim women got the ghetto within them
You can **** them, lift them, bend them, give them something to remember
Hail out timber when you fall through the chop shop.
Take a deep a breath and exhale your ex male friend, boyfriend was boring as hell
Now let me listen to the stories you tell and we can make moves like a person in jail.
On the loco

[Chorus]

[Sleepy Brown]
Heeeey baby, girl don’t you stop
Come on baby dance on the top of me
You so fine (you so fine) you so fine
You drive me outta my mind (my mind, outta my mind!) Oooh baby!
If I could I would, just be with yoooou baaaaby
Ooooooh Cause you like me and excite me and you know you gotta leave baby!
Oooooo!

I like the waaay you move (I like the way you move)
I like the waaay you move (Ooo you so sexy baaby!) (Whoo-o-o!)
I love the waaay you move
I love the way, I love the way (Whoo-o-o!)

I love the waaay you move (I love the way you move)
I love the waaay you move (Ooo you so sexy baaby!) (Whoo-o-o)
I love the waaay you move
I love the way, I love the way.

I like the waaay you move
I like the waaay you move (Whoo-o-o!)
I love the waaay you move
I love the way, I love the way.

I love the waaay you move
I love the waaay you move (Whoo-o-o!)
I love the waaay you move
I love the way, I love the way

Heheh... there you go, girlfriend!

[newtrix1]

I know its essentially a two-disc, two solo set, but how would you catergorize it? More hip-hop than funk, or vise-versa? I don't mind an occassional hip-hop song, but wouldn't want to own an entire album of it. I do like old school funk, and I do like Prince's older stuff.

First off, I don't think Outkasts music will convert any non hip-hop fans. My guess is that if you don't like the genre, you won't like Outkast either. If you're open minded to it though, you may want to check out an album, I think they have the potential to appeal to a wide audience. The current release "Speakerboxx/Love Below" is a 2-disc set (it's my personal least favorite but I still like it). "Speakerboxx" is mainly Big Boi and "Love Below" is Andre, the "Speakerboxx" disc is similar to their other albums and is mostly conventional rap/hip hop. Andre's "Love Below" disc is the one that's more like soul & funk (although it's not conventional at all) and comparisons to Prince can easily be heard. However I think he tried too hard to create a new sound, and it alienates me somewhat.

[newtrix1]

Gimme an example, please. I kinda like the music, but honestly, I haven't paid much attention to the lyrics.

The song I mentioned is "Git Up, Git Out" off their first album (the song Snowbunny posted is "The Way You Move"). Now that I think about it, "Git Up, Get Out" does follow a verse-chorus-verse pattern, but the verses are all different and very lyrically prolific. The chorus is a positive anti-drug message:

Chorus:
*****, you need to git up, git out and git somethin
Don’t let the days of your life pass by
You need to git up, git out and git somethin
Don’t spend all your time tryin to get high
You need git up, git out and git somethin
How will you make it if you never even try
You need to git up, git out and git somethin
Cuz you and I got to do for you and I

in between the chorus' are several rhymes telling 'real life' stories of users. No holds barred, just straight up ghetto life stories that can easily lead to using. I thought it was insightful, and if you appreciate rhyming, this is top notch.

[Dave_G]

Regardless of all this, those guys are making a ton of money.

They must be doing something right.

Dave

[newtrix1]

You really have to hear them not just read them. More-so than other music styles, eh?

[ForeverAutumn]

You really have to hear them not just read them. More-so than other music styles, eh?

Maybe it's just me, and I don't care who's saying it, but ***** is offensive.

Good for them for trying to put out any kind of a positive message that might have a good influence on their fans, but I didn't find the lyrics that Snowie printed particularly insightful.

I think that I'll stick to enjoying the music and ignoring what they are actually saying.

[newtrix1]

Maybe it's just me, and I don't care who's saying it, but ***** is offensive.

Good for them for trying to put out any kind of a positive message that might have a good influence on their fans, but I didn't find the lyrics that Snowie printed particularly insightful.

I think that I'll stick to enjoying the music and ignoring what they are actually saying.

I hear you, there's lots of words that were once taboo, but now are considered acceptable. The "b" word (for woman or girlfriend) is one that makes me flinch every time I hear it, but it's fairly common jargon now.
I'm surprised you can listen to music and mentally shut out the lyrics like that. I can't

[ocrazor]

First off, I don't think Outkasts music will convert any non hip-hop fans

Actually for me, it has done just that.

[Audio Girl]

I gotta tell ya, it's not the lyrics that have drawn me to this group. It's the beat, and the get-up-and- dance factor. I just got back from my company's awards dinner program/party. When the Outkast songs began blasting loud and clear, people who had been sitting all night got up and danced (including yours truly), and their music made the evening super memorable for me. I asked my 31-year-old female colleague "who the heck is that and what is that song"...it was "Hey Ya!" She was pretty pleased that an old geezer like me had taken notice. :0 It spurred the first music purchases in almost 6 months...To be honest, I really haven't listened to the lyrics so there could be something offensive but I haven't had time to listen enough to be offended. :-)

Best,
Mary

[rocstar143]

i really like outkast i just found a new artist who worked with them and appeared in their video for roses. his name is king and he is a kick ass artist with a very differennt sound. his new single shes into star wars i think is gonna be the hit of the summer

[nobody]

You need to check out ATLiens and Aquemini if you haven't. For my money, those are the two jewels in thier catalog so far.

I have mixed feelings about the problem people have with rap lyrics. ON the one hand, I think it does lean toward the racist, considering most rock lyrics are pretty devoid of higher meaning as well and have been espousing treating women like sex toys and posing defiant and anti-authority for decades, so why all of a sudden the problem with rap? hmmm...looks pretty odd to me.

Howeve, I read a great interview with Afrika Bambaataa not long asgo where he lamented the state of rap and rap lyrics and I have to agree 100% with what he was saying about how its a shame that mainstream radio and MTV have very little room for anything but Gangsta stuff. Gangsta Rap is sellable product in the extreme; most of it is so formulaic by this point in time that its really just mainstream production line stuff. It's a shame if you lok over the history of hip hop and see the wide variation in style and the creativity that many people have brought that only this little sliver of it gets any attention at all.

When Gangsta rap first hit, it was, in my opinion, a well-needed look into the struggles and pain of ghettos at the time, which were largely ingnored by mainstream America. Gangsta Rap shown a light into the darknes for the rest of the world to take a look at what was happening. Unfortunately, over time, it has devolved into a mass of crass boasting about guns, money and girls. Sure, that was present in early Gangsta Rap, but it was nowhere near the whole package, and in the early days there was actualy creativity rather than the rap by numbers that it has become.

As much as I like Dre's The Chronic, I can almost point to that one album and its takeover of the mainstream rap world as almost singlehandedly bringing the rap world down as ever since it took the world by storm, less and less rap outside the gangsta side of things has gotten any exposure. Shame that I feel that way now about what was one of my favorite records when it came out and I still love it.

OK..enough of that. OutKast kickas ass without being all gangsta. They're ghetto yeah, and not alwoas the most polite brothas on the block, but they tell real stories and come at things with a great fresh perspective...

"Now question is every ***** with dreads for the cause? Is every ***** with gold for
the fall? Naw! So don't get caught in appearance it's Outkast Aquemini another Black experience"
- OutKast, Aquemini