Stankonia
Stankonia | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 31, 2000 | |||
Recorded | 1999–2000 | |||
Studio |
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Earthtone III | ||||
Outkast chronology | ||||
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Singles from Stankonia | ||||
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Stankonia is the fourth studio album by the American
For the follow-up to their 1998 album
Stankonia received universal acclaim from music critics upon its release, and has since been regarded by many to be one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, selling over 530,000 copies the first week. It was supported by three singles: "B.O.B", "Ms. Jackson", and "So Fresh, So Clean"; "Ms. Jackson" became the group's first single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. At the 2001 Grammy Awards, Outkast won Best Rap Album for Stankonia and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Ms. Jackson". In 2003, the album was ranked number 359 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, 361 in a 2012 revision, and 64 in a 2020 reboot of the list.[2] A re-issue of the album for its 20th anniversary with previously unreleased remixes was released on October 30, 2020.[3]
Background
In 1998, OutKast released their third album Aquemini to critical acclaim while diversifying and expanding their sound. The album's success also attracted national attention to the Southern hip hop scene.[4] Having collaborated on the Aquemini track "Skew It on the Bar-B", the Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon later recalled the duo's impact at the time: "Before that, the South just wasn't played in New York. But that song was hot, the flows was crazy. The cycle changed. It really opened up the door for Southern rappers."[4]
In March 1998, OutKast purchased a studio nearby Northside Drive in
Recording
The recording of Stankonia began in spring of 1999 and lasted for about a year.[5] Owning a studio helped the band expand creatively, as the duo did not need to worry about time constraints that would occur with a rented studio.[6] André 3000 observed, "You can sit there and fuck with just a kick and a snare all day long if you want to ... You're not working on the clock. Really, you're just working on your mind."[6] Big Boi spent the majority of the recording time in the studio, while André 3000 worked at home, creating beats and experimenting with an acoustic guitar.[5] One song that came from a jam session on the guitar was "Ms. Jackson", the album's second single.[5] André 3000 also created song lyrics by writing words on the walls of his home: "I had planned to paint my house anyway; writing on the walls was just something I would do."[8] One stray lyric on his wall eventually developed into "Gasoline Dreams".[8]
Much of the album was formulated during "vibe sessions" in which the group and producers would visit clubs in downtown Atlanta, select performers they saw, and invite them to the studio.[9] They would then "sit around, smoke a few, drink a few", and create ideas for new songs.[9] However, recording sessions became difficult as André 3000 grew tired of rapping on songs, which made Big Boi and the producers uneasy about how the music would sound.[5] To maintain musical cohesion with Big Boi while continuing to expand his vocal palette, André decided to combine rapping with soul-inspired crooning, which had a major influence on Stankonia's sound.[5] "Snappin & Trappin'" features a guest appearance from the then-unknown rapper Killer Mike. The rapper noted that while working with Outkast, he used the opportunity to try to "compete" with the duo to improve his rapping skills.[10] Big Boi was impressed with Killer Mike's abilities, noting, "When I first heard him spit, his voice was just so commanding. He's a very intelligent guy."[10]
Composition
Music and style
While OutKast's previous albums were considered to be laid-back, mellow efforts, Stankonia contains faster, more high-energy tempos, partially to reflect the "chaotic times" at the end of the 20th century.
On Stankonia, OutKast experimented with a wide variety of musical genres. According to M. Matos of
Lyrics
I think what's really interesting about this album is that it is absolutely
conscious hip-hopera. We have to remember that, at this particular time, those two genres are starting to branch off. And the thing is, Stankonia encompasses all that.
According to
The album commonly features the words "stank" and "smell" in their
Much of the album discusses the status of women in the South, and contrasts with the misogynistic attitudes common in hip hop music. In his book Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide, Oliver Wang writes that songs such as "Slum Beautiful" and "Toilet Tisha" "reimagine 'round the way girls, not only as just more than one-dimensional accessories, but as objects of affection with lives and concerns that are worth exploring."[17] In "Toilet Tisha", the duo empathizes with suicidal pregnant teenagers.[27] "Ms. Jackson" is dedicated to the mother of a mother of an out-of-wedlock child, which André 3000 refers to as "the baby's mama's mamas".[6][16] Inspired by his relationship with Badu, who had given birth to their son Seven, the song serves as an apology to a "baby mama"'s mother for causing her daughter pain.[31] "I'll Call Before I Come" discusses the members putting a woman's sexual needs before their own.[32]
Commercial performance
Stankonia debuted at number two on the
The lead single released from Stankonia, "B.O.B", peaked at number 69 on the R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart.[41] However, the single was banned from many urban Top 40 radio stations due to its title and the subject matter it was assumed to have.[19] On February 3, 2001, "Ms. Jackson" topped the R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart, and then on February 17, the single also reached number one on the Hot 100, remaining on the chart for 22 weeks.[42] The song also reached number 13 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart, as well as number three on the magazine's Radio Songs chart.[42] The third single, "So Fresh, So Clean", peaked at number 30 on the Hot 100, and stayed on the chart for 20 weeks.[43] The single also peaked at number ten on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart, and number 24 on the Radio songs chart.[43]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 95/100[44] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [45] |
Alternative Press | 5/5[46] |
Entertainment Weekly | A[30] |
The Guardian | [47] |
Los Angeles Times | [48] |
NME | [49] |
Pitchfork | 9.5/10[50] |
Rolling Stone | [51] |
USA Today | [52] |
The Village Voice | A[53] |
Stankonia received universal acclaim from contemporary
Legacy and influence
Stankonia has received many accolades and appeared on many magazines' "best of" lists; in his book Dirty South, author Ben Westhoff noted that the album appeared on "every critical best-list worth mentioning."
In 2006,
With Stankonia, OutKast became the first hip hop act to openly acknowledge
Track listing
All tracks are produced by
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro" |
| 4:08 | |
13. | "Good Hair" (interlude) | 0:14 | ||
14. | "We Luv Deez Hoez" (featuring Backbone and Big Gipp) |
| Organized Noize | 4:10 |
15. | "Humble Mumble" (featuring Erykah Badu) |
| 4:50 | |
16. | "Drinkin' Again" (interlude) | 0:24 | ||
17. | "?" |
| 1:28 | |
18. | "Red Velvet" |
| 3:52 | |
19. | "Cruisin' in the ATL" (interlude) | 0:19 | ||
20. | "Gangsta Shit" (featuring Slimm Calhoun, C-Bone and T-Mo) |
|
| 4:41 |
21. | "Toilet Tisha" |
| 4:24 | |
22. | "Slum Beautiful" (featuring Cee-Lo) |
| 4:07 | |
23. | "Pre-Nump" (interlude) | 0:27 | ||
24. | "Stankonia (Stanklove)" (featuring Big Rube and Sleepy Brown) |
| 6:51 | |
Total length: | 73:07 |
Notes
- ^[a] signifies a co-producer.
- "So Fresh, So Clean" contains a sample of "Before the Night is Over" by Joe Simon.
- "Ms. Jackson" contains a sample of "Strawberry Letter #23" by The Brothers Johnson.
- "We Luv Deez Hoez" contains a sample of "Worldwide" by Allen Toussaint.
Personnel
OutKast
Guest performers
|
Musicians
Design
|
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[105] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada)[106] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[107] | Gold | 7,500^ |
Norway (IFPI Norway)[108] | Gold | 25,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[109] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[110] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
See also
References
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Bibliography
- Boyd, Todd, ed. (2003). The New H.N.I.C.: The Death of Civil Rights and the Reign of Hip Hop. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-9895-9.
- Brackett, Nathan, ed. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition. Fireside Books. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- Crazy Horse, Kandia, ed. (2004). Rip It Up: The Black Experience in Rock 'n Roll. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-6243-0.
- Hess, Mickey, ed. (2007). Icons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture. ISBN 978-0-313-33903-5.
- Moon, Tom, ed. (2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List. Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
- Reynold, Simon, ed. (2007). Bring the Noise: 20 Years of Writing About Hip Rock & Hip-Hop. Faber & Faber.
- Wang, Oliver, ed. (May 1, 2003). Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide. ISBN 1-55022-561-8.
- Westhoff, Ben (May 1, 2011). Dirty South: OutKast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop. ISBN 978-1-56976-606-4.
External links
- Stankonia at Discogs (list of releases)
- Stankonia at Metacritic
- Stankonia at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- Playing God: Stankonia at Stylus Magazine
- Graphic Designer, J. Michael Rush