Click HERE to purchase this album.

This album was released on August 27th in 1996. I don’t really know what to say. It’s another Outkast album. I’m really looking forward to it. If you read my review of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, then you should know that I’m really not that familiar with Outkast. I’m not really sure how this album compares to their other work. I know that it’s a classic album, but I’m not sure where it’s ranked in Outkast’s overall discography. That could be said for all of their albums tho. Well, except Idlewild, but we’ll get to that. I don’t think I’ve heard any of the songs on this album. I mean, I KNOW that I’ve heard Elevators, but that’s only because it’s in Grand Theft Auto V, and it’s pretty hard to hear the song over the sound of gunshots and police sirens. Anyway, I’m expecting this album to be dope.

Track 1: You May Die (Intro) [Prod. Organized Noize]

Oh shitfuck… This production is so fucking good. It sounds a lot smoother & more polished than anything that was on Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. There’s an uncredited female vocalist performing this song. Andre & Big Boi are nowhere to be found yet. I don’t think I should rate it, but for what it’s worth, I really enjoyed this track. This is a promising start to the album.

Track 2: Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac) [Prod. Organized Noize]

This song starts with the same “greetings, earthlings” intro as D.E.E.P., which was my favorite song from their first album. This beat is dope af. Big Boi’s on the first verse. His flow sounds really unorthodox. The first verse was great. Andre’s on the hook. It’s dope. Damn. Andre’s verse was dope af. It was pretty short, but the shit he was saying was so dope. The last two verses at the end were great too. I really fuck with this song. Nothing about it is super unique, but they just did everything really well. This is a great song. The beat is great, and Big Boi & Andre were both spittin’ their asses off. I definitely fuck with this track. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 3: ATLiens (Prod. Earthtone Ideas)

Yes. This beat is dope af. Big Boi killed the first verse. This hook from Andre 3000 is dope af. Goddamn. Andre’s verse was crazy. He wasn’t spittin’ his ass off and coming for the industry’s neck or anything, but when you just listen to what he’s talking about and the way he’s saying everything, it’s unbelievable. How did he even think to write about that shit? Why did he even WANT to rap about that shit? This is crazy. The last two verses at the end were great too. This track is even better than the previous one. The beat is dope af. The hook is really catchy. Big Boi & Andre 3000 both killed the verses. I definitely fuck with this. This is dope af. The music video was actually pretty cool too. 5/5

Track 4: Wheelz Of Steel (Prod. Earthtone Ideas)

Oh, I guess I should’ve explained this during the previous track; Earthtone Ideas is a production team comprised of Andre 3000, Big Boi & Mr. DJ. Okay, this song is starting now. Yes. This beat is dope af. Oh my God… This is so awesome. The first two verses from Andre & Big Boi just ended. This hook is dope af. I’m assuming Mr. DJ is responsible for the scratches. He did a good ass job. I love how they were tradin’ four bar verses after the first recital of the hook. This song is dope af. This album is fucking awesome so far. It’s like every song is better than the last. I’m only 3 full songs in tho, so I won’t start praising it like that just yet. But this song is definitely dope af tho… 5/5

Track 5: Jazzy Belle (Prod. Organized Noize)

This beat is dope af. Oh God… I don’t know how I feel about this first verse from Andre 3000; his flow was great, but the shit he’s actually saying is kinda rubbing me the wrong way. “I hate thinking that these the future mamas of our children / They fucking a different nigga every time.” I already mentioned this double standard when I reviewed J. Cole’s first album. It’s so annoying when people blame entire generations’ problems on mothers just because they enjoy having sex. It’s not like Big Boi & Andre 3000 haven’t bragged about having a lot of sex before anyway. As a matter of fact, Andre even admits to having sex with this same exact girl whom he’s condemning on this very song. I mean, I’m still enjoying the fuck outta this song sonically, but I could definitely do without the slut shaming. Big Boi’s verse has the same exact problem. Euuuughh. The lyrics bothered me, but I still enjoyed this song in terms of the production, and both of the members’ flows. Oh God… “Most of the girls that we was liking in high school; now they dykin’.” Are you fuckin’ shitting me right now Andre? Jesus… Well, I already told y’all how I feel. I enjoyed the song, but it definitely loses points for the criticism I just gave… 4/5

Track 6: Elevators (Me & You) [Prod. Earthtone Ideas]

Okay, I’m pretty excited to actually hear this song for real. It’s starting now. This beat sounds pretty similar to Lil Black Boy by King Los. It’s kinda hard to get a grasp on this beat when that main loop keeps fading in and out. I really like it tho. It’s really laid back. The first two verses were dope. The hook isn’t bad. Goddamn. The third verse from Big Boi was dope, but Andre killed that last verse. His flow was on point. I actually really fuck with this song. The beat is really calm and laid back, and the verses from Andre & Big Boi are great. I definitely don’t think this was a good choice for Grand Theft Auto tho. I would’ve chosen a more energetic song for… Wait a minute… Why was Outkast even in Grand Theft Auto V? That game takes place on the West Coast… Well, I guess it was only one song. It’s good that they had some variation in there instead of only having Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg & Kendrick. But yeah, this song really doesn’t fit in Grand Theft Auto very well to me. I still really like the song tho. This is dope af to me. I really don’t know what to make of the music video tho. 5/5

Track 7: Ova Da Wudz (Prod. Earthtone Ideas)

This beat is dope. The first verse from Big Boi was dope. Who is this on the hook? Oh, it’s Witchdoctor… That name sounds familiar… OH SHIT, I remember seeing commercials for this guy’s music on Adult Swim when I was littler. The commercial was weird as fuck tho…

Yup. I used to see that commercial all the time when I was like 8 years old. I always thought it was a joke tho. The commercial is so bad; I didn’t know Witchdoctor was a real rapper. I definitely had no idea he was with Dungeon Family. Mostly because I didn’t know what Dungeon Family was. I forgot all about this guy. Why was that commercial on Adult Swim tho?? Was it on any other channel? Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Anyway, the hook isn’t bad. The second verse from Andre was great. Big Boi did his thing at the end. I fuck with this song. It’s definitely not amazing or anything. It’s a solid Outkast song. Not the most memorable track; I enjoyed it tho. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track 8: Babylon (Prod. Organized Noize)

This beat is dope af. Andre did his thing on the first verse. This uncredited hook from Andrea Martin is fantastic. She sounds great. Huh. This is kinda weird… Andre’s literally rapping about how sex is evil. “They call it horny because its devilish.” Oh God. He sounds like my fuckin’ Theology teacher. Well, at least there isn’t a double standard in this song. He’s not talking about women who like to have a lot of sex. He’s literally just rapping about lust. This doesn’t really resonate with me lyrically… It probably would if I wasn’t an atheist. I don’t really think it’s bad tho. I just don’t really have the desire to listen to music about stuff like this. Big Boi’s finally goin’ in on the last verse. His verse was pretty good. I like the song, but the subject matter really didn’t do much for me. I only really like this because of each member’s flow, the hook, and the production. The actual lyrics didn’t really do anything for me for the most part. I fuck with the song tho. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track 9: Wailin’ (Prod. Organized Noize)

This beat is smooth as hell. Big Boi’s on the first verse. “Never eating chicken thighs.” Man, I’m getting so fucking hungry listening to this album. That has to be the third or fourth time they’ve mentioned chicken on this project. Anyway, the first verse was dope. Andre’s verse was really good too. I’m not really blown away by this song tho. I see some people saying that Andre 3000 killed his verse, and that his flow was “absolutely insane.” I mean, it was nowhere near a bad verse, but really? It wasn’t THAT damn good… I don’t think his flow was that much doper on this track than it usually is. It was just a very good verse. Big Boi’s verse was very good too tho. Anyway, I fuck with this song. BOTH of the verses were very good, and the beat was good too. I’m not blown away tho. I wasn’t amazed by either of the verses. There’s no hook or anything. The song has a very simple structure. It’s just two verses with a short break in between. I enjoyed the song tho. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track 10: Mainstream Feat. Khujo & T-Mo (Prod. Earthtone Ideas)

Goddamn. This beat is dope af. This is definitely one of the better beats on the album so far. T-Mo’s on the first verse. Damn. He killed it. I actually REALLY enjoyed his verse. Honestly, that was probably the most thought provoking verse on the whole album so far. The way he emphasized certain words kinda reminded me of Tupac’s delivery. His voice provides a nice contrast to both of the members of Outkast. His voice sounds like it holds more weight and is fuller. The hook is cool. The second verse from Andre was dope. Khujo’s verse wasn’t bad. The way he stretched out the words at the end of each bar was kinda annoying, but it’s not that big of a deal. I still enjoyed his verse. Big Boi did his thing on the last verse. I really fuck with this song. The verses were all dope, and the beat was great. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 11: Decatur Psalm Feat. Big Gipp & Cool Breeze (Prod. Organized Noize)

This Cool Breeze guy is on the first verse. The beat is dope af. Breeze’s verse was dope. Big Boi did his thing on the second verse. The last verse from Big Gipp was cool. The song just ended. Andre 3000 isn’t on this song I guess. This song is kinda underwhelming. I really like the production, but other than that it doesn’t really do much for me. I enjoyed listening to it, but I don’t think I’d ever have the desire to listen to it again. It’s alright. Definitely not a bad song. It just didn’t do much for me personally. It has nothing to do with Andre 3000 not being here. I don’t think he would’ve made it that much better. It’s an alright track. 3/5

Track 12: Millennium (Prod. Organized Noize)

Andre starts goin’ in on the first verse as soon as the song starts. I usually don’t like it when songs start like this, but I guess it’s not that big of a deal. The beat is dope af. Andre’s verse at the beginning just ended. I guess this song is just about being depressed. The first verse was great. This hook really shouldn’t work as well as it does. It’s good tho. I don’t even really know how to describe it. Andre’s singing, but he’s not saying any words. That’s pretty much all I can say. I don’t really know how else to explain it. Big Boi’s goin’ in on the second verse. “The clique is tighter than gnat ass.” Wow. That’s really tight. Big Boi’s verse was great. “‘I’m proud of you peoples for selling your crack in sacks / I’m glad I’m white not black‘ / Shit, on the real, that’s how them whiteys really act.” I really fuck with this song. I have no problems with this track. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 13: E.T. (Extraterrestrial) [Prod. Earthtone Ideas]

Oh shit. This beat is dope af. The first verse from Big Boi was great. The hook kinda sucks, but it’s not bad enough for me to penalize the song. It’s not even really bad. It just doesn’t add anything to the track for me. The percussion still hasn’t come in yet. I hope it does soon. Hopefully before Andre’s verse starts. Nope. The song just ended. The beat never drops. Andre’s verse was great, but I’m pretty disappointed that there was no percussion. I still really like the song. I think the production is great. I just wish it had drums. This might’ve been one of my favorite songs on the album if it had percussion. I’m not gonna lose sleep over it tho. I still like the song. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track 14: 13th Floor / Growing Old (Prod. Organized Noize)

This track opens up with a Spoken Word intro from Big Rube. It’s pretty great. I like the smooth, piano driven production in the background. I guess the Spoken Word part of this track from Big Rube is 13th Floor, and the actual Outkast song is Growing Old. This beat is dope af. This might actually be my favorite beat on the whole album. It’s so relaxing. Andre 3000 killed his verse at the beginning. His flow was on point. That’s probably my favorite verse from him on this whole album. This uncredited hook from Debra Killings is great. Big Boi’s verse was dope af too. The last two verses at the end were great too. This song is so fucking relaxing. I definitely fuck with this shit. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 15: Elevators (Me & You) [ONP 86 Mix] {Prod. Organized Noize}

This is obviously a remix of the original Elevators song. I won’t be rating it since the only difference is the beat. Okay, it’s starting now. Huh. This beat sounds really similar to that of the original song. I think the only difference is the percussion and the addition of some record scratches. There’s also a new bassline. Nah. The original is better. The bassline sounds really out of place. It’s still a good song, but the original version is far superior in my opinion.

Final Thoughts:

This album is great. VERY great. I love the somber vibe that the album gives off, as opposed to the almost celebratory atmosphere of the first album. The production was very solid throughout the entire project, and Andre & Big Boi both did a great job with each verse. I think I’m starting to understand why Andre 3000 always gets so much more praise than Big Boi. I thought they were pretty much even with each other on the first album, but Andre had a lot more standout verses on this one. It’s not that Big Boi didn’t do a great job; it’s just that Andre definitely stands out more on this album. From what I’ve heard, I’m assuming the disparity between the quality of their verses only increases with each project. Again, Big Boi is a great MC. I still think he’s under-appreciated. I understand WHY he’s under-appreciated tho. It’s not that it happens on every song, but whenever someone’s getting overshadowed on this album, it’s Big Boi. I really enjoyed this album tho. This album is very, very dope. This is as dope as it gets without being dope af. I’m not amazed by this album. I do think that it’s very great tho. I fuck with this album. It’s… Well, you know… It’s dope.

Favorite Song: Growing Old

Least Favorite Song: Decatur Psalm

Verdict:

89%

Tell me if I’m trippin’ in the comments below

If you enjoyed this article share it on Twitter & Facebook

Watch the video below for more thoughts on this album

Follow me on Twitter: @OGNickMarsh