I was going to say I am a hater of rap music, but that’s not really true. I like some of the stuff Prince did in “Diamonds and Pearls,” but otherwise, I haven’t been exposed to too much of it.
Fell asleep Friday night with the TV on and woke up just in time to catch Outkast perform on Letterman. Pretty good stuff! I wrote down their name so I would remember it and fell back asleep. Checked out Amazon.com and they had their latest album featured at a g reat price, but I hesitated as I wasn’t sure. Also trying to get the credit cards sown and I’m sure to use them on vacation in a couple of weeks.
Anyway, I was in Target today and they offered the CD at a price comporable to Amazon’s after including shipping, so I got it.
Scanned a bit of “The Love Below” and pretty much liked it right away. The song performed on Letterman was “Hey Ya!”
Listening to “Speakerboxxx” right now. I was worried that I wouldn’t like it as well as it was described as more mainstream rap. But I’m surprised at how much I do like it so far. It’s not just people shouting but actually sounds like music.
Mid-life crisis already? Just turned 44 a week ago today and now I’m listening to rap. (Guess I can’t buy a red convertible as I did that when I turned 30.)
If you like that, try Stankonia, their previous album, or pick up Dre and Big Boi present… which is a greatest hits compilation.
They probably won’t be as innovative as Speakerboxx/The Love Below but only because they’re a few years old now. That said, I listened to Stankonia again the other day, and it still sounds ahead of most other mainstream hip hop. Not as creative as Hey Ya or Ghetto Musick, but it still holds up.
“Ghetto Musick” is deliciously old school. Because of the mood I’m in right now I’m emjoying The Love Below more than Speakerboxx. “Hey Ya!” is currently my favorite song evah.
I think it’s great Dre and Big Boi decided to continue working together even though their music was moving in different directions. I feel I’m getting a full Outkast experience, especially as they worked on each other’s albums.
I don’t like most rap and I still like Outkast. They hardly qualify, almost. Have you listened to the other disk? The one with all the jazz on it? Great stuff.
Second, congratulations on opening yourself up to a new musical horizon. You may or may not be interested to know that I myself wasn’t a fan of hip hop until I got into Outkast and now I’m a true believer. You may have taken your first step into the world of hip hop.
I know that. But he does feature some rap in the “Diamonds and Pearls” album. “Jughead” and “Push” sound like rap to me. I remember reading an essay that said that Prince lost some of his audience because he ignored rap for too long.
I do feel sheepish though, as I think I should have refered to OutKast’s music as “Hip Hop” instead of rap.
International Playboy: Outkast is hip hop, but they’re still rap (even if Dre doesn’t do it that much any more).
I’ve heard some of Prince’s rap, and I wasn’t real impressed. That said, if he’d developed an interest earlier, he could have done some really good things production-wise. I listened to Pop Life the other day, and I kept getting Neptunes vibes.
I can’t stand it… I’ve got to wait two more weeks before the album’s released in Australia. I think I’ll have to do some more downloading. Or check out Amazon. Or both.
Even though the interludes and whatnot definitely detract from the albums, the music is phenomenal. Speakerboxxx is my preferred disc of the two. “The Rooster,” “Bowtie,” and “Flip Flop Rock” are incredibly catchy.