While it is true that Wikipedia wormholes are a procrastinator's best friend, they often yield fascinating results. Today's example: Outkast won Album of the Year for Spearkboxxx/Love Below at the 2004 Grammy Awards. They did not simply win rap album of the year (which they also won that year, as well as in 2003 for Stankonia) but Album of the Year--this is the first rap album to have won this award and is quite an accomplishment. Remembering this, and also realizing my relative deficinency in Outkast knowledge, I decided to dedicate the next few days (weeks? months?) to listening to their discogrophy.
Outkast, like Public Enemy, is a group I only know from their greatest hits, despite knowing that they are one of the pre-eminent rap groups of all time. In my mind, Outkast are in the top 5 rap groups ever assembled--and this is only based on some cursory listens to their first three albums, the radio cuts from Stankonia and listening to Speakerboxxx in my dad's car (my dad is a big fan of Big Boi). Outkast also ranks as the best rap artists that do not belong in my collection--for whatever reason, I have never purchased an album. It is embarrassing, especially because I know I will love their records. I am a huge fan of what I have heard, Big Boi continues to release good material and Andre 3000 continues to impress with every feature verse.
**Sidebar: Is Andre 3000 the best featured rapper of all time? Honestly, name another rapper who has been so consistently dazzling on every track her appears on, regardless of context. Go ahead, I'll wait.
Case in point: This T.I. track, which features (maybe) the best rap verse of all time. Seriously.***
With this in mind, I am setting out to listen to every Outkast track ever released.
Now, if you excuse me, I have to continue my Wiki-wormhole. I am reading some riveting facts about the Soviet War.
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