Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

Outkast

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 23, 2003)
• Original Release Date: September 23, 2003
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: La Face
• ASIN: B0000AGWFX
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (797 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,177 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #2 in	Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > Southern Rap
  #7 in	Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > Experimental Rap
  #31 in	Music > Pop > Pop Rap

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
At a time when experimentation is taboo in most overground rap, that’s all Outkast seem intent on executing. Firstly, this double CD has no cohesive link, other than the fact that it sounds like a pair of solo albums stitched together to demo exactly how Andre’s yin works to augment Big Boi’s yang. Andre 3000’s Love Below disc rates as the more eclectic of the two, given that he’s turned in his emcee credentials to become a full-on funk-soul-jazz vocalist who mostly sings about items of love ("Happy Valentine's Day"), carnal lust ("Spread"), and female adoration ("Prototype"). Minus the big band schmaltz of "Love Hater" and cheesy cover jobs ("My Favorite Things"), Andre’s disc is sick (meaning great). As is to be expected, the Big Boi disc is less arty, more gangsta and worldly, and features the less-progressive guest raps of ATL crunk purveyors Lil’ Jon and The Eastside Boyz ("Last Call") and Jay-Z who rhymes the hook on "Flip Flop Rock". Unlike Big Boi, Andre keeps his collabos to a minimum, once crooning alongside Norah Jones on the cool yet sappy "Take Off Your Cool", and once with Kelis. Boi fulfills his Dungeon Family duty with flying colors by flipping some dirty southern up-tempo raps over electro beats on "GhettoMusick". By the time Cee-Lo sermonizes on "Reset", Speakerboxx and Love Below rate mostly as majestic and inspiring, with the remaining 23 per cent being just plain incredible --Dalton Higgins

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Love Below/Speakerboxxx, September 27, 2003

By	"funkymf87" (Westford) - See all my reviews

I want to start this out by saying that Im not a huge rap fan, but this is still an incredible album. Of the two albums Andre 3000's The Love Below is the better and more interesting of the two. He strays away from any traditional rap sound and carries a more funky jazz vibe. My favorite tracks on the album are Love Hater which is basically a laid back jazz tune, Spread which is extremely funky, Roses with a cool piano intro and a catchy chorus, Hey Ya! with its acoustic guitar, awesome synth riff, and chorus, My Favorite Things is a crazy reworking of the original, Dracula's Wedding is short but sweet, and Vibrate is funky with great lyrics.

Big Boi's Speakerboxxx is my second favorite in this double album. It seems to stick to a more traditional rap style but is extremely funky. Ghetto Musick is a great track with a great backing track and chorus, Bowtie with crazy horn lines and great hook, Bust is a great track with a hard rock edge to it and great raps, War is a song about the problems in the world today, and Church is a great funky track. Definitely pick this album up if your looking for some music that isnt afraid to try something new in a genre that needs new life.

56 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SPEAKERBOXXX/THE LOVE BELOW, November 10, 2003

By	cool_wit_it_22 (Huntington WV USA) - See all my reviews

The genius of two men: Andre 3000 & Big Boi shine on this 2-disc album titled SPEAKERBOXXX/THE LOVE BELOW. Aready worldwide superstars, Andre & Big Boi take their incredible new hip-hop/funk/jazz/soul style into the mainstream. Here are the track highlights for the best songs.

Disc One - SPEAKERBOXXX

"Ghettomusick" is a fast-paced thrill ride with an electronic/techno sounding beat to back it up. Big Boi uses his high energy raps and slows down in-between to make an amazing first song.

"Bowtie" is a funky, infectious, pimp-flavored anthem where Big Boi brags about all he's got. The hook, as well as the rhymes, are all very catchy and solid.

"The Way You Move" is the infectious, jazz-influenced lead single that is bringing the sales of the album to a whole new hight. The rhymes and the soulful hook make this a great song.

"The Rooster" is another jazzy-type track where Big Boi asks you to "put ya back in it".

"Tomb Of The Boom" is a good straight-forward hip-hop track featuring rhymes from Ludacris on the side. Great song with infectious rhymes.

"Last Call" is a crunked-up party banger that features Slimm Calhoun, Lil' Jon among others. Very good track. Followed by a needless reprise of "Bowtie".

Disc Two - THE LOVE BELOW

"Happy Valentine's Day" is a funky, stylistic track which finds Andre 3000 playing the role of Cupid Valentino -- "the modern day cupid".

"Spread" is an hard to describe song but it sounds good and Andre 3000 really sings his all on the hook.

"Prototype" is a slow love song following the worthless interlude "Where Are My Panties?".

"Hey Ya!" is the infectious, dance-floor ready first single that has millions 'shakin like a polaroid picture'!

"Roses" is a concept song about how looks aren't everything. The hook makes it clear with the words "roses really smell like poo poo".

"Pink & Blue" is a buffet of interesting sounds that is hard to describe but very good.

"Vibrate" is another interesting song with some very interesting sounds.

"A Life In The Day Of Benjamin Andre" finds Andre 3000 spitting for the first time on the album. Followed up by an untitled bonus track.

OVERALL - 4 STARS because of the needless skits on SPEAKERBOXXX and the horrific song "Love Hater" on THE LOVE BELOW.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantabulous, November 21, 2003

By	Mud Pyramid "rilaly" (Omaha, Nebraska USA) - See all my reviews

I am not a fan of rap music. For the most part rap is like country music in that there is a format that most rap groups follow to appease their core audience. Having said that, I probably would've never listened to these albums. Speakerboxx is a little more formulaic, and it is the music that hardcore rap fans will enjoy. It's definitely quality rap music, don't get me wrong, but it is basically the formulaic rap music to which most are accustomed. The Love Below, however, is the dramatic departure. TLB is, quite simply, some of the most brilliant music I have heard in some time. I hate to draw comparisons, because this music is so refreshingly original, but you can tell Dre has spent a great deal of time listening to Prince. There are moments in this album for just about every lover of music. The lyrics are funny and brilliant, and the music is jaw dropping. The intro alone, let's you know that you are in for something you have never heard before. It makes one picture a Frank Sinatra or Sammy Davis jr. in a 70's special smoking a cigarette with lovely ladies around them. Love Hater will catch you off guard with it's jazz style experimentation. It could be my favorite song on both discs. Even if it's not, it may have been the song that made me want to run out and buy this disc after someone let me borrow it. Happy Valentine's Day reminds me of a lesser known group called Mother Love Bone. It's definitely displays that Andre Benjamin has a craftsmanship that is among the elite in his business. Whether you are a rap, jazz, or rock fan you do have to appreciate when someone reaches this level of craftsmanship. I'm reminded of a line most use to describe Michael Jordan: He works so hard, he makes it look easy. You listen to these first few songs, and you are left to wonder why everyone isn't making music this incredible, this crisp, and this effortless. There is nothing here that will make you contemplate the theory of relativity. In Spread and Prototype, for example, you simply have a man singing about love and his perfect woman, but Andre proves that you don't have to sing about the fall of the Roman Empire to be brilliant. Hey Ya! is the one that everyone knows. It's the hit. It makes you think of the Beach Boys and Prince. It's the essence of this music that makes it so enjoyable however. It's weird in the manner that David Bowie was weird in the '70's, it's groundbreaking in the manner that Purple Rain was groundbreaking in the '80s. I'm normally someone who seeks out the more independent style of music, along the lines of a Mike Patton or a Damon Albarn, but this is my favorite album of 2003, and it is becoming burned into my CD player. I'm going to guess that you will probably see Andre Benjamin become a solo artist after this disc because if there is any justice in this world a piece of art like this disc will place him in the stratosphere for years to come.