In my eyes, there is one musical duo that that puts every other group to shame. When it comes to beats, lyrics, production, and the way it makes you feel, I believe the best artist of the 21st century is Outkast. “Outkast mixes R&B and hip-hop in a really melodic way. Andre 3000’s angelic voice and flow compliments the beat very well. The meaning that their songs hold and the way they sing makes you feel as if they are speaking from the heart. Outkast makes it seem like they are telling you a story or having a conversation with you face to face. Everyone who has listened to Outkast has felt their songs on a deeper level.” Says one student I surveyed.
Outkast’s Big Boi and Andre 3000 have overcome generational boundaries and have connected with many kids of this generation, and people of past generations. Their songs have been played by everyone, according to a student I interviewed, referring to the song “Ms. Jackson”. “Everyone knows it. My cousins have played it, my family has played it. This is a total classic that has stood the test of time.”
If you take a trip through their discography, you will be filled with every emotion imaginable. Their first studio album southernplayalisticadillacmuzik gives anyone listening a taste of Southern rap. It’ll make you jump, and it fills your body with a total sense of funk. Then, their second release ATLiens follows up with a similar vibe, so “if you like fish and grits and all that pimp shit”, then you’ll love this album. In the next album, Outkast takes a slight turn and dives into more of a R&B soulful rap. In my opinion, this album has one of the best rap songs of all time: “Da Art of Storytellin’, Part 1”. Then, Outkast fully dives in an R&B style of rap with the next album Stankonia. This one holds one of the most popular songs Outkast’s discography “Ms. Jackson”. Then, in their second to last album, Speakerboxxx/ T Love Below, Outkast fully embraces an R&B-pop style, which you can hear in their most popular party hits like “The Way You move”, “Hey Ya!” and “Roses”.
To wrap this up, I believe Outkast–with their constant stream of hits–is the best music group of the 21st century.
