Music : Stankonia

Rating: - deliciouslystankin
Outkast with a K... Some real good music on here, some classic stuff...so fresh, so clean with all the dirty south hits like gasoline and B.O.B...Humble as a Mumble in the jungles of shouts and screams.... that's the way erika sang it so I guess I've got to reroute my dreams...some b-real on the Xplosion of dirty beat that just makes you want to get some more outkast...

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Rating: - Very good, especially compared to most the rest of today's rap
The fourth album by this Georgian rap duo is widely considered to be about as good as alternative hip-hop gets. And you know what? Once you get past the interludes (the worst of which being the forty-second "I'm Cool", pretty much that title phrase on repeat. Fun...), I more or less agree. Like the similarly-minded Gorillaz, they know how to use headphone stuff to good effect - if it weren't for the quirky sounds, "So Fresh, So Clean" would be just another R&B ballad, but with them it's elevated to a pretty high level. And speaking of ballads, come on, who doesn't like "Miss Jackson"? I mean, I'm not even a rap fan, but I know a good song when I hear it, and that's one right there. But it's not just ballads: They really rock the house on the Public Enemy-influenced "Gasoline Dreams", a dense mix of samples; "Spaghetti Junction" is very funky; the nonstop rant "B.O.B." (that stands for "Bombs Over Baghdad") is downright hyperactive, but that's a great rhythm track it's got behind it. And just for variety's sake, they get all spacey and such on the psychedelic "I'll Call Before I Come" - think "Pink Floyd hip-hop", if that's even possible - and even include a haunted-house harpsichord on "Xplosion", as well as adding African rhythms to "Humble Mumble". Not all of it is great - I can safely say I do not like "We Luv Dees Hoes" (isn't OutKast supposed to be the alternative to stuff like that?); the noise attack "?"; or clichéd tracks like "Gangsta S***" or "Red Velvet". And even those are redeemed by the near-heartbreaking "Toilet Tisha" and the title track, with prominent guitar. Yeah, I don't even like rap, and this is good. A tough one not to like, even with the fillers and skits and such. It is a bit to long, though. Do not get this confused with your stupid "G-G-G-G-UNIT!" crapola. Big difference.

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Rating: - Uneven but often strong alt-hip hop album with crossover appeal
Though they had already made a breakthrough with Aquemini, it was Stankonia that graduated OutKast to the top of the lists for crowds celebrating hip hop, alternative and R&B. The two big hits (the frenetic "B.O.B." and the serious swing of "Ms. Jackson") are the real deal, with solid enough melodies and hooks to make one want to revisit them again and again. But like many rap albums, it goes on too long and has far too many interludes and throwaways, no matter if they're almost all at least mildly amusing or interesting on first listen.

"Gasoline Dreams" has a good rant that reminds of old school acts like Public Enemy and "We Luv Dez Hoez" rises above its annoying title by delivering a terrific rolling melody. But "Snappin' & Trappin'" has a stuttered beat that fails too grab hold and filler like "Slum Beautiful" and "Red Velvet" are immediately forgettable. While it remains overrated by rap fans and otherwise, this is still far more entertaining and respectable than the slew of embarrassing MCs that think they "speak the truth" on endless replay on MTV.

Best cuts: "B.O.B." "Gasoline Dreams," "Ms. Jackson," "I'll Call Before I Come," "We Luv Dez Hoez," "So Fresh, So Clean," "Humble Mumble," "Toilet Tisha," "Stankonia (Stanklove)," "Spaghetti Junstion"

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Rating: - It stanks in a good way
Southernplayalisticadillacmusik was a classic. Atliens was virtually spotless and so was Aquemeni but this album does have its flaws and as reviewers we need to point out certain flaws of an album instead of saying that everything is good just because you love the artists. That is being rational. Lets look at the positives as well as the negatives of this album shall we.

The Good: B.O.B, So Fresh So Clean and Ms. Jackson were all great singles and B.O.B. showed the lyrical agility of Dre and Big Boi as they kick superb rhymes over a fast-pased beat. Gasoline Dreams was the raucous kick off to this album and Khujo Goodie is still on point. Snappin & Trappin(featuring Killer Mike and J-Sweet) and Spaghetti Junction are both banging highlights(and is it me or did Big Boi take shots at Lil Jon and Emperor Sercy on Spaghetti Junction?). Humble Mumble which features Erykah Badu is another creative single with beautiful production and Red Velvet is an obvious jab at bling-bling rappers which is well done and Gangsta S*** is awesome(the remix on Greg Street's mixtape is not bad either). Its hard to say which one is my favorite off all the tracks listed so I'll just say all of them.
The Bad: A lot of the skits are not funny. We Love Deez Hoez(featuring Backbone and Big Gipp)is the worst song that Outkast has ever made next to Land Of A Million Drums(off the Shaggy and Scooby soundtrack)! The hook is stupid plus the guy doing the hook sounds like Baby Huey. Hahaha We Love Deez Hoez??????

The Ugly: I Call Before I Come is straight up filler, The campy beat sounds like background music for Mork And Mindy and why southern rap gods like Outkast would make a song with Gangsta Booty is anybody's guess. Xplosion(with B-Real and Witchdoctor)is another stinker that sounds like a bad sample of a Korn song. B-Real stunk it up worse with a weak jab at that wegro publication XXL or XXLAX(pick one)and what kind of a hook is that? And finally Slum Beautiful and Stankonia are two bland tracks that make avoiding sleep an impossible task. Bottom Line: Outkast's Stankonia is still a solid album despite these flaws. They still gave you some heat and the production was hard but they just had some songs that they could have gotten rid of. I would still recomend it but I'm not going to gloss over the fishy moments of this album.

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Rating: - Outkast Does It Again - Another Classic
Another 5-Star Classic from the hottest duo in the game. Standout tracks: So Fresh, So Clean - Ms. Jackson - Spaghetti Junction - but the single B.O.B. steals the show - so fresh and clean itself you might put it on loop for a few days before you listen to the rest of the album. This CD a definite must for any music collection regardless of your musical taste.