Music : Big Boi and Dre Present...Outkast

Rating: - Your best bet
If you're a hardcore OutKast fan, you already own this LP as well as all the others (or at least your personal favs since none of their offerings are exactly the same).

If you're lukewarm, more casual or just getting into 'Kast, this really is the LP you should start with because you truly get a "Greatest Hits Pre-2003" sampling of this group's many styles and flavors.

Do you like party music to jam to? It's here.

Do you prefer something funky & out of the ordinary? It's here.

Do you like above average lyrics and something that makes you think? There are songs on this CD that will fulfill that need as well.

Probably what makes OutKast so beloved, so respected and so watched is the fact they always find ways to be unique, innovative and more creative than what's out there in the world of music when they drop.

I honestly believe since they've been out for so long ('92, '93) and changed so much, every OutKast fan has a favorite OutKast sound or era.

The good news is that "Big Boi and Dre Present ..." has something for everybody!

'Kast's earlier work is a happy medium between funky but G'ed Up hip hop that's straight from the Gangsta Rap scene that dominated the better part of the '90s.

Songs like "Git Up, Git Out (and Get Something)," "Player's Ball," and "Ain't No Thang" kind of exemplify a time gone by. Big Boi 2 this day laughs about that material and where his head was -- yet this isn't a dis, but more of an artistic reflection. All of these tracks remain relevant and classic!

If Funk is more your thing, listen to "Crumblin' Erb," "Spottieottiedopaliscious" and to "Southernplayalisticadilacmuzik". These are tracks ladies I know always feel.

OutKast crossed over in a big way and while considered highly commercial by many standards, signature 'Kast songs like "Ms. Jackson," "Bombs Over Baghdad" (which is NOT a war song, btw), "So Fresh, So Clean" and "The Whole World" are hits that rightfully made this LP.

Perhaps 'Kast's most creative, innovative and thought-provoking jams like the highly political "Rosa Parks" and "Aquemini" are also among favorites on this LP. This group has always had messages in the overwhelming majority of their songs (even the party ones) and these tracks are indicative of their intelligence and talent.

The only knock against this CD is the fact that perhaps the greatest OutKast song of all-time, a track from the 1998 LP Aquemini called "Liberation" didn't make the final product.

That's a song all of you need to hear.

At any rate, OutKast is easily among the greatest of all hip hop duos -- if not the greatest -- on the level of Eric B & Rakim, EPMD, Redman & Method Man (aka da Blunt Brothers) and UGK.

Highly recommended purchase for any music fan of distinguished taste, male or female, gay or straight, young or old, black, white, brown, red or yellow.

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Rating: - Hey man, this is cool
I'm not a rap person so I didn't know this was a Outkast greatest hits, I saw it had Ms. Jackson and it was $7 so I picked it up. I have since picked up speakerboxx/the love below and loved that even more. outkast isn't your typical rap, which mostly is bland and uncreative, this stuff crosses genres and races. this hard rocker likes these cats very much

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Rating: - Good collection
This CD has a lot of great tracks and makes a good addition to some Outkast fan collections. The best tracks on it are probably BOB and Whole World, but it's strong as a whole. Rosa Parks definitely deserves mention, too because it's got a fantastic beat. The CD might be worth 5 stars, except that it is just a collection of a lot of stuff most of us fans have already. But if you're new to Outkast and looking for a first CD to get, this is where to start.

I don't know what else you expected to get, it's Outkast, one of the most innovative hip-hop groups around now.

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Rating: - The Term Greatest Hits Needs To Be Redefined [4 stars]
First and foremost, I'm a big fan of Outkast, so don't think I'm going to hate on them in anyway. When I first bought this album "Big Boi and Dre Present...Outkast" I was hoping to be remembered of the good times when I was a child listening to such albums as Southernplasticmuzik and ATLiens. Well, for the most part I got what I paid for. But here is the question: Why is it that most [rap] albums that try to showcase greatest hits, they don't put all of them on there? Looking through the albums that I'm pretty sure were hits are not on there. From the look of this compilation the gotten the correct hits from one out of the four albums that were released (Stankonia, 2000). It seems that they took the wront tracks from Aquemini (1998), not enough from ATLiens (1996), and did a decent job with Southernplayasticmuzik (1994). But I don't blame Andre and Big Boi for this fault, I should point the finger at Mr. Antonio "L.A." Reid for this shortcommings. Don't get me wrong, most of the tracks on this are nice, but it could have been better.

This is what I expect a greatest hits album to be:

From Southernplayaisicmuzik (1994):

1. Southernplayaisicmuzik
2. Git Up, Git Out (I don't mind it being the radio edit)
3. Player's Ball (the video reprise, the beat sounds so much better than the origonal)
4. Aint No Thang

From ATLiens (1996):

1. ATLiens
2. Elevators (Me & You)
3. Jazzy Belle (remix with the sung hook)

From Aquemini (1998):

1. Rosa Parks
2. Spottieottiedopalicious
3. Skew It On The Bar B
4. The Art Of Storytellin' (Part 3 with Slick Rick)

From Stankonia (2000):

1. So Fresh, So Clean
2. Ms. Jackson
3. B.O.B.

From some soundtracks:

1. Benz Or Beemer (NJ Drive Sndtrk)
2. Neck Ov Da Woods (The Wood Sndtrk)

As for the new tracks, I don't mind "Funkin' Around" and "The Whole World" to be on here, but the album could have done without "Moovin Cool" for could have been saved for "The Love Below" album.

Basically what I'm saying is that if people are going to make a greatest hits album, they need to put all of them on here, not just some here and there. But I recommend this to ALL Outkast fans, despite the shortcommings.

Lyrics: A
Production: A-
Musical Vibes: A
Overall: A (5 stars for the songs they are; 3.5 stars for it to be a "greatest hits" album, so 4 stars total)

Standout tracks: Funkin Around, Rosa Parks, Southernplayasticmuzik, Player's Ball, Git Up Git Out

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Rating: - Outkast=Best Duo Ever!!!
I'm like most Outkast fans. I jumped on the bandwagon once this cd came out. I had heard of them before this cd came out when I used to go to my friends house and his brother would be jamming to Stankonia. But anyways this cd is made of the "best" Outkast songs from their first 3 cds. Hardcore fans will argue that they are missing a few songs here or there but everyone knows a "best of" cd is gona be missing some peoples favorite songs.

1.Intro-hilarious, nuff said(5/5)

2.Funkin' Around-new song with a funky beat(5/5)

3.Aint No Thang-okay song-(3/5)

4.So Fresh, So Clean-probably most recognizable and popular Outkast song(5/5)

5.Rosa Parks-underrated song to me(5/5)

6.The Whole World-great single with a great hook(5/5)

7.Aquemini-another ok song from an older album (3/5)

8.B.O.B.-my favorite song off the cd. exciting, energetic beat with very catchy hook(5/5)

9.Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik-from first cd(4/5)

10.Crumblin' Erb-i like the bongos in the background or whatever they are(4/5)

11.Ms. Jackson-2nd most poular single and another great song(5/5)

12.Player's Ball (Original)-classic(5/5)

13.Elevators (Me and You)-another different beat with a wierd hook(4/5)

14.Spottieottiedopaliscious-great slow song to jam to(5/5)

15.Git Up, Git Out-good song with positive lyrics(4/5)

16.Movin' Cool (The After Party)-another different beat and something you wouldn't expect from the old Outkast.(4/5)