OutKast – "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" Review: The First Rap Album to Win the Grammy for Album of the Year
- Jay Jewels
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Quick Verdict
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below arrived on September 23, 2003, and is OutKast’s most formally audacious release — a double album in which Speakerboxxx is Big Boi’s hard funk-rap solo album and The Love Below is André 3000’s sprawling neo-soul and jazz-pop record. Together they are the most formally diverse double album in rap history. It debuted at number one with 510,000 copies, won the Grammy for Album of the Year — the first rap album to do so — and went six times platinum. “Hey Ya!” is one of the biggest pop singles of the decade. “The Way You Move” is Big Boi’s most infectious single. The combined ambition of both records is staggering. Rating: 9.5/10.
At a Glance
Album Details
Context: The First Rap Album to Win the Grammy for Album of the Year
After Stankonia (2000) and Aquemini (1998) had established OutKast as the most formally adventurous duo in hip-hop, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below arrived as the logical conclusion of that trajectory: a double album in which Big Boi and André 3000 each made an essentially solo record under the OutKast banner. Speakerboxxx is Big Boi at his most muscularly concentrated — hard Atlanta funk-rap with more guests and harder production than any previous OutKast record. The Love Below is André 3000’s most complete statement of his neo-soul and jazz-pop vision: a 78-minute record on which he barely raps, instead singing, playing instruments, and constructing a theatrical meditation on love, desire, and femininity. The commercial and cultural achievement was enormous: “Hey Ya!” became one of the most played radio singles of the decade, a track that defied genre classification and was simultaneously a breakup song, a philosophical treatise on love, and one of the most formally inventive pop songs of its era. “The Way You Move” was Big Boi’s most infectious and commercially successful single. The album won the Grammy for Album of the Year — the first rap album ever to do so — and went six times platinum.
Key Tracks by Disc
Final Verdict and Rating
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is the most formally audacious double album in rap history and the first rap record to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. Ambition scores a perfect 10. “Hey Ya!” is one of the most formally inventive pop singles of the decade. Big Boi and André 3000’s divergent artistic visions, placed side by side, make the whole greater than either part. 9.5/10.
Final Rating: 9.5/10
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Speakerboxxx/The Love Below win the Grammy for Album of the Year?
Yes. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below won the Grammy for Album of the Year at the 2004 ceremony — the first rap album ever to win this award. It also won Best Rap Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance. It debuted at number one with 510,000 copies and went six times platinum.
Which disc is better — Speakerboxxx or The Love Below?
The Love Below is generally considered the more formally ambitious and critically celebrated disc — it contains Hey Ya!, Roses, and André 3000's most theatrically inventive work. Speakerboxxx is the more immediately hard and hip-hop-focused record, with The Way You Move and Bowtie representing Big Boi's finest commercial-rap peaks. Both discs are essential.
Is Hey Ya! a rap song?
Hey Ya! resists genre classification — it is primarily a pop-soul-funk song on which André 3000 sings and plays multiple instruments, with almost no rapping. It is one of the most formally inventive pop singles of the 2000s, combining the sonic aesthetics of 1960s rock with a lyrical meditation on the meaninglessness of romantic commitment.
What is the rating for Speakerboxxx/The Love Below?
Rap Reviews Daily rates Speakerboxxx/The Love Below a 9.5/10. Ambition scores a perfect 10. It is the most formally audacious double album in rap history and the first rap album to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.
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