"Who this fuc.kin nigga' here is anyway?"
I don't know?
"Who he supposed to be?"
I don't know? I don't know that nigga.
"You see that's how nigga's get jumped on. He better watch his mouth. Talk about
acting. He need to act like he got some sense up in this bitch."
Hell yeah....wanna get some popcorn?
And so starts Idlewild, OutKast's sixth studio album in twelve years and the follow-up to the masterful and entertaining Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. The above dialogue being the tale end of an intro/conversation that puts the issue of rappers acting and vice-versa front and center, the fact this album bears the same name as a newly released film project by the OutKast duo is a bit misleading, it's somewhat cineamatic opening notwithstanding. This is not a soundtrack. Nary a piece of music from this album appears in the film. Instead what we get is music inspired by the tone of the film and some entertaining moments of movie like dialogue as well. Does it work? Hell yeahs niggas', it works!
Unlike OutKast's last album which was divided into two discs for Big Boi and Andre 3000 to make their music individually, Idlewild takes a blended approach this time out. And while that doesn't mean they actually have anything significant to do with one anothers recordings on this album, it does mean their songs appear side by side on the same disc rather then divided onto different ones. And the results are diverse and outstanding musically, creatively, and artistically.
Both rappers make an appearance on the first track out and it's about as collaborative as Andre and Big will get on this album. "The Mighty 'O" begins with a healthy round of classic style call and response hip-hop choruses until finally giving way to the classic phat beats and broken rythmns that will be familiar to hip-hop fans everywhere. Also familiar will be the boastful and wary nature of the rhymes as Andre declares in the first verse "The damsel's in distress but they a mess /They only like my armor, and that I'm a performer /They read one magazine and think that they gon get warmer /They only getting colder hell, maybe I should throw a double diamond party in the north pole /Invite all the writers and journalists". And then Big Boi picks it up in the second verse with "Like a sniper in the bushes with that rifle abutation/ Waiting, now that's a virtue /Cause puss.y nigga, I'll hurt you/ Like the president's approval rating by serving your ass with words, fool". The music is tight, the beats dope, and the vocals are top notch as Andre and Big show they have Hip-Hop 101 down to a science and despite the experimental musical stylings of the last few OutKast albums they can still bring nothing but groove at the drop of a dime. And Big Boi keeps the groove moving with the semi-autobiographical song of marital struggle and real life strife "Peaches". A song about just trying to hold it all together and keep on keeping on, "Peaches" glides along effortlessly and settles you in for the musical journey that is about to begin.
The next sound we hear is an acoustic blues line coming from a guitar. And you would swear someone switched records. But we are fortunately not that unlucky. It's just Andre 3000's first time out on his own on the album. And that can only mean we are about to get schooled. As good as Big Boi is at doing his part with harder beats and a more traditional hip-hop approach, it cannot be denied that Andre is the ingredient in OutKast that makes them unique. "Idlewild Blues (Dont'chu Worry 'Bout Me) isn't hip hop at all, really. It's a smokey jazz track. Nothing fancy or ornate. After all this is folk music. As in folks. Black music. And Andre squeezes everything he can out of it. Soulful, spirited and bluesy with it's acoustic strum, brush drums, creeping bass, and rocous back up singers, it funks up a good time untill it closes nicely with an organ flourish. After more "movie dialogue" that serves as a transition to Big Boi's next track, the Prince like titled "N2U", and
this side of OutKast shows he can keep pace with the other on his own terms. N2U is big, fat beat hip-hop at it's sexy best. "I wanna get N2U/I don't want no girlfriend/Just wanna get N2U you" Big sings (yes
sings) and what he lacks in color and creatively when put against his partner he makes up for in groove and style. This song sounds like a long sexy cruise down the boulavard. One hand low on the wheel, one holding a blunt, 'ho at your side. Smooth....And Big keeps it moving on the next track with the almost Andre like "Morris Brown", with its African inspired rythmns and chant style background vocals. "Music make the world go round/Where it goes you just don't know/My heart is like a marching band/I'm a fan in the stands" goes the joyful chorus. And its this celebration of black music and its roots that makes this album so rich and rewarding.
And with the foundation laid down for the entire album from here on OutKast take you on a dizzying trip through modern hip-hop and its early roots that few artist could mangae to pull off or balance so well. Early roots as in "old skool"? Not exactly. Early roots as in the Jazz, Swing, R&B, Blues, and Rap that inspired it. From the whimsical funk of "Life Is Like A Musical" to the show tune, swing inspired "Call The Law", the freaky, Prince like jazz experiment "Makes No Sense At All", and the jump swing of Andre 3000's "PJ And The Rooster", the album weaves a hypnotic musical brew of dope beats, deep bass, and eclectic musical styles taken from nearly all periods of 20TH century black music and brings them together with a singular vibe and voice, exposing the diversity and common thread that runs through all these styles of music, however far apart they may seem at first blush. And with Big Boi joining Andre with some eclectic mixes of his own such as on the autobiographical "Train" with it's soft guitar, trumpet calls, soulful vocals and spat out rhymes, the unity of this album, despite its diverse stylings and for the most part divided bandleaders, comes shining through.
So who does this album belong to? The musical and more adventerous stylings of Andre 3000 or the smooth groove and large beats of Big Boi? Well, that depends on who you ask. While Andre's material does bring the unique flair and color to OutKast that makes them stand apart from other hip-hop artist, for this record it is hard to deny that it is Big Boi's consistent songwriting and focused vision that deliver this record in full. Andre, while skilled and sharp as they come as a rapper and musical historian of sorts, is nonetheless scattered around a bit on Idlewild and his tunes lack the kind of focus they
seemed to have when he had an entire disc to himself as on OutKast's previous outing. Whether or not this is because his material isn't as strong or because Big Boi's is that much stronger isn't really worth considering, as OutKast is a tight creative unit in spite of it's divided partnership. But in the end it's Big Boi who sounds fresher here as Andre is often times bringing you music from another time and place or the eclectic/experimental side of things. And it's Big Boi's smooth grooves and hard hitting beats that in the end is the glue that holds this whole thing together. You may be impressed by Andre's musical prowess and soulful retro sounds in songs such as Idlewild Blue and PJ And The Rooster, but as this reviewer laid in bed last night it was Big Boi's soulful "N2U" that was dancing around in my head. And as I was at work today it was his "Morris Brown" I found myself humming from behind my desk, and his thoughtful and spinning rap "Train" that is the heart of this musical celebration. Word.
To think too much about this music would be a mistake. Like many great blues, jazz, rock, and hip-hop records gone past the feeling for this music is in the groove, in the slow jam, in the smokey jazz, and in the spontaneity and unpredictabilty of the individual tracks. If you know black music you know this sound. It's not just the sound of making music for the sake of music. Nor is it the sound of hip-hop heavywieghts working for the bling. Although there is nothing wrong with that. But under the layers of musical expression on Idlewild lies the music and heart of an entire people. Musical movements and cultural flavors as rich and diverse as America has ever given us explored and brought to the forefront by two modern day hip-hop
artists who understand where they came from, who they sing for, and what American music
African style is all about. Its the sound of a blunt filled with chronic
and a glass of fine champange. A roll in the hay, a dance at the hootenany,
and mama in a colorful hat singing in church on Sunday. The sound of aunt Melba cooking up some Greens in the kitchen while the boys tip forties in the backyard groovin' to Funkadelic
and a night on the town in the Caddy dressed to the nines. This is music for the peoples. For the masses. For anyone who cares to listen. The real deal as they say. If you don't like it, well, maybe you aren't supposed to. This isn't music for white people anymore then the latest Nashville superstar or hard rock pretty boy is music for black people. But for the more adventerous and less hip among us, if you delve deep enough into the groove, beats, and undeniable
soul of this album of the year contender, the rewards are rich and satisfying to say the very least. Simple, direct, colorful and diverse, Idlewild is a trippy dance through time that explores the blues, jazz, rock and funk of it all. And it wraps it up tightly in a singular vision that others have explored but few have done this well. Unique? No. There is nothing new under the sun. Groundbreaking? Certainly not. Def, dope, wack, and
sick. Certainly so. And if you can't understand that, you need not apply.
