New rap at its rawest

You can always tell when songs have reached their saturation point when the afternoon variety shows start featuring song-and-dance numbers. Outkast’s Hey Ya, for example, has been made into performace fodder for the next generation of stars and starlets, and I Like the Way You Move is also getting airtime and chart space. It is unfortunate that these two songs are the only experience that most people will ever have of Outkast’s new album, because this rap duo, and the double CD that the songs came from, is a good indication that hip-hop can be full of surprises.

Since coming out in 1994 with the platinum album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, Atlanta-based rappers Bog Boi and Andre 3000 have shown a rising interest in experimentation, defying the genre and exploring the musical possibilities of rap music. 2003’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is the clumination of their drive to push the hip-hop envelope, a double CD which is more of a collaboration than a single cohesive work. Like the post-India Beatles, Andre and Big Boi have decided on giving each other a little space, and the result is a CD from each performer that highlights how one complements the other.

Speakerboxxx is the more recognizably-Outkast of the two albums, with Big Boi laying down track after track of Southern-infused rap: blues, lots of brass, funk and soul playing to a tight beat and catchy hooks. Highlights include the song Bowtie, a staple pimp-anthem, with big brassy backgrounds and choruses, showing Big Boi’s old school hip-hop roots. Then his music deviates into Church, a scathing attack on religious hypocrites and a genuine yearning for meaning hidden in an upbeat, Hallelujah! chorus, asking "Why are we here?/ Huh? Huh? Huh?/Please tell me – what are we here for?"

The Rooster features rising trumpets blaring against a funk-guitar background while Big Boi raps about the woes of a single parent, complaining about the double responsibilities of fatherhood and being a recording artist.

His side of the double CD features collaborations with known rappers like Ludakris and Jay-Z, and showcases how Big Boi provides the duo with a solid rap foundation while Andre lets loose with his offbeat, curious creativity.

The Love Below by Andre 3000 is decidedly the more experimental (and radio-friendly) of the two, with Andre taking odd bits and pieces from big band music, funk, electronica, lounge, blues, jazz, and house. Some of the best music of 2003 came out of this album, with the listener tapping his foot to the songs even as he wonders aloud what on earth Andre is trying to do. He keeps his rap to a minimum, filling the melody with mostly high-pitched singing and infectious choruses.

Andre explores the many themes of love, in one of the earlier tracks, Happy Valentine’s Day, introducing himself as "Cupid Valentino– the modern-day Cupid." The upbeat sound of Hey Ya continues through much of the album, which is peppered with handclaps and falsettos. Spread is a quick foray into love and sex, a quick piano line weaving in and out of a frantic beat. At turns his attitude towards some women is worshipful (Prototype, a slow morning-after ballad) and derisive (Roses).

There have been comparisons between Prince and Andre, because both possess a frank openness and fascination with sex and love, a creative out-there bent, and, of course, their falsettos and female-worship.

While the tone of The Love Below is light, there is an underlying pop-virtuosity indicates a bright future for Andre and Big Boi. Both CDs are outstanding works, marred only by the pair’s tendency to scatter some fillers here and there: Big Boi has conversations with his toddler son, and Andre prays aloud to God to give him a new girlfriend. Ten of the 30-odd tracks are fillers, which can be a good or a bad thing, depending on the listener. Nevertheless, the minor distractions/bonuses do not subtract from the brilliance of the albums.

Old Outkast fans may be able to understand the duo better because of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, and appreciate the dynamics of the two artists. Newcomers to Outkast, or of rap in general, are in for a treat- here is the new rap at its rawest, most playful and self-aware best.