Why on Earth were they ignored for so long? Please, somebody tell us why, until last year, Georgia's best kept secret remained a secret outside the hip-hop community.
While the gangstas have been shootin', robbin', and gang-banging, these two far out freaks have been producing the finest funkadelic, soulful, southern fried hip hop since 1994. As well as 2000's exemplary 'Stankonia' there are three other albums ('Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik', 'ATLiens' and 'Aquemini') that haven't just shifted the goalposts but completely rebuilt them into an indescribable, intergalactic shape. And while those across the Atlantic were getting off on it we missed the whole damn thing.
Well the catch up starts here with what is effectively a best of including three new tracks. You'll know the giddy heights of 'Miss Jackson', 'Fresh and Clean' and the furious, fantastically frantic 'B.O.B' by now but that's just the tip of an effortlessly cool iceberg. Aside from the fresh (and not so clean) beauties this is to be used as an introduction only as you must and shall seek out their entire back catalogue.
'Rosa Parks', 'Aquemini' and 'Southernplaya…' drift by in a smokey haze infused with P-Funk and more than a nod towards George Clinton, hinting at the other delights not included here. In fact the only thing wrong with this is that it ain't their entire back catalogue.
So go forth and immerse yourself in Outkast's universe, checking out their equally superb Dungeon Family project along the way. It's out there, thankfully now over here and the competition is well and truly out klassed.
by Josh Rogan