Outkast clearly have not been paying attention to their hip hop checklist.
'Ms Jackson' is the first single to be taken from the futuristic smorgasbord of sonic twists that is the astonishing 'Stankonia' LP, which was released just before the turn of the year.
This, the first single, revolves around what can only be described as an apology. That's right, not misogyny. Not violence. Not an arrogant, angry diatribe, boast-fest or any other ugly, bilious preoccupation that has straight-jacketed this genre for so long.
"I'm sorry Ms Jackson, didn't mean to make your daughter cry, I apologise a trillion times" - howl Andre 3030 and Big Boi, amidst a tune of no little musical vision, particularly the 'Here Comes The Bride' guitar and piano coda, which is almost hidden amidst backwards rhythms and arcane synth patterns.
'Ms Jackson' may yet deliver the first decent UK Number One for what seems like about seven years and is anything but an apology, more a promise of what invention lies ahead in an area where things really are happening.
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