After the most critically acclaimed and best-selling album of their career, Atlanta’s own Outkast had every reason to implode.

A year later the duo followed up 2000’s Stankonia with a greatest hits album (Dre and Big Boi Present … Outkast) hosting only a smattering of new tracks. Earlier this year part of the pair’s inner circle – critical darlings in their own right – Goodie Mob broke up because of creative differences. But most importantly, both Andre 3000 and Big Boi decided that because of Dre’s newfound urge to act, the wonder twins themselves would have to record separately for the first time in their 10-year career.

Through it all though, Andre Benjamin and Antoine Patton managed to lay down 39 of the most progressive, personal and eclectic tracks that the music industry has seen in recent memory on the beyond spectacular double disc Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Each taking on a disc for themselves, both take time to explore areas that they have never touched before. Since Outkast’s trademark has been evolution, everything goes perfectly.

On his half, The Love Below, Dre plays his role as the hopeless romantic/fuckaholic hybrid to the hilt. He effortlessly switches from a crooning Sammy Davis Jr. (‘Love Hater’), to vintage synth-crazy Stevie Wonder (‘Behold a Lady’) and an acoustic Robert Johnson (‘Take Off Your Cool,’ featuring Norah Jones) with the ease of a traffic light. And although he sings more then he raps, cuts like ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ and the stunningly frank ‘A Life in the Day of Andre Benjamin (Incomplete),’ show that he is still an easy armchair critics choice for the best in the business.

His partner in rhyme, Big Boi, makes an incredibly persuasive case in his own right. Beginning with the blistering ‘Ghettomusick’ and ending with thumping ‘Last Call,’ Boi dispels any myth that he is any less of a creative lightening rod that his unorthodox colleague. The only chink in this masterpiece’s armor does come from Speakerboxxx’s ‘Tomb of the Boom’ where featured artists Konkrete seem completely outmatched on the same track with pros Boi, Big Gipp and Ludacris. Compared to the rest of the brilliance though, especially the horn-driven ‘Bowtie’ and ‘The Way You Move,’ the mediocre verses seem insignificant in the big picture.

Barring an OK Computer-esqe travesty, or the release of the most groundbreaking music ever devised between now and the Grammy’s, we will see the first ever rap album to win the coveted Best Album award come February. If Stankonia led to Outkast being a popular choice for hip-hop royalty, then consider this the official coronation.

All hail the kings, baby.

Justin Young is a junior newspaper major. Email him at jryoun02@syr.edu.

Published on September 23, 2003 at 12:00 pm