Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Studio album by OutKast
Released	September 23, 2003
Recorded	September 2001—September 2003
Genre	Hip hop, funk, R&B, pop, soul, jazz
Length	56:26 (Speakerboxxx) 78-79 min. (The Love Below, exact length varies depending on pressing) 135 min. (total)
Label	LaFace, Arista
Producer	André 3000, Big Boi, Carl Mo, Mr. DJ, Cutmaster Swiff, Dojo5
OutKast chronology
Stankonia (2000) Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) Idlewild (2006)
Singles from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
"Hey Ya!" Released: September 9, 2003 "The Way You Move" Released: September 9, 2003 "Roses" Released: February 23, 2004 "Ghetto Musick" Released: 2004 "Prototype" Released: 2004

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast, released September 23, 2003 on LaFace Records in the United States. Issued as a double album, it clocks at over two and-a-half hours and consists of a solo album from both of the group's members. Speakerboxxx is the solo project of Big Boi, performing tracks that are rooted in Southern hip hop,^[1] while The Love Below, the solo project of André 3000, covers musical styles such as soul, pop, funk, and jazz.^[2] Selling over 15 million copies to date, it has become the second best-selling hip hop album in the United States.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below received widespread acclaim from music critics, earning praise for the consistency of Big Boi's Speakerboxxx and the eclectic musical style of André 3000's The Love Below. The album was supported with the hit singles "Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move", which both reached number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. As part of its success, the album won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, making it the second hip hop album to win the award. In 2009, NME ranked Speakerboxxx/The Love Below number 44 on its list of the top 100 greatest albums of the decade.^[3]

Contents 1 Background 2 Reception 2.1 Commercial performance 2.2 Critical response 2.3 Accolades 3 Track listing 3.1 Speakerboxxx 3.2 The Love Below 3.3 Sample credits 4 Charts 4.1 Chart positions 4.2 Certifications 4.3 Chart procession and succession 5 Personnel 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

Background

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below represented a departure from Outkast's previous work. First of all, the album worked as two albums on a single set, with the first (Speakerboxxx) working as a Big Boi solo project and the second (The Love Below) as an André solo album. Critics pointed on this fact, and many interpreted as an initial problem that finally succeed as a favorable point. Stephen Thomas Erlewine compared this expanded creative freedom between each members of the group with what happened to The Beatles in 1968, saying "the effect is kind of like if the Beatles issued The White Album as one LP of Lennon tunes, the other of McCartney songs — the individual records may be more coherent, but the illusion that the group can do anything is tarnished. By isolating themselves from each other, Big Boi and Andre 3000 diminish the idea of OutKast slightly, since the focus is on the individuals, not the group. Which, of course, is part of the point of releasing solo albums under the group name — it's to prove that the two can exist under the umbrella of the OutKast aesthetic while standing as individuals." ^[4]

Most critics were also particularly more interested in André's half of the album than in Big Boi's solo venture, due to the experimentation with several music genres on The Love Below. The intro of the album was already a trip on classical music, "Love Hater" has purely jazz influences (apart from a cover of "My Favorite Things", a Rodgers and Hammerstein tune), and the rest was a combination of soul, funk, R&B, and hip-hop. Will Hermes from Entertainment Weekly pointed that André's album "is as strange and rich a trip as pop offers nowadays, a song cycle about love's battle against fear and (self-) deception that's frequently profound, hilarious, and very, very sexy." ^[5] Prince's influences are very notable on André 3000, as it is particularly noted on the track "She Lives in My Lap" (very reminiscent to Prince's "She's Always in My Hair"), a funky piece where Dré's voice is accompanied by a female voice in a style similar to the one of Prince's bandmates Diamond and Pearl. The Love Below also found André singing more than rapping (a fact that found criticism on many fans familiarized with OutKast previous style). Hermes noted: "Dre sings more than raps here, which could be a problem, as his nasal drawl isn't the greatest instrument. But hip-hop, like punk, is about making magic with limited means through the sheer force of creative will, and whether he's cooing baby noises on the Goth-soul cha-cha Pink & Blue or scatting with multiplatinum siren Norah Jones on the interlude Take Off Your Cool, Dre's limitations read here like strengths."

The Love Below is substantially longer than Big Boi's Speakerboxxx, clocking for almost 78 minutes, compared to 56 minutes for Speakerboxxx. Featured guests on Speakerboxxx include Sleepy Brown, Jazze Pha, Jay-Z, Cee-Lo, Killer Mike, Goodie Mob, Lil' Jon and Ludacris. Guests on The Love Below include Rosario Dawson, Norah Jones, Kelis, and Fonzworth Bentley. Songs that were to be featured on The Love Below included "Millionaire" featuring Kelis and "Long Way to Go" featuring Gwen Stefani. Those two were scrapped, and instead included in the collaborators' own albums—Tasty and Love. Angel. Music. Baby., respectively. Big Boi included André 3000 in producing and co-writing on four tracks from Speakerboxxx. While on The Love Below, the only song featuring a verse by Big Boi is "Roses".^[6]

Reception

Commercial performance

After having had three number two-albums on the U.S. Billboard 200, OutKast enjoyed their first chart-topping album with Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. The album debuted at number one during the week of October 11, 2003, selling more than 510,000 copies in its first week. It became the second-biggest debut for a double album during the Soundscan-era (beginning in 1991). The album sold 235,000 copies in its second week, holding its position atop the Billboard chart. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below spent the next three weeks in the top 5 before returning to the top spot for one more week. Sales remained strong, and the album would spend another four weeks at #1 between January and February of 2004. In all, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below amassed a total of seven weeks at #1, 24 weeks in the Top 10, and 56 weeks on the Billboard 200. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below has been certified diamond and 11 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping more than 11 million units (in this case, 5.5 million double album sets, which are double-counted by the RIAA).^[7]

The single "Hey Ya!" went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, topping the charts there for 9 weeks. It was the act's second #1 single, following 2001's "Ms. Jackson." "Hey Ya!" also topped the singles charts in Canada and Australia, and charted in 28 countries around the world. "Hey Ya!" was also the first platinum download on iTunes. Followup single "The Way You Move" knocked "Hey Ya!" off the top of the charts in the U.S. in February 2004, just the seventh time a recording act replaced itself at number one. "The Way You Move" topped the singles chart for one week. The third single released from the album was "Roses" from The Love Below, which reached #9. The fourth and fifth singles released, "Prototype" (The Love Below) and "Ghetto Musick" (Speakerboxxx), did not chart.

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[8]
Robert Christgau	(A-)[9]
Entertainment Weekly	(A)[10]
The Guardian	[11]
Los Angeles Times	[12]
Pitchfork Media	(8.0/10)[13]
PopMatters	(favorable)[14]
Rolling Stone	[15]
Slant Magazine	[2]
The Village Voice	(favorable)[16]

Upon its release, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below received general acclaim from most music critics.^[17] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 91, based on 25 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".^[17] Allmusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it 4½ out of 5 stars and stated "Both records are visionary, imaginative listens, providing some of the best music of 2003, regardless of genre".^[8] Entertainment Weekly's Will Hermes gave the album an A rating and stated "[The album's] ambition flies so far beyond that of anyone doing rap right now (or pop, or rock, or R&B)".^[10] Los Angeles Times writer Kris Ex gave it 4 out of 4 stars and called it "a cohesive statement", praising both albums' musical quality.^[12] In his review for Blender, Ex gave the album 5 out of 5 stars and expressed that it "holds an explosion of creativity that couldn’t have been contained in just one LP".^[18] The Guardian's Dorian Lynskey described both albums as "sublime... hip-hop's Sign o' the Times or The White Album: a career-defining masterpiece of breathtaking ambition".^[11]

However, Rolling Stone writer Jon Caramanica expressed a mixed response towards André 3000's "right to be peculiar in a hip-hop context".^[15] Despite noting musical indulgence as a weakness, Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine commended OutKast's ambition and stated "The Love Below is more consistent than Speakerboxxx. Still, as was probably intended, the double-album is greater than the sum of its parts, and this kind of expertly crafted pop and deftly executed funk rarely happen at the same time—not since Stankonia, at least".^[2] Adversely, Brent DiCrescenzo found Speakerboxxx superior to The Love Below and stated that the former "manages to maintain consistent brilliance and emotional complexity throughout".^[13] John Mulvey of NME gave it an 8/10 rating and described its two discs as "two Technicolor explosions of creativity that people will be exploring, analysing and partying to for years".^[19] Cynthia Fuchs of PopMatters described it as "imperfect and ambitious, sometimes startling and always smart".^[14] Stylus Magazine's Nick Southall gave Speakerboxxx/The Love Below an A+ rating and called it "a series of spectacular moments and memorable events".^[20]

Andy Gill of The Independent gave it 5 out of 5 stars and wrote that it "sets a new benchmark not just for hip hop, but for pop in general".^[21] Greg Tate of The Village Voice drew comparisons to P-Funk on Speakerboxxx and Prince on The Love Below.^[16] In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau gave the album an A- rating,^[9] indicating "the kind of garden-variety good record that is the great luxury of musical micromarketing and overproduction. Anyone open to its aesthetic will enjoy more than half its tracks".^[22] Christgau expressed that the album may have been "the classic P-Funk rip it ain't quite" had Speakerboxxx alone been issued with "Roses", "Spread", "Hey Ya!", and "an oddity of [André 3000's] choosing", but ultimately wrote favorably of its "commercial ebullience, creative confidence, and wretched excess, blessed excess, impressive excess".^[9] In a retrospective review, Rolling Stone's Christian Hoard gave the album 4½ out of 5 stars and offered a general overview of its music, writing "Big Boi's Speakerboxxx drops cutting-edge hip-hop that's at turns freaky and socially aware. Andre 3000's The Love Below eschews hip-hop almost entirely with a set of jazzy pop funk steeped in the eclectic influence of Prince... [F]or sheer breadth, ambition, and musical vision, there's little doubt Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is a classic".^[23]

Accolades

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll. The album was nominated for six Grammy Awards, winning three (Album of the Year, Best Urban/Alternative Performance for "Hey Ya!", and Best Rap Album). OutKast's other nominations were for Producer of the Year, and Best Short-Form Music Video and Record of the Year, both for "Hey Ya!". Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was the second hip hop album to receive the Grammy for Album of the Year (following The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1999). In Australia, Hey Ya! was voted number two on the 2003 Triple J Hottest 100, the country's biggest alternative music poll of its type. The jazz periodical Down Beat chose it as the best "beyond" album.

Track listing

Speakerboxxx

Producers are noted with superscripts:
(a) Big Boi, (b) André 3000, (c) Mr. DJ, (d) Carl Mo & Big Boi, (e) Cutmaster Swiff, (f) Big Boi & Mr. DJ.

The Love Below

All tracks were produced solely by André 3000 except "Roses", which was co-produced by Dojo5.

Sample credits

• "Ghetto Musick," from "Speakerboxxx," contains samples of "Love, Need & Want You" by Patti LaBelle.
• "She Lives In My Lap," from "The Love Below," contains samples of "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" by Geto Boys and "Pistolgrip-Pump" by Volume 10.
• "Pink & Blue," from "The Love Below," contains samples of "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number" by Aaliyah and "Why Can't We Live Together" by Timmy Thomas.
• "My Favorite Things" from "The Love Below" contains samples from John Coltrane's 1960 recording by the same name.

Charts

Chart positions Chart (2003/2004) Peak position Australian Albums Chart[24] 9 Austrian Albums Chart[24] 28 Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[24] 21 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[24] 58 Canadian Albums Chart[25] 4 Danish Albums Chart[24] 13 Dutch Albums Chart[24] 15 French Albums Chart[24] 13 Finnish Albums Chart[24] 15 German Albums Chart[26] 21 Irish Albums Chart[26] 3 New Zealand Albums Chart[24] 3 Norwegian Albums Chart[24] 4 Polish Albums Chart[26] 35 Swedish Albums Chart[24] 11 Swiss Albums Chart[24] 11 UK Albums Chart[26] 8 US Billboard 200[26] 1 US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop[25] 1

Certifications Country Provider Certification (thresholds)[27] Australia ARIA Platinum[28] Canada CRIA Gold[29] Denmark IFPI Gold[30] Germany BVMI Gold[31] Hungary Mahasz Gold[32] Netherlands NVPI Gold[33] Norway IFPI Gold[34] Switzerland Gold[35] United Kingdom BPI 2× Platinum[36] United States RIAA Diamond[37]

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by Grand Champ by DMX Measure of a Man by Clay Aiken The Diary of Alicia Keys by Alicia Keys Closer by Josh Groban

Billboard 200 number-one album October 5–18, 2003 November 9–15, 2003 January 4–17, 2004 January 25 – February 7, 2004

Succeeded by Chicken*N*Beer by Ludacris Shock'n Y'all by Toby Keith Closer by Josh Groban Kamikaze by Twista

Personnel

OutKast – Executive producer[38] André Benjamin – Soloist, vocals, background vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards, *tenor sax, programming, producer Big Boi – Vocals, producer Aaron Mills – Bass Jef Van Veen - Drums Alex Reverberi – Assistant Antwan Patton – Vocals, background vocals, drum programming, keyboards, programming, producer Benjamin Wright – String arrangements, string conductor Bernie Grundman – Mastering Big Gipp – Vocals, background vocals Bonnie Hayes & the Wild Combo – Vocals Brian "Big Bass" Gardener – Mixing Brian Gardner – Mastering Brian Paturalski – Engineer Carl Mo – Producer Catherine Chan – Cello Cee-Lo – Vocals Charles Veal – Concert Master, violin Chris Carmouche – Assistant, engineer Chris Steffen – Assistant Cutmaster Swift – Cut, producer Darrel Thorpe – Engineer Darrell Thorp – Mixing Darryl Otis Smith – Guitar David Arenz – Strings David Braitberg – Strings David Whild – Guitar Debra Killings – Bass, background vocals Dexter Simmons – Mixing Dojo5 – Producer Donald Whittemore – Assistant Donnie Mathis – Guitar East Side Boyz – Vocals Eleanor Arnez – Strings Eric Johnson – Strings Gina Kronstadt – Violin Greg Burns – Assistant Greg Price – Assistant Hornz Unlimited – Horn, trumpet, horn arrangements Jared Robbins – Assistant Jay-Z – Vocals Jazze Pha – Background Vocals Jazze Pha – Vocals Jeff Moses – Assistant Jeffrey Schulz – Art direction, design Jeminesse "Slimm Jim" Smith – Programming Jim Sitterly – Violin Joe-Mama Nitzberg – Creative Director John Frisbee – Director John Frye – Engineer, pre-mixing, mixing John Krovoza – Cello Joi – Background vocals, vocals Jonathan Mannion – Photography Josh Monroy – Assistant Kelis – Vocals Kevin "KD" Davis – Mixing Kevin Brandon – Double bass

Kevin Kendricks – Guitar, keyboards Kevin O'Neal – Double bass Kevin Smith – Bass – Electric Killer Mike – Vocals, background vocals King Stephen – Vocals Konkrete – Vocals Lavish-J (GROOMER/PHOTOGRAPHER) L.A. Reid – Executive Producer Lil Jon – Vocals Lisa Chien – Cello Louis Kabok – Violin Ludacris – Vocals Malik Albert – Assistant Marcy Vaj – Viola Marianne Lee Stitt – Background Vocals Mark Cargill – Violin Mark Casillas – Violin Martin Smith – Cello Marvin "Chanz" Parkman – Organ, keyboards Matt Still – Engineer Mello – Vocals, background vocals Michele Nardone – Viola Mildryln "Big Gul" Andrews – Background vocals Moffett Morris – Upright Bass Moka Nagatani – Engineer Mr. DJ – Producer Myrna Crenshaw – Background vocals Myrna Crenshaw – Vocals Neal H. Pogue – Mixing Neil Pogue – Mixing Norah Jones – Vocals Padraic Kernin – Assistant, engineer Patrick Morgan – Viola Pete Novak – Engineer, pre-mixing, mixing Rabeka Tuinei – Assistant Rajinder Kala – Conga Reggie Doizier – Mixing Regina Davenport – A&R, artist coordination, production coordination Reginald Dozier – Engineer Richard Adkins – Violin Richard Keller – Strings, string arrangements Robert Hannon – Engineer Robin Ross – Viola Rosario Dawson – Vocals Russell Buelna – Assistant Sanford Salzinger – Strings Sleepy Brown –Vocals, background vocals Slimm Calhoun – Vocals Terrence Cash – Engineer Theresa Wilson – A&R Tibor Zelig – Violin Tomi Martin – Guitar Tori Alamaze – Background Vocals Torkil Gudnason – Photography Victor Alexander – Drums Vincent Alexander – Assistant, engineer Warren Bletcher – Assistant Yarda Kettner – Violin Zaza – Guitar

See also

• List of best-selling albums in the United States

References

External links

• Speakerboxxx/The Love Below at Discogs
• Speakerboxxx/The Love Below at Metacritic
• International chart positions at acharts.us

OutKast André 3000 • Big Boi Studio albums Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994) · ATLiens (1996) · Aquemini (1998) · Stankonia (2000) · Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) · Idlewild (2006) Other albums Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast (2001) · Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty (2010) Singles "Player's Ball" · "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik" · "Git Up, Git Out" · "Elevators (Me & You)" · "ATLiens" · "Jazzy Belle" · "Rosa Parks" · "Skew It on the Bar-B" · "Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 1)" · "B.O.B." · "Ms. Jackson" · "So Fresh, So Clean" · "The Whole World"  · "Land of a Million Drums" · "Hey Ya!" · "The Way You Move" · "Roses" · "Ghetto Musick / Prototype" · "Mighty O" · "Morris Brown" · "Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry 'Bout Me)" · "Hollywood Divorce" · "The Train" Featured singles "Gone Be Fine" · "International Players Anthem (I Choose You)" Related articles Discography · Organized Noize · Dungeon Family

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