André 3000 tracks played an important role in the 1990s and helped Southern hip-hop move further into the limelight. Born André Lauren Benjamin, André 3000rose to prominence as one-half of the hip-hop duo OutKast. His partner in music was Antwan “Big Boi” Patton. The Southern hip-hop group originated in Atlanta, Georgia, and rose to national prominence off the strength of their first single “Player’s Ball.” Sean “Diddy” Combs, who filmed a music video, created part of the buzz around the song. He subsequently invited the group to open for The Notorious B.I.G. in New York.
After releasing a series of six critically and commercially successful albums across 15 years, OutKast went on an (almost) indefinite hiatus. During their run, the group released many iconic tracks. Each one built upon and spotlighted the Atlanta rapper’s status as a songwriter and rapper. This article hones in on seven essential André 3000 songs. Let’s jump in now.
“Hey Ya” (2004)
“Hey Ya” is quite possibly the most famous OutKast song of all time. The song was released as one of the two lead singles for 2004’s double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. The track was extremely popular, reaching No. 1 in six countries and becoming the first iTunes song to reach one million downloads. André 3000 performed and wrote the track, with writing help from various session musicians over a multi-year period. Since its release, the song has appeared in numerous “best of” song lists.
“Da Art Of Storytellin’ (Pt. 1)” (1999)
The third single off of OutKast’s third album Aquemini, “Da Art of Storytellin’ (Pt. 1)” a variety of publications have ranked the track as one of OutKast’s best. Confusingly, the song was released on the same day as Slick Rick’s album The Art of Storytelling — and Slick Rick is also featured on the single version of the song. In the track, André 3000 skillfully builds up and humanizes an unexpected figure: a pregnant drug user. André raps about their heart-to-heart conversation on a curb: “Talkin bout what we gon be when we grow up / I said what you wanna be and she said, ‘Alive.’” The subject matter and unusual approach easily make it one of the best André 3000 songs.
“Crumblin ‘Erb” (1994)
Although “Crumblin ‘Erb” wasn’t a single on OutKast’s 1994 debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, it might be the record’s hidden gem. When that album first dropped, The Source called this track “a slanky cathartic groove…for anyone who has ever had the hapless feeling of watching your peoples try extinction on for size.” Here we find André 3000 tackling the subjects of selfishness and violence in the South with a reluctant nonchalance. All that aside, this track’s catchy chorus alone lifts it up as one of the group’s best.
“Dracula’s Wedding” (2004)
André 3000 takes on the unexpected role of Dracula in this 2004 track. He’s preparing for his wedding, and his bride-to-be is the singer-songwriter and chef Kelis. The song is notable for displaying the speaker’s anxiety over being married, despite the woman being “all [he] ever wanted.” This comes after centuries of the vampire terrorizing endless amounts of people. Fans were excited when a comic-style music video for the song dropped at random last October, nearly 20 years after its initial release. The sheer imagination and strange humor on the track make it a classic André 3000 track.
“The Whole World” (2001)
“The Whole World” was one of four new OutKast tracks to appear on 2001’s compilation album, Big Boi and Dre Present… OutKast. The rest of the album collected songs from their first four full-lengths. The music video is notable for its high-production recreation of a circus. André 3000 appears as a magician with Día de los Muertos-style facepaint. The song won a Grammy for Best Rap Song Performance by a Duo or Group. It also featured a memorable verse from Killer Mike.
“Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)” (2007)
This song by UGK has OutKast as a feature. It was recorded around the same time that OutKast was putting together their final album Idlewild. The first verse is delivered by André 3000, and the music video centers around his fictional wedding. While certain aspects of the wedding are outlandish – like André donning a red kilt – the sentiment of his verse is palpable. The verse catalogues the rapper’s experiences as he moves on from a life of flings and casual relationships and decides to enter into a lifelong commitment.
“Roses” (2004)
No list of André 3000 songs is complete with the addition of “Roses.” This track also came out on 2004’s double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. It’s essentially a diss song, though it doesn’t target a single person – rather, superficial women in general. The iconic chorus is impossible to forget: “I know you’d like to think your s*** don’t stank, but / Lean a little bit closer, see / Roses really smell like boo-boo-ooh….” The track peaked at number one on both the US Hot Rap Songs and Australian Urban charts.
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