Stankonia is the fourth studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast, released October 31, 2000 on La Face Records. The group's previous release, Aquemini (1998), played a significant role in introducing Southern hip-hop to other areas of the United States. In the spring of 1999, OutKast began working on Stankonia in the duo's recently purchased Atlanta recording facility, Stankonia Studios. The band's ownership of the studio allowed for less time constraints and subsequently, more musical experimentation. Stankonia features appearances from many local Atlanta musicians whom the group discovered while visiting clubs in the city.
On Stankonia, the duo hoped to create a chaotic musical aesthetic, and incorporated a diverse array of musical genres, including drum and bass, gospel, rock, salsa, funk, and psychedelia. Recording sessions became difficult as André 3000 wished to abandon his rapping vocal style in favor of a more melodic technique, an approach to which Big Boi and other producers were unaccustomed. In order to maintain musical cohesion with Big Boi and continue his musical evolution, André 3000 incorporated both techniques on Stankonia. Lyrically, the duo touches upon topics such as politics, misogyny, and personal introspection in an irreverent manner.
The album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling over 530,000 copies the first week. Stankonia received universal acclaim from music critics and holds an aggregate score of 95 out of 100 at Metacritic. The album produced three singles, "B.O.B", "Ms. Jackson", and "So Fresh, So Clean"; "Ms. Jackson" became the group's first single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. At the 2002 Grammy Awards, OutKast won Best Rap Album for Stankonia and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Ms. Jackson". In 2003, the album was ranked number 359 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.Stankonia is the fourth studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast, released October 31, 2000 on La Face Records. The group's previous release, Aquemini (1998), played a significant role in introducing Southern hip-hop to other areas of the United States. In the spring of 1999, OutKast began working on Stankonia in the duo's recently purchased Atlanta recording facility, Stankonia Studios. The band's ownership of the studio allowed for less time constraints and subsequently, more musical experimentation. Stankonia features appearances from many local Atlanta musicians whom the group discovered while visiting clubs in the city.
On Stankonia, the duo hoped to create a chaotic musical aesthetic, and incorporated a diverse array of musical genres, including drum and bass, gospel, rock, salsa, funk, and psychedelia. Recording sessions became difficult as André 3000 wished to abandon his rapping vocal style in favor of a more melodic technique, an approach to which Big Boi and other producers were unaccustomed. In order to maintain musical cohesion with Big Boi and continue his musical evolution, André 3000 incorporated both techniques on Stankonia. Lyrically, the duo touches upon topics such as politics, misogyny, and personal introspection in an irreverent manner.
The album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling over 530,000 copies the first week. Stankonia received universal acclaim from music critics and holds an aggregate score of 95 out of 100 at Metacritic. The album produced three singles, "B.O.B", "Ms. Jackson", and "So Fresh, So Clean"; "Ms. Jackson" became the group's first single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. At the 2002 Grammy Awards, OutKast won Best Rap Album for Stankonia and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Ms. Jackson". In 2003, the album was ranked number 359 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.false2025-01-23 11:32:30Stankonia20002000-10-312000-10-31142Alternative Hip HopAlternative Hip Hop;Drum And Bass;Electronic;Hip Hop;Techno;Dirty SouthDirty SouthDrum And BassElectronicHip HopHip-HopTechno11194521154121b90676f-1ee7-46ec-bbc6-6b6eacd6c74a73fdb566-a9b1-494c-9f32-51768ec9fd2700d2cd53-21c9-3738-b683-56847b7b0040/media/data/media5/Music/OutKast/Stankonia/folder.jpgOutKastOutKast feat. Backbone & Big GippOutKast feat. Big Rube & Sleepy BrownOutKast feat. Cee‐Lo GoodieOutKast feat. Erykah BaduOutKast feat. Gangsta Boo & EcoOutKast feat. Khujo GoodieOutKast feat. Killer Mike & J‐SweetOutKastOutkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of rappers Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin, formerly known as Dré). Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential hip hop acts of all time, the duo achieved both critical and commercial success from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, helping to popularize Southern hip hop with their intricate lyricism, memorable melodies, and positive themes, while experimenting with a diverse range of genres such as funk, psychedelia, jazz, and techno.
Patton and Benjamin formed Outkast as high school students. They released their debut studio album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik in 1994, which gained popularity after its single "Player's Ball" peaked atop the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart. The duo saw critical acclaim with their second and third albums ATLiens (1996) and Aquemini (1998), which saw them further developing their sound. They then achieved mainstream recognition and further acclaim with their fourth album Stankonia (2000), which was supported by the singles "B.O.B." and "Ms. Jackson", the latter of which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards.
The duo then released the double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003), their only album to debut atop the Billboard 200. It was supported by their second and third number one singles, "The Way You Move" (performed by Big Boi) and "Hey Ya!" (performed by André 3000), respectively. The album won Album of the Year at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards and received a Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Outkast starred in the 2006 musical film Idlewild and recorded the film's accompanying soundtrack, which was released as their final album three days before the film's release. The duo split the following year, and both members have pursued solo careers. Outkast temporarily reunited to celebrate their debut album's 20th anniversary by performing at more than 40 festivals worldwide, beginning at the Coachella Festival in April 2014.
Along with being one of hip hop’s most influential acts, Outkast is also one of the most successful, having certified sales of 20 million records between six studio albums and a compilation album, as well as having earned six Grammy Awards. Rolling Stone ranked them No. 7 on its list of the “20 Greatest Duos of All Time”, while publications such as Pitchfork and the aforementioned Rolling Stone have listed their albums among the best in all of hip hop and of all time.