Stankonia (studio album)
by OutKast

Shortlisted for album of the year at the 2002 Grammys. the winner was the soundtrack album for O Brother, Where Art Thou?

This album is absolutely incredible. The fusion of so many different styles, the huge hooks, the virtuoso rapping, the singing, the interludes, the production are at the highest levels of any Hip Hop album I've heard. The insights and originality of the lyrics and delivery fuse with a nice handful of megahits that play as well today as when I heard them when they first came out.

This is one of the finest Hip Hop albums ever made. The only thing that keeps it from a perfect 10 is that it is about 4 tracks too long, maybe 10-15 minutes. The actual rating would be a 9.7/10, but BEA doesn't allow that rating, so 9.5/10!

There are some huge songs on here which stand out as the clear peaks of this record with everything else being below this standard. Despite this, no songs on here are mediocre and most of them are pretty good leading to quite a consistent listen. They just seem to have this ability to be able to create infectious music that feels complex but also exciting and full of energy. While it may not completely blow me away when I listen to it, I always know that I am going to have a good time with this release and this makes it worth revisiting frequently. However, I am not a huge fan of the interludes and they feel like they could be cut to reduce a record that is already elongated. Overall, an enjoyable experience that has a lot of quality and impressed me with how infectious it is.

Ms Jackson is one of the best hip-hop/rap songs ever in my opinion. I also like Spaghetti Junction and a couple of the others are okay, but overall it's a step down from Aquemini. Too many interludes for my liking too.

From Jboy56 02/18/2022 16:08 | #281491

Verdict:80/100

From Timestarter 07/20/2021 12:42 | #271746

Highlights:

- So Fresh, So Clean
- Ms. Jackson
- Snappin' & Trappin'
- I'll Call Before I Come (Feat. Gangsta Boo, Eco)
- B.O.B.
- ?
- Red Velvet

I understand that this came after ATLiens and Aquemini, meaning that the expectations were sky-high, but I wouldn't expect them to release anything better than that. Shockingly enough, this is my favorite OutKast album. If the rest of their discography was exactly as it is and this album was missing, I would definitely rank them one level lower than I do now. Some of the main criticisms are consistency and length. The former does hold some - or even a lot - true. The lows could very well be their lowest so far. On the other hand, the highs have a strong case for being their highest - or at the very least pretty close to it. When you listen to the album as a whole, I find that the highs easily overshadow the lows. The length argument is one I don't get - unless you combine it with the incosistency argument, but it doesn't add anything new to the discussion, I can't see what difference it would make if it were shorter but still inconsistent. Hip hop albums in general do have a tendency for being on the longer end of the spectrum, not to mention that, after all, it's shorter than Aquemini. The production makes the album what it is. It manages to be challenging/experimental, but also poppy/catchy at the same time, it offers something to everyone. Lyrics and rapping - while by no means bad or anything, I mean how could they possibly be- do take a step back to allow the majestic sound to shine brighter. Many highlights to choose from, I'm gonna avoid the super obvious ones and go with Humble Mumble("Life is like a great big roller coaster Everything in life don't always happen like it's supposed to Trials and tribulations make you stronger, live longer You wanna reach the nation nigga start from ya corner Everything don't always happen like you plan it Demand it; over stand it then you handle it Fuck wishing, you missing the ambition on your mission Now you switchin' Why you quittin' cause it's heated in the kitchen?").
To sum it up, I get its flaws, but they are excused because of its good -actually great- parts.

From VictorVale 12/02/2020 23:24 | #261847

Revolucionários.

Favorite rap album of all time. I'm kind of ignorant to the genre, so that doesn't say much, but I love it!!!

From LebowskiRams 06/12/2020 02:28 | #253336

Take out the singles, and the first half of this is the most average stuff the group had done up to this point. But the second half is great.