OutKast

Released: September 29, 1998

Songwriter: Mr. DJ Big Boi André 3000

Producer: Mr. DJ

[Verse 1: André 3000]
"Baby, did you hear that?" "Yeah, baby, I heard it too"
Look out the window, golly, the sky is electric blue
Mama Earth is dying and crying because of you
Raining cats and jackals, all shackles disintegrate to residue
Silly mortals haven't a clue as to what the fuck is going on
I'm on the telephone dialing the Dungeon ("Hello?")
This Dre, bring the MP and the SP
Meet me at the center of the Earth and travel carefully
Baby, grab the baby, cause baby, it ain't much time
Mama Earth is tossing and turning and that's a sign
Omega nigga I.F.O.s are landing in Decatur
Hope I'm not over your head, but if so you will catch on later
Played the track, guess she could not take it anymo'
Raping her heavenly body like a ho, coochie so'
From niggas constantly fucking her, never loving her
Never showing appreciation, busting nuts in her face when they done

"Who said good folks is not supposed to die?"

[Verse 2: Big Boi]
The sky is falling, nobody balling, they done gave back they guns
For some tickets to the playoffs, but the Hornets, they won
Nigga, we slum, kept all the guns, I gotta protect my family
I drove the biggest thing in the house cause I knew they'd try to ram me
But I'm stabbing, making a path on expressway the best way I know how
Look up in the sky, east, west, no clouds
Him coming now, fuck that money now
I ask my honey how she feeling and is Jordan okay? "Yeah, yeah, she chillin'"
We should be at The Dungeon shortly, ain't nobody on they porch, see?
Approaching the final exit, I'm thinking I see four horsies
But I don't though, nigga, you won't know until it's on ya
I put that on my dope boys from A-Town to California
All the weed smell like ammonia but at the Dungeon I know they're smoking
Writing the raps and doing the beats to make this last recording
Fuck abortion, I got in the booth to run the final portion
The beat was very dirty and the vocals had distortion

[Outro: André 3000]
"Who said good folks is not supposed to die?"
All's well, nothing's well
All's well, nothing's well
All's well, nothing's well
All's well, nothing's well
All's well, nothing's well
All's well, nothing's well
All's well, nothing's well
All's well, nothing's well
All's well, nothing's well

Atlanta, Georgia natives André “André 3000” Benjamin and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton are OutKast, one of the most successful rap groups of all time. Along with the production crew Organized Noize and the Dungeon Family collective, André and Big Boi helped popularize and expand the sound of rap in the “Dirty South.”

The duo connected at Tri-Cities High School and after the names “2 Shades Deep” or “The Misfits” didn’t work out, they went with OutKast as a synonym of “misfit.” They signed to LaFace Records in 1992 prior to finishing high school and their first official appearance came on a remix to TLC’s hit single “What About Your Friends.” This led into their debut single “Player’s Ball” being released in 1993 and their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik following in 1994. They had a pivotal moment early in their career as they were named New Artist of the Year at the 1995 Source Awards, leading them to be booed by the New York crowd and André responding with his iconic “The South got somethin' to say.”

Their next two albums, ATLiens (1996) and Aquemini (1998), have sparked debates as to which album is superior. ATLiens saw the duo begin to produce their own music and increase their profile while Aquemini received a perfect “5 Mic” rating from The Source magazine. Their next album, Stankonia (2000), further solidified their superstar status with the hit singles “B.O.B.,” “So Fresh, So Clean” and “Ms. Jackson,” which won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group while Stankonia won a Grammy in the Best Rap Album category.

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