Released: October 31, 2000

Featuring: Erykah Badu

Songwriter: André 3000 Big Boi Erykah Badu Mr. DJ

Producer: Earthtone III

[Intro: André 3000]
Ah, I stank I can, I stank I can
The funky engine that could
Ooh, ooh, yosky, wosky, pisky, wisky
All aboard the Stankonia Express
The underground smell road
Everybody's lookin' for an excuse to let loose
What's your locomotive, the Chatta-nigga choo choo?

[Hook: André 3000 + Erykah Badu]
Humble as a mumble in the jungles
Of shouts and screams
That's the way the cracker crumbles
So I guess I've got to re-route my dreams
Humble as a mumble in the jungles
Of shouts and screams
That's the way the cracker crumbles
So I guess I've got to re-route my dreams

[Verse 1: Big Boi]
Back on the microphone, your number one controller
I rock the microphone like a blizzard; I'm so cold I'm tryin' to told ya
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?
Sloppy slipping in your pimpin' nigga (Nigga)
You either pistol whoop the nigga or you choke the trigger
You've gots to follow through, struggle to complete your dreams
"No Weapon Formed Against You Prospers" 54:17
From Isaiah, lay a, nigga down and spray 'em
If the dealer dealt a fucked up hand of cards you've gotta play 'em

[Hook: André 3000 + Erykah Badu]
Humble as a mumble in the jungles
Of shouts and screams
That's the way the cracker crumbles
So I guess I've got to re-route my dreams
Humble as a mumble in the jungles
Of shouts and screams
That's the way the cracker crumbles
So I guess I've got to re-route my dreams

[Verse 2: Andre 3000]
Yeah, too Democratic, Republic fuck it
We chicken nugget, we dip in the sauce like mop and bucket
Blue-collar scholars, who'll take your dolla, and wipe my ass with it
You living for the lotto never hit it
I met a critic, I made her shit her draws
She said she thought Hip Hop was only guns and alcohol
I said "Oh hell naw!", but yet it's that too
You can't discrima-hate cause you done read a book or two
What if I looked at you in a microscope saw all the dirty organisms
Living in your closet would I stop and would I pause it, whoo
To put that bitch in slower motion, got the potion and the antidote
And a quote for collision, the decision
Is do you want to live or wanna exist?
The game changes every day, so obsolete is the fist and marches
Speeches only reaches those who already know about it
This is how we go about it

[Hook: André 3000 + Erykah Badu]
Humble as a mumble in the jungles
Of shouts and screams
That's the way the cracker crumbles
So I guess I've got to re-route my dreams
Humble as a mumble in the jungles
Of shouts and screams
That's the way the cracker crumbles
So I guess I've got to re-route my dreams

[Verse 3: Erykah Badu]
I'm wild, just like a rock, a stone, a tree
And I'm free, just like the wind the breeze that blows
And I flow, just like a brook, a stream, the rain
And I fly, just like a bird up in the sky
And I'll surely die, just like a flower plucked
And dragged away and thrown away
And then one day, it turns to clay
It blows away, it finds a ray, it finds its way
And there it lays, until the rain and sun
Then I breathe, just like the wind the breeze that blows
And I grow, just like a baby breastfeeding
And it's beautiful, that's life and that's life (Ahhhh)
And that's life and that's life

[Hook: André 3000 + Erykah Badu]
Humble as a mumble in the jungles
Of shouts and screams
That's the way the cracker crumbles
So I guess I've got to re-route my dreams
Humble as a mumble in the jungles
Of shouts and screams
That's the way the cracker crumbles
So I guess I've got to re-route my dreams

[Outro: André 3000]
Humble as a mumble in the jungles
Of shouts and screams
That's the way the cracker crumbles
So I guess I've gotta re-route my dreams
Y'all can't harm me, it's over

Shhhh
Hush
Shhhh
Hush
Shhhh
Hush
Shhhh
Hush

OutKast

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.