OutKast

Released: September 23, 2003

Songwriter: André 3000 Kevin Kendrick

Producer: André 3000

[Chorus: André 3000]
A boy to raise at a young age
No help from him, but she's alive
To be made strong, but all alone
Must be a pain, but she's alive

[Verse: André 3000]
The year was 1975
That night crickets cried
They knew what was goin' down
Three girls travel a long country road
And one said she thinks it's time
This baby wants to come right now

[Chorus: André 3000]
A boy to raise at a young age
No help from him, but she's alive
To be made strong, but all alone
Must be a pain, but she's alive

[Interlude: Woman talking]
I was scufflin' going to school, I was scufflin' working at night
And you know what? I truly believe
And that's why I tell a lot of parents, single parents
Don't tell me what God can't do
I made sure you had
I never felt like you should be deprived of anything
If a man didn't want to take care of his child, you move on
And that's what I did, I moved on

[Chorus: André 3000]
A boy to raise at a young age
No help from him, but she's alive
To be made strong, but all alone
Must be a pain, but she's alive
A boy to raise at, at a young age
No help from him, but she's alive

[Interlude: Woman talking]
He always wanted to be a father but he never took care of you
He ain't have no money, he ain't have nothin'
How can you care about somebody
And you never give the welfare of them?

[Chorus: André 3000]
A boy to raise at a young age
No help from him, but she's alive
To be made strong, but all alone
Must be a drag, but she's alive
A boy to raise at a young age
No love from him, but she's alive
To be made strong, but all alone
Must

[Interlude: Woman talking]
And I knew I had to go that road by myself

[Outro: André 3000]
She's alive

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.

more tracks from the album

The Love Below

From the albums

The Love Below (2003)
Speakerboxxx / The Love Below (2003)

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