Released: September 29, 1998

Featuring: Sleepy Brown

Songwriter: Big Boi André 3000 Sleepy Brown

Producer: OutKast

[Hook: André 3000, Andrea Nivet & Delvida Flaherty]
Damn, damn, damn, James
Damn, damn, damn, James
Damn, damn, damn, James
Damn, damn, damn, James

[Verse 1: Sleepy Brown]
Dickie shorts, Lincoln's clean
Leanin', checking out the scene
Gangsta boys, Bigga's lit
Ridin' out, talkin' shit
Nigga, where you wanna go?
You know the club don't close 'til four
Let's party 'til we can't no more
Watch out, here come the folk—"Damn"
Oh, Lord

[Break]

[Verse 2: André 3000]
As the plot thickens, it gives me the dickens, reminiscent of Charles
A lil' discotheque nestled in the ghettos of Niggaville, USA
Via Atlanta, Georgia
A lil' spot where young men and young women go to experience they first little taste of the night life
Me? Well, I've never been there
Well, perhaps, once, but I was so engulfed in the Ol' E', I never made it to the door
You speak of hardcore
While the DJ sweatin' out all the problems and troubles of the day
While this fine, bow-legged girl, fine as all outdoors, lulls lukewarm lullabies in your left ear
Competing with "Set It Off" in the right
But it all blends perfectly, if you let the liquor tell it
"Hey, hey—look, baby, they playin' our song!"
And the crowd goes wild, as if Holyfield has just won the fight
But in actuality, it's only about 3 a.m., and three niggas just done got hauled off in the ambulance, sliced up
Two niggas done started busting—"Wham! Wham!"
And one nigga done took his shirt off, talking 'bout, "Now, who else wanna fuck with Hollywood Court?"
It's just my interpretation of the situation

[Hook: André 3000]
Damn, damn, damn, James
Damn, damn, damn, James
Damn, damn, damn, James
Damn, damn, damn, James

[Verse 3: Big Boi]
Yes! When I first met my SpottieOttieDopalicious angel
I can remember that damn thing like yesterday
The way she moved reminded me of a brown stallion horse with skates on, you know?
Smooth, like a hot comb on nappy-ass hair
I walked up on her and was almost paralyzed
Her neck was smelling sweeter than a plate of yams with extra syrup
Eyes beaming like four karats apiece, just blindin' a nigga
Felt like I chiefed a whole O of that Presidential
My heart was beating so damn fast
Never knowing this moment would bring another life into this world
Funny how shit come together sometimes, you dig?
One moment, you frequent the booty clubs, and the next four years, you and somebody's daughter raisin' y'all own young'n
Now, that's a beautiful thang
That's if you're on top of your game and man enough to handle real-life situations, that is
Can't gamble feeding a baby on that dope money
Might not always be sufficient
But the United Parcel Service and the people at the post office didn't call you back because you had cloudy piss
So now, you back in the trap
Just that: trapped!
Go'n' and marinate on that for a minute

[Outro: André 3000, Andrea Nivet + Delvida]
Da, da, da, Ja, Ja, Ja
Da, da, da, Ja, Ja, Ja
Da, da, da, Ja, Ja, Ja
Da, da, da, Ja, Ja, Ja
Da, da, da, Ja, Ja, Ja
Da, da, da, Ja, Ja, Ja
Da, da, da, Ja, Ja, Ja
Da, da, da, Ja, Ja, Ja

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.