20 years ago, groundbreaking hip-hop duo Outkast released their fifth studio album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, via Arista/Sony Music.
Featuring guests including Jay-Z, CeeLo Green, Killer Mike, Goodie Mob, Lil Jon, Ludacris, Norah Jones, and Kelis, among many others, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below would be the duo’s first chart-topping album, claiming the Number One spot on both sides of the Atlantic.
Singles included instant classics ‘Roses’ and ‘Hey Ya’, with the latter shooting straight to Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 where it would stay for nine weeks. ‘Hey Ya!’ also claimed the Number One spot in Canada and Australia, and charted in 28 countries around the world.
Released as a double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is a concept album with the intention of delivering each member’s individual perspective and sound. On Speakerboxxx, Big Boi would embrace and perfect his Southern Hip-Hop sound, while The Love Below would see Andre 3000 delve into jazzy pop-funk stylings.
Hailed as both a commercial and critical success, The Guardian commented on the album at the time, stating: “Both albums are sublime. Taken together they’re hip-hop’s Sign o’ the Times or The White Album: a career-defining masterpiece of breathtaking ambition.”
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was nominated for six Grammy Awards and would take home three in the categories of Album of the Year, Best Urban/Alternative Performance for ‘Hey Ya!’ and Best Rap Album.
In 2009, NME ranked Speakerboxxx/The Love Below number 44 on its list of the top 100 Greatest Albums Of The Decade, while Newsweek ranked the album Number One on its Best Albums Of The Decade list.
