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Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)

Where the lyrics of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below take you, and where it was really made.

The album began as two separate solo records by Big Boi and André 3000, and Arista's objection to releasing them separately merged them into one double album.

Key places

Where Speakerboxxx was recorded (2003)

Recording site Stankonia (Atlanta) — The entirety of Speakerboxxx was recorded at the Stankonia Studios, the duo's own studio in downtown Atlanta. The studio had earlier been used for the group's album Stankonia (2000). Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Los Angeles sessions for The Love Below (2003)

Recording site Larrabee Sound Studios — A substantial portion of The Love Below was recorded at Larrabee Sound Studios in Los Angeles, alongside Ocean Way Recording. These sessions were part of the work spread across several studios. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Atlanta sessions for The Love Below (2003)

Recording site Tree Studios — Part of The Love Below was recorded at Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta, one of several studios used for the album. The source places it among other locations beyond the main Stankonia Studios. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Speakerboxxx/The Love Below: fifth studio album by the American hip-hop duo Outkast
• Released September 23, 2003 by Arista Records
• Issued as a double album running over two hours, split into a solo disc by Big Boi and one by André 3000
• Speakerboxxx leans toward Southern hip hop and progressive rap; The Love Below leans toward pop, funk, jazz, psychedelia and progressive soul
• Speakerboxxx covers socially conscious themes such as single parenthood, philosophy, religion and politics; The Love Below centers on love and relationships

Background

• Both discs were originally conceived as individual solo albums
• Outkast's management judged separate solo releases unsuitable; Arista Records wanted to capitalize on the duo's recent Grammy Award win
• The two records were merged into one double album, which was envisioned as the soundtrack to the duo's film
• Production of the film was put on hold, and the album was reconstructed as Outkast's fifth studio effort
• Before this project, André 3000 moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, with limited success, before returning to music

Recording

• André 3000 began recording The Love Below at his Los Angeles residence using Pro Tools instead of a studio
• Big Boi finished Speakerboxxx earlier than André 3000 completed The Love Below, and the whole of Speakerboxxx was recorded at Stankonia Studios
• A substantial portion of The Love Below was recorded at other studios, including Larrabee Sound Studios, Ocean Way Recording and Tree Sound Studios
• An estimated 120 songs were recorded for the project in total

Cover

• Big Boi was photographed by Jonathan Mannion, and André 3000 was photographed by Torkil Gudnason
• The Speakerboxxx cover shows Big Boi in a fur coat as the fictional procurer Rooster
• The Love Below cover shows André 3000 posing with a gun as his alter ego Cupid Valentino
• CD pressings used separate covers; digital and vinyl editions combined both images into one cover

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• OutKast was an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992.
• Members were Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin).
• The two met in 1992 at Lenox Square mall in Atlanta at age 16 and attended Tri-Cities High School.
• They were pursued by the producers Organized Noize and signed to LaFace Records, becoming the label's first hip-hop act.

Members

• Big Boi (Antwan Patton) was the "player" in the duo, covering conventional hip-hop topics.
• André 3000 (André Benjamin) was the "poet", discussing more unorthodox themes.

Career

• Debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994) is credited with laying the foundation for southern hip-hop.
• ATLiens (1996) and Aquemini (1998) were critically acclaimed.
• Stankonia (2000) brought mainstream recognition; "Ms. Jackson" topped the Billboard Hot 100.
• Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
• The duo split in 2007 after the film soundtrack album Idlewild (2006); both members pursued solo careers.
• They reunited in 2014 for performances at more than 40 festivals worldwide.
• Credited with sales of 20 million records and six Grammy Awards.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: universal acclaim, weighted average 91 out of 100 from 26 critic scores
• AllMusic (Stephen Thomas Erlewine): praised both discs as among the best music of 2003 regardless of genre
• Entertainment Weekly (Will Hermes): said the album's ambition went beyond that of rap, pop, rock and R&B artists of the time
• Blender (Kris Ex): described the double album as holding creativity that could not have fit on one LP
• The Guardian (Dorian Lynskey): compared it to Sign o' the Times and The White Album as a career-defining masterpiece
• Rolling Stone (Jon Caramanica): less enthusiastic, especially about André 3000's approach
• Pitchfork (Brent DiCrescenzo): said The Love Below did not sustain the consistency of Speakerboxxx

Reappraisal

• The Recording Academy (Jon O'Brien): named it one of the most influential double albums in hip hop, reviving the double-album concept
• Credited with pushing conscious hip hop into the mainstream in the mid-2000s
• Stereogum (Chris DeVille): compared its funk-genre blend to Janelle Monáe's later work
• Dazed (Gabriel Szatan): said it permanently widened the boundaries of hip hop

Records

• Billboard 200 number one, first-week sales of 509,600 copies, Outkast's first number one on that chart
• Seven non-consecutive weeks at number one and 56 weeks on the chart in total
• RIAA diamond certification in December 2004; updated to 13-times platinum in September 2023
• Highest-certified rap album of all time after the 2023 update
• Grammy Award for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards (2004)
• UK: certified triple platinum by the BPI in July 2023
• Over 11 million copies sold worldwide as of September 2023

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The two solo records were merged after Arista Records and Outkast's management judged separate releases unsuitable.
• Big Boi's Speakerboxxx was finished earlier, and he grew impatient with André 3000's prolonged recording process, once again considering releasing his disc on its own.
• Speakerboxxx's original track listing, published before The Love Below was completed, included songs that were later cut, such as Do Dirty featuring Killer Mike.
• The Love Below's Millionaire, a second collaboration with Kelis, was instead released on her third studio album Tasty.
• Frye noted that the end of The Love Below sessions was particularly stressful for André 3000, who worked at four studios at once.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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