Salon: “Ever since OutKast came out of Atlanta 12 years ago, hip-hop’s beloved duo has been riding one long wave of critical adulation and popular acclaim, each album outselling the last, each album taking a legitimate artistic step forward, and each album confounding expectations. But now, with the tepid and unadventurous ‘Idlewild,’ Antwan ‘Big Boi’ Patton and Andre 3000 (né Benjamin) have done the last thing anyone expected: delivered their first dud.”
Say it ain’t so!
Had to happen at some point. Only a mediocre artist is always at their best.
Well I thought it wasn’t as adventerous as Speakerboxx/The Love Below and Stankonia because it didn’t have as much youthful energy. With Stankonia they were really trying to conquer the world, and they pretty much succeeded. Andre has kind of retired from his past up and coming creativeness and playa attitude, for example on the new single “International Players Anthem” he raps about marriage and his space ship is ready to dip and land. Idlewild I thought was still a good album to relax and listen to, but give them credit. They made the album while they shot the movie. Shooting in the morning and producing in the afternoons. Unfortunately, the funky idea of Outkast and Cab Calloway just didn’t come off with the public the way Hey Ya did. Big Boi will come out with an album late summer, and I bet it’ll be great. He is very consistent, and I hope on my whole musical being that he convinces Andre to jump back on the train. They are still pretty young! Do it!