Stankonia is the fourth studio album by American
hip hopHip hop music is a musical genre which developed alongside hip hop culture, and is commonly based on concepts of loop, rapping, freestyle, DJing, scratching, sampling and beatboxing. The music is used to express concerns of political, social, and personal issues...
duo
OutKastOutKast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, a city south of Atlanta, Georgia. They were originally known as The OKB but later changed the group's name to OutKast. The group's original musical style was a mixture of Dirty South and G-Funk...
, released October 31, 2000 on La Face Records. The album reached number 2 on the
Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart , selling over 530,000 copies the first week of its release.
Stankonia received universal acclaim from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 95/100 from
MetacriticMetacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. The album received rave reviews from publications such as
USA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth...
and the
Los Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California since 1881. It is distributed throughout the Western United States. It is the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States and the fourth-most widely distributed newspaper in the United States...
.
Stankonia is the fourth studio album by American
hip hopHip hop music is a musical genre which developed alongside hip hop culture, and is commonly based on concepts of loop, rapping, freestyle, DJing, scratching, sampling and beatboxing. The music is used to express concerns of political, social, and personal issues...
duo
OutKastOutKast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, a city south of Atlanta, Georgia. They were originally known as The OKB but later changed the group's name to OutKast. The group's original musical style was a mixture of Dirty South and G-Funk...
, released October 31, 2000 on La Face Records. The album reached number 2 on the
Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart , selling over 530,000 copies the first week of its release.
Stankonia received universal acclaim from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 95/100 from
MetacriticMetacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. The album received rave reviews from publications such as
USA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth...
and the
Los Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California since 1881. It is distributed throughout the Western United States. It is the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States and the fourth-most widely distributed newspaper in the United States...
. It was also voted as the best album of the year in
The Village VoiceThe Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper in New York City, United States featuring investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts reviews and events listings for New York City...
Pazz & JopThe Pazz & Jop critics' poll is a poll of music critics run by The Village Voice newspaper. It is compiled every year from the top ten lists of hundreds of music critics...
critics' poll.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 359 on
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
magazine's list of
the 500 greatest albums of all timeThe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003.Related news articles: The list was based on the votes of 273 rock musicians, critics and industry figures, each of whom submitted a weighted list of 50 albums...
. In 2006,
TimeTime is an American newsmagazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong. As of 2009, Time no longer publishes a Canadian advertiser edition...
magazine named
Stankonia as one of the 100 best albums of all time. In 2009,
Pitchfork MediaPitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on independent music, especially indie rock...
ranked it number 13 on its list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s.
The limited edition artwork features a computer-generated image of a subset of the
Mandelbrot setIn mathematics the Mandelbrot set, named after Benoît Mandelbrot, is a set of points in the complex plane, the boundary of which forms a fractal...
, a
fractalA fractal is "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity...
.
Music
Stank, a commonly used word on the album, is derived from a southern U.S. pronunciation of
stinkStink most commonly refers to unpleasant odor.Stink may also refer to:*Stink bomb, a device to create an unpleasant smell*Flatulence, sometimes called a stink* Stink pipe, a slang term for part of a Drain-waste-vent system*Stink bug, a type of Insect...
, the original meaning of the word
funkFunk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
.
George ClintonGeorge Clinton is an American singer, songwriter and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and began his work as a solo artist in 1981. He has been called one of the most prominent...
applied the term
stank to the more
carnalCarnal knowledge is an archaic or legal euphemism for sexual intercourse.-Etymology:The word "carnal" derives from Latin carnalis, meaning "fleshly", and the word "knowledge" in this phrase derives from the "Biblical sense" of "to know", which means "to have sexual intercourse with"...
,
hedonisticHedonism is a school of ethics which argues that pleasure has an ultimate importance, and that humanity's most important pursuit is sensual self-indulgence.-Etymology:...
things in life, including
funk musicFunk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
. "Stankonia" is the name of a fictional land at "the centre of the earth, seven light years below
sea levelMean sea level is the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation.- Measurement :...
", which is "the place from which all 'funky thangs' come", according to the album's opening lyrics. The lyrical content is divided between verses from
Big BoiAntwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer, actor, and one half of the alternative hip hop duo Outkast.-Outkast:...
and
André 3000André Lauren Benjamin ,better known by his stage name André 3000 , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor, best known for his work in the group OutKast.-Early life:...
. The artists describe themselves as "a player and a poet", respectively, and this is reflected in the lyrics; Big Boi tends to deal with standard
gangstaA Gangster is a criminal who is a member of a crime organization, such as a gang. The terms are most commonly used in reference to members of the criminal organizations associated with American prohibition and the American offshoot of the Italian Mafia, such as the Chicago Outfit, the Philadelphia...
fare (such as
gunIn military parlance, a gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm...
s, hoes, and
pimpA pimp, also called a fleshmonger or pander, finds and manages women who might be vulnerable and susceptible, for whatever reason, to extreme manipulation and engages them in prostitution in order to profit from their earnings...
ing on songs such as "Snappin & Trappin" and "We Luv Deez Hoez") while André 3000 talks about other elements of "stanking", using
metaphorA metaphor is a figure of speech concisely comparing two things, saying that one is the other. The English metaphor derives from the 16th c...
s about elephants, ski slopes, and the four humours.
Part of the reason for Stankonias acclaim and popularity was the diversity of its musical influences, which led to comparisons to Prince. It incorporates many
musical genresA music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music....
to create a unique-sounding whole. For example, the album opens with Indian tablas and harmonium, then launching into a
heavy metalHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States...
-style
electric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current, which is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker. The signal that comes from the guitar is sometimes electronically altered with guitar effects such as...
riffIn music, a riff is an ostinato figure: a repeated chord progression, pattern, refrain or melodic figure, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompaniment of a musical composition. Though they are most often found in rock music, Latin, funk...
on "Gasoline Dreams" before turning to slick
P-funkP-Funk is a shorthand term for the repertoire and performers associated with George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective and the distinctive style of funk music they performed...
on the second song (fourth track overall) "So Fresh, So Clean". The album also incorporates influences from
gospelGospel music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, ("Toilet Tisha"),
sambaSamba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in African and European roots. The word is derived from the Portugese verb sambar, meaning "to dance to rhythm." It is a worldwide recognized symbol of Brazil and the Carnival and is the national dance of Brazil...
("Humble Mumble") and
drum and bassDrum and bass , is a type of electronic dance music which emerged in the mid 1990s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy sub-bass lines...
("B.O.B."). This stylistic diversity was tied together by the pseudo-psychedelic production, emphasizing trippy synthesizers, spacey sound effects, techno-tinged percussion, and weird 70s-style psychedelic funk, updated in a more contemporary hip-hop context. The album's cover is an homage to
Sly & the Family StoneSly & the Family Stone is an American funk, soul and rock band from San Francisco, California. Originally active from 1966 to 1983, with varied lineups, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
's
There's a Riot Goin' OnThere's a Riot Goin' On is the fifth studio album by American funk and soul band Sly & the Family Stone, released November 20, 1971 on Epic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place primarily throughout 1970 to 1971 at Record Plant Studios in Sausalito, California...
.
Track listing
All tracks are produced by Earthtone III, a production team consisting of OutKast and David "Mr. DJ" Sheats, except for "So Fresh, So Clean", "Spaghetti Junction", and "We Luv Deez Hoez", which are produced by
Organized NoizeOrganized Noize is an Atlanta-based American hip hop production company made up of Rico Wade, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown.
.
- "Intro" - 1:09
- "Gasoline Dreams" (featuring Khujo Goodie of Goodie Mob
Goodie Mob is a hip hop act based in Atlanta, Georgia. Members Cee-Lo , Khujo , T-Mo Goodie , and Big Gipp make up the group, which has been functioning since 1995....
) - 3:34
- "I'm Cool" (Interlude) - 0:42
- "So Fresh, So Clean
"So Fresh, So Clean" is a song recorded by Outkast. It was the third single released from their breakout album Stankonia. It was produced by longtime collaborators Organized Noize. The music video features the duo and Sleepy Brown performing on a variety of CGI backgrounds, a beauty parlor, and a...
" - 4:00
- Samples "Before the Night is Over" by Joe Simon
Joseph H. Simon is a Jewish-American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the first editor of Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics...
- "Ms. Jackson
"Ms. Jackson" is a song by OutKast and the second single from their fourth album Stankonia. It topped the U.S. charts for the week of February 17, 2001, and won a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. It also reached number one in Germany and number two in the United...
" - 4:30
- Samples "Strawberry Letter #23" by The Brothers Johnson
- "Snappin' & Trappin'" (featuring Killer Mike
Michael Render , better known by his stage name Mike Bigga , formerly Killer Mike, is an American rapper, signed to Grind Time Official through the SMC/Fontana Distribution...
& J-Sweet) - 4:19
- "D.F." (Interlude) - 0:27
- "Spaghetti Junction" - 3:57
- "Kim & Cookie" (Interlude) - 1:12
- "I'll Call Before I Come" (featuring Gangsta Boo
Gangsta Boo, also known as Lady Boo, was the first female member of the Memphis, Tennessee-based rap group Three 6 Mafia. She left the group following the release of their album When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1, over money disputes....
& Eco) - 4:18
- "B.O.B.
"B.O.B." is a 2000 single by OutKast for the LaFace/Arista Records label. The first single from their album Stankonia, "B.O.B." is high-tempo and jungle-influenced, with a BPM rate of 155...
" - 5:04
- "Xplosion" (featuring B-Real
Louis Freese, better known by his stage name B-Real, is an American rapper of Mexican and Cuban heritage. He is best known for being the lead rapper in hip hop group Cypress Hill, who debuted with their self-titled album Cypress Hill in 1991.-Early life and career:Born on June 2, 1970 to a Mexican...
) - 4:08
- "Good Hair" (Interlude) - 0:14
- "We Luv Deez Hoez" (featuring BackBone & Big Gipp
This article is about the American rapper. For the Notre Dame football player, see George Gipp. For the Iowa State Representative see Chuck Gipp....
of Goodie Mob) - 4:10
- Samples "Worldwide" by Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint, , is an American musician, composer and record producer, one of the most influential figures in New Orleans R&B....
- "Humble Mumble" (featuring Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu, is a multiple Grammy-winner, African-American soul singer and songwriter, whose work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral...
) - 4:50
- "Drinkin' Again (Interlude)" - 0:24
- "?" - 1:29
- "Red Velvet" - 3:52
- "Cruisin' in the ATL" (Interlude) - 0:19
- "Gangsta Shit" (featuring Slimm Calhoun, C-Bone & T-Mo
T-Mo is an American rapper best known for being a member of Southern hip-hop group Goodie Mob. He is also one-half of the hip-hop duo The Lumberjacks ....
of Goodie Mob) (Produced by Carl Mo for Earthtone III) - 4:41
- "Toilet Tisha" - 4:24
- "Slum Beautiful" (featuring Cee-Lo
Thomas DeCarlo Callaway , better known by his stage name Cee-Lo Green, is an American hip hop, funk, soul, and R&B musician. He is a singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer, best known as a member of Goodie Mob and more recently Gnarls Barkley, and has also recorded two critically acclaimed...
of Goodie Mob) - 4:07
- "Pre-Nump (Interlude)" - 0:27
- "Stankonia (Stanklove)" (featuring Big Rube
Big Rube is an American rapper and hip-hop producer. He is a First Generation member of the Dungeon Family & Society of Soul. He is know for his spoken word intros and interludes for many of the Dungeon Family’s albums including Bubba Sparxxx, Goodie Mob, OutKast, & Witchdoctor...
& Sleepy BrownPatrick "Sleepy" Brown is an R&B singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is one-third of the successful Atlanta-based production team of Organized Noize, which has created hits for acts such as OutKast, Goodie Mob, and TLC...
) - 6:51
Chart history
Album
| Year |
Album |
Chart positions |
| Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
|
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
|
Top Canadian Albums |
| 2000 See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January - Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
|
Stankonia |
#2 |
#2 |
#4 |
Singles
| Year |
Song |
Chart positions |
| Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, formerly the Black Singles Chart, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues...
|
Hot Rap Singles Rap Songs, formerly Hot Rap Tracks, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was...
|
Rhythmic Top 40 |
Top 40 Tracks Top 40 Tracks is a defunct airplay chart from Billboard Magazine. It was created in 1998, when Billboard Magazine changed the airplay profile of The Hot 100 Airplay to include more R&B, Country, and Rock stations to its profile . To preserve the notion of the former chart, Top 40 Tracks was...
|
Top 40 Mainstream Pop Songs is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay charts...
|
Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
|
| 2000 |
"B.O.B." |
- |
#69 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 2000 |
"Ms. Jackson" |
#1 |
- |
- |
#1 |
#13 |
- |
- |
| 2001 |
"Ms. Jackson" |
- |
- |
#1 |
- |
- |
#13 |
#9 |
| 2001 |
"So Fresh, So Clean" |
#30 |
- |
#13 |
#10 |
#40 |
- |
- |
Personnel
OutKast:
- Big Boi
Antwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer, actor, and one half of the alternative hip hop duo Outkast.-Outkast:...
(Antwan Patton) - vocals, productionIn the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes...
- André 3000
André Lauren Benjamin ,better known by his stage name André 3000 , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor, best known for his work in the group OutKast.-Early life:...
(Andre Benjamin) - vocals, synthesisers, production
- Mr. DJ
Mr. DJ, born David Sheats, is a Grammy Award-winning American hip-hop record producer and DJ from Atlanta, Georgia.-Biography:Raised on the southside of College Park, Georgia, Mr. DJ entered the music industry as a DJ for Atlanta-based hip-hop group OutKast. According to Sheets,After touring with...
(David Sheats) - production
Guest performers
- Sleepy Brown
Patrick "Sleepy" Brown is an R&B singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is one-third of the successful Atlanta-based production team of Organized Noize, which has created hits for acts such as OutKast, Goodie Mob, and TLC...
- Khujo Goodie
- Killer Mike
Michael Render , better known by his stage name Mike Bigga , formerly Killer Mike, is an American rapper, signed to Grind Time Official through the SMC/Fontana Distribution...
- J-Sweet
- Gangsta Boo
Gangsta Boo, also known as Lady Boo, was the first female member of the Memphis, Tennessee-based rap group Three 6 Mafia. She left the group following the release of their album When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1, over money disputes....
- Eco
- B-Real (of Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Originally called DVX, the name was changed after Mellow Man Ace left in 1988. Cypress Hill was the first Latino group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide.-Early works:Cypress...
)
- Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu, is a multiple Grammy-winner, African-American soul singer and songwriter, whose work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral...
- Backbone
- Big Gipp
This article is about the American rapper. For the Notre Dame football player, see George Gipp. For the Iowa State Representative see Chuck Gipp....
- Slimm Calhoun
- C-Bone
- T-Mo Goodie
- Cee-Lo Goodie
Thomas DeCarlo Callaway , better known by his stage name Cee-Lo Green, is an American hip hop, funk, soul, and R&B musician. He is a singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer, best known as a member of Goodie Mob and more recently Gnarls Barkley, and has also recorded two critically acclaimed...
- Big Rube
- Joi
Joi Gilliam is an American R&B/Rock singer, record producer and songwriter associated with the Dungeon Family collective based in Atlanta, Georgia, and as such often performs with OutKast, the Organized Noise production team, and Goodie Mob .-Debut album: Pendulum Vibe :In 1994, Joi released her...
Instrumentalists:
- Donnie Mathis - guitar
The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
- David "Whild" Brown - guitar
- Jason Freeman - horns
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
- Jerry Freeman - horns
- Sleepy Brown - piano
The piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, synthesised bass
- Marvin "Chanz" Parkman - piano, keyboards
- Earthtone III & Organized Noize - keyboards
- Preston Crump - bass guitar
The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
, synthesized bass
- Aaron Mills - bass guitar
- Robert Grister - bass guitar
- Dookie Blossumgame - bass guitar
- Victor Alexander - drums
Other people:
- Rosalin Heard - backing vocals
- Paul Douglas-Feddon-backing vocals
- Myrna "Screechy Peach" Crenshaw - backing vocals
- Cutmaster Swift - cuts
- Michael Lavine
Michael Lavine grew up in Denver, Colorado, and graduated from Denver's South High School in 1981. During his school years a camera was never far from Michael's hand...
- photography
External links
- Stankonia at Discogs
Discogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about music recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Playing God: Stankonia at Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
- Album Review at Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...