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''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' is the fifth studio album by the American
hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
duo
Outkast Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin, formerly known as Dré). Widely regarded as one of the greatest an ...
. It was released on September 23, 2003, by
Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...
. Issued as a
double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording ...
, its length of over two hours is spread across solo records by
Big Boi Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), known professionally as Big Boi, is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Atlanta, he was one half of the Southern hip-hop duo Outkast along with rapper ...
and
André 3000 André Lauren Benjamin (born May 27, 1975), known professionally as André 3000, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he was one half of the hip-hop duo Outkast along with rapper Big Boi, which the two formed in 1992. Benj ...
. Originally conceived as standalone albums, the members' solo efforts were integrated into a double album under Outkast's name as Arista deemed the decision to release solo albums unsuitable at the time. Big Boi's ''Speakerboxxx'' is a
Southern hip-hop Southern hip-hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip-hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip-hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, Texas, ...
and
progressive rap Progressive rap (or progressive hip hop) is a broad subgenre of Hip-hop, hip hop music that aims to progress the genre thematically with Social transformation, socially transformative ideas and musically with stylistic experimentation. Developing ...
album influenced by
Parliament-Funkadelic Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American musical collective, music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament (band), Parliame ...
, while André 3000's ''The Love Below'' largely departs from hip-hop in favor of
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
,
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
,
psychedelia Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...
, and
progressive soul Progressive soul (often shortened to prog-soul; also called black prog, black rock, and progressive R&B) is a type of African-American music that uses a progressive music, progressive approach, particularly in the context of the soul music, soul ...
styles, drawing inspiration from
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
. While ''The Love Below'' was entirely produced by André 3000, ''Speakerboxxx'' featured contributions from André 3000, Mr. DJ, Carl Mo, Cutmaster Swift, and Dojo5, in addition to production by Big Boi. Lyrically, ''Speakerboxxx'' discusses socially conscious themes, such as single parenthood, philosophy, religion, and politics, whereas ''The Love Below'' is centered on complexities related to love and relationships. ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' features a multifaceted array of collaborators, including
Sleepy Brown Patrick Leroy "Sleepy" Brown (born January 24, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is one-third of the Atlanta-based production team of Organized Noize, which has created hits for acts such as Outkast, Goodie Mob an ...
,
Killer Mike Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, singer and activist. He made his recording debut on Outkast's fourth album ''Stankonia'' (2000), and guest appeared on the duo's Gr ...
,
Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...
,
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...
,
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama '' Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), '' Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in B ...
,
Kelis Kelis Rogers (; born August 21, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and chef. She attended Manhattan, New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she played saxophone and was selected for the Girls Ch ...
, and
Norah Jones Norah Jones ( ; born Geethali Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has won several awards for her music and, , has sold more than 53 million records worldwide. '' Billboard'' named her the top jazz artist of ...
. ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' received widespread acclaim from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
, who praised the consistency of Big Boi's ''Speakerboxxx'' and the eclectic musical style of André 3000's ''The Love Below''. Numerous publications proclaimed the album as one of the best records of 2003, placing it atop their year-end listings. A commercial success, ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' became Outkast's first number-one album on the US ''Billboard'' 200, with first-week sales of 509,000 units, and went on to be certified
diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) in December 2004. At the
46th Annual Grammy Awards The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2004, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2002, through September 30, 2003. It recognized acc ...
(2004), the album won Album of the Year and
Best Rap Album The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories ...
, becoming only the second hip hop album ever to win the former. It produced five singles, two of which—"
Hey Ya! "Hey Ya!" is a song by American hip hop duo Outkast, performed by its member André 3000, who wrote and produced the song. Along with " The Way You Move", recorded by Outkast's other member Big Boi and which featured Sleepy Brown, "Hey Ya! ...
" and "
The Way You Move "The Way You Move" is a hip-hop and soul song by the American hip hop duo Outkast, performed by its member Big Boi. The song features Outkast mentor Sleepy Brown on guest vocals. Along with " Hey Ya!", recorded by Outkast's other member André 3 ...
"—topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and made Outkast the first duo in the chart's history to replace themselves at the summit. Furthermore, "Hey Ya!" won the
Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance The Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality urban/alternative performance ...
. "
Roses A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...
" reached the top 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as well, peaking at number nine, while "
GhettoMusick "GhettoMusick" is a song recorded by American duo Outkast for their fifth studio album ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' (2003). While it was included on Big Boi's disc ''Speakerboxxx'', the song features vocals from André 3000, its sole produ ...
" and "
Prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...
" failed to achieve substantial success. Outkast heavily promoted ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' via interviews and televised performances, often separately, as the album was marketed as a consolidation of Big Boi and André 3000's solo records. The strategy elicited intense media speculation over the duo's disbandment, which the members consistently denied. The musical film '' Idlewild'' was originally slated to accompany the album, but was postponed multiple times before being released in 2006, after which Outkast embarked on an extended hiatus. Consequently, a multitude of critics have recognized ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' as a signal of Outkast's cessation, but nonetheless hailed the album as one of the best recordings of its era. The album has been further credited for reviving the double album concept in hip-hop, as well as for popularizing
conscious hip-hop Political hip hop (also known as political rap and conscious hip-hop) is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the 1980s as a form of political expression and activism. It typically addresses sociopolitical issues through lyrics, aiming t ...
. Following its RIAA certification update to 13-times platinum in 2023, signifying double-disc units of 6.5 million in the US, ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' became the highest-certified rap album of all time. As of September 2023, it has sold over 11 million copies worldwide.


Recording and production

Following Outkast's first
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
win at the
44th Annual Grammy Awards The 44th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 2002, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The main recipient was Alicia Keys, winning five Grammys, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for " Fallin'". U2 won fo ...
(2002), André 3000 felt urged to do something different from his previous projects and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. He was relatively unsuccessful, landing a minor role in ''
Hollywood Homicide ''Hollywood Homicide'' is a 2003 American buddy cop action comedy film starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett, with a supporting cast including Lena Olin, Bruce Greenwood, Isaiah Washington, Lolita Davidovich, Keith David, Gladys Kni ...
'' (2003) and a one-episode appearance in the drama series ''
The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...
''. He subsequently returned to music, and began developing a solo album different from Outkast's work. The output was a blend of
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
infused with live instruments, and with a larger emphasis on singing than rapping. When writing songs, he used a
microcassette The Microcassette (often written generically as microcassette) is an audio storage medium, introduced by Olympus in 1969. It has the same width of magnetic tape as the Compact Cassette but in a cassette roughly one quarter the size. By using ...
recorder in order to "record melodic ideas and lyrics, then build the melody around the lyrics". He began recording ''The Love Below'' at his Los Angeles residence, using
Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
software, in addition to a drum machine, keyboards and various synthesizers. He enjoyed the atmosphere of recording at home instead of a studio, telling '' XXL'': "It didn't start in the studio because if you have a bunch of people around, they're coming from the party and I'm in there singing falsetto... those vibes didn't match." His initial sessions were hampered by his inexperience with Pro Tools and, unaware of how to edit his recordings, he opted to record songs such as "Pink & Blue" entirely in one take. Other gear used included an Avalon VT737 SP, as well as AD2055 EQ and AD2044 compressors for his vocals. After creating four to five songs, he informed Big Boi of the project. Big Boi had already recorded some songs before André 3000 contacted him, but after their conversation he decided his next project would be ''Speakerboxxx''. Describing his approach in the studio, Big Boi later commented to ''XXL'': "I had a complete vision of what an album could be that was entirely me, and the idea was just to keep it funky, keep it jamming, it's always bass-heavy. And lyricism, it's all about lyrics, taking pride in your pen and your pad." His favorite song to record was "Unhappy". He spent several days working on its hook before driving to his mother's home and playing the song in her driveway, to which she responded enthusiastically. At some point in the recording, the project moved to Outkast's own Stankonia Studios in downtown Atlanta, which had been used to record its namesake ''
Stankonia ''Stankonia'' is the fourth studio album by the American hip hop duo Outkast, released on October 31, 2000, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The album was recorded in the duo's recently purchased Atlanta recording facility Stankonia Studios, ...
'' (2000). Studio manager and an engineer John Frye would later recognize that much of the media scrutiny surrounding the album's recording was concerned with André 3000 and Big Boi's working relationship and their decision to record separately. He conceded that both enjoyed working solo and were doing so more frequently, but continued to share and critique each other's works. ''Speakerboxxx'' and ''The Love Below'' were originally conceived as individual solo efforts. However, Outkast's management deemed the decision unsuitable, as
Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...
sought to capitalize on the momentum caused by the duo's then-recent Grammy Award victory. In a compromise, André 3000 and Big Boi integrated their solo records into a single
double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording ...
, which they envisioned as their film's accompanying
soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...
. Production of the film was put on hold, and the album was reconstructed into their fifth studio effort. In order to accurately display the postponed film's plot on audio recordings, background noise such as footsteps and car door slamming were interpolated into the album's tracks. As he finished ''Speakerboxxx'' earlier than André 3000 completed ''The Love Below'', Big Boi grew impatient due to André 3000's prolonged recording process, and once again considered releasing ''Speakerboxxx'' as a standalone solo album. While the entirety of ''Speakerboxxx'' was recorded at the Stankonia Studios, a substantial portion of ''The Love Below'' was also recorded at other locations, such as the
Larrabee Sound Studios Larrabee Sound Studios is a recording studio complex in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, North Hollywood, California, originally established in 1969. Facilities Located at 4162 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, Larrabee has six studios, thre ...
and
Ocean Way Recording Ocean Way Recording was a series of recording studios established by recording engineer and producer Allen Sides with locations in Los Angeles, Nashville, and Saint Barthélemy. Ocean Way Recording no longer operates recording facilities, but O ...
in Los Angeles, and the Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta. Frye noted the end of the recording sessions for ''The Love Below'' as particularly stressful for André 3000, whom he described as drained from working at four studios simultaneously. In total, an estimated 120 songs were recorded for ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below''. One of the songs which did not make the final track listing was "
Millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. Many national currencies have, or ...
", André 3000's second collaboration with
Kelis Kelis Rogers (; born August 21, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and chef. She attended Manhattan, New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she played saxophone and was selected for the Girls Ch ...
, which was instead included on her third studio album '' Tasty'' (2003) and subsequently released as a single. Meanwhile, the original track listing for ''Speakerboxxx'', published before ''The Love Below'' was completed, included "Oh No", featuring
Bubba Sparxxx Warren Anderson Mathis (born March 6, 1977), better known by his stage name Bubba Sparxxx, is an American rapper. His 2001 single, " Ugly" (featuring Timbaland) peaked at number 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and led him to sign with Timbaland ...
and BackBone; "Do Dirty", featuring
Killer Mike Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, singer and activist. He made his recording debut on Outkast's fourth album ''Stankonia'' (2000), and guest appeared on the duo's Gr ...
; "808", featuring
Bun B Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the Southern rap duo UGK (Underground Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work wi ...
; and "Rats & Roaches", a collaborative effort between Big Boi and André 3000.


Music and lyrics

''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' is a 135-minute double album comprising a total of 40 tracks, including 11
interlude Interlude may refer to: *a short play or, in general, any representation between parts of a larger stage production *''Entr'acte'', a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production *a section in a movement of a musical piece, se ...
s. It is a
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
with the intention of each disc showcasing each member's individual perspective and musical style. Big Boi's ''Speakerboxxx'' is an experimental
Southern hip hop Southern hip-hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip-hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip-hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee ...
and
progressive rap Progressive rap (or progressive hip hop) is a broad subgenre of Hip-hop, hip hop music that aims to progress the genre thematically with Social transformation, socially transformative ideas and musically with stylistic experimentation. Developing ...
record with lyrical themes such as
single parent A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include death, divorce, break-up, abandonment, bec ...
hood, philosophy, religion, and politics. Brett Schewitz of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' noted musical influences from
Parliament-Funkadelic Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American musical collective, music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament (band), Parliame ...
, while independent critic Roni Sarig observed the emotional range in Big Boi's lyricism as wider on ''Speakerboxxx'' than on its predecessors. After a "gunshot beat"-paced intro, the disc opens with "
GhettoMusick "GhettoMusick" is a song recorded by American duo Outkast for their fifth studio album ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' (2003). While it was included on Big Boi's disc ''Speakerboxxx'', the song features vocals from André 3000, its sole produ ...
". The track's eclectic musical style, encompassing
electroclash Electroclash (also known as synthcore, retro-electro, tech-pop, nouveau disco, and the new new wave) is a Music genre, genre of popular music that fuses 1980s Electro (music), electro, New wave music, new wave and synth-pop with 1990s techno, re ...
,
electro-funk Electro (also known as electro-funk, and sometimes referred to as electro-pop)
Gl ...
,
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
, and
techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...
, is juxtaposed with recurring excerpts from
Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...
's 1983 song "
Love, Need and Want You "Love, Need and Want You" is a song recorded by American singer Patti LaBelle from her sixth studio album, '' I'm in Love Again'' (1983). The mid-tempo R&B song was written and produced for LaBelle by Bunny Sigler and Kenny Gamble, and was rel ...
", which exhibit LaBelle's vocals against a "lascivious"
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
background. Lyrically, it displays Big Boi confronting lackluster contemporary rappers and criticizing the hip hop scene's perceived descent. According to Brent DiCrescenzo of ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'', "Unhappy" musically conveys Big Boi effectively asserting himself as simultaneously traditional and perverse. The
big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...
, horn-driven funk track "Bowtie" was described as reminiscent of George Clinton and
Cotton Club The Cotton Club was a 20th-century nightclub in New York City. It was located on 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue from 1923 to 1936, then briefly in the midtown Theater District until 1940. The club operated during the United States' era of P ...
. It lyrically details stylishly dressing for a night out, and features
Sleepy Brown Patrick Leroy "Sleepy" Brown (born January 24, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is one-third of the Atlanta-based production team of Organized Noize, which has created hits for acts such as Outkast, Goodie Mob an ...
and
Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...
. Brown is also featured on "
The Way You Move "The Way You Move" is a hip-hop and soul song by the American hip hop duo Outkast, performed by its member Big Boi. The song features Outkast mentor Sleepy Brown on guest vocals. Along with " Hey Ya!", recorded by Outkast's other member André 3 ...
", a
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
-influenced R&B song pairing a "Dirty South synth-drum bounce with a faux
Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
hook".
Mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two ...
-tinged hip hop track "The Rooster" discusses Big Boi's struggles as a single parent, against an instrumentation based on "slippery" horns and loose wah-wah guitars. Killer Mike-assisted collaboration "Bust" blends hip hop with
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...
, and lyrically expresses a desire for superirority. On the
psychedelic soul Psychedelic soul (originally called black rock or conflated with psychedelic funk) is a form of soul music which emerged in the United States in the late 1960s. The style saw African-American soul musicians embrace elements of psychedelic rock, ...
track "War", Big Boi refers to the
2000 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 7, 2000. Republican Party (United States), Republican Governor George W. Bush of Texas, the eldest son of 41st President George H. W. Bush, ...
,
War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...
, murder of
Daniel Pearl Daniel Pearl (October 10, 1963 – February 1, 2002) was an American journalist who worked for ''The Wall Street Journal.'' On January 23, 2002, he was kidnapped by Jihadism, jihadist militants while he was on his way to what he had expected wou ...
,
Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
,
Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist and Black Power movement, black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newto ...
, and
Post-9/11 The post-9/11 period is the time after the September 11 attacks, characterized by heightened suspicion of non-Americans in the United States, increased government efforts to address terrorism, and a more aggressive American foreign policy. Some ...
. "Church" is a lyrical critique of
organized religion Organized religion, also known as institutional religion, is religion in which belief systems and rituals are systematically arranged and formally established, typically by an official doctrine (or dogma), a hierarchical or bureaucratic leadership ...
. A techno-
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
song, it has received comparisons to
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
's 1970s recordings. The interlude "Bamboo"—titled after Big Boi's son, who makes a guest appearance, covering " The Whole World"—precedes "Tomb of the Boom". Both tracks use an identical "bouncy" beat, while the latter dismisses rumors about Outkast's disbandment, and features Konkrete,
Big Gipp Cameron F. Gipp (born April 28, 1973), better known by his stage name Big Gipp, is an American rapper. He is a member of the Atlanta-based hip hop group Goodie Mob, with whom he has released six studio albums, as well as the duo Ali & Gipp, with ...
, and
Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...
. "Knowing" discusses a prostitute's plight, while "Flip Flop Rock" is an ode to
flip-flops Flip-flops are a type of light sandal-like shoe, typically worn as a form of casual footwear. They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped strap known as a toe thong that passes between the first and second toes and around ...
. Featuring Killer Mike and
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...
, "Flip Flop Rock" is a hip hop track built on a "springy" guitar loop and a "beatific" piano, while incorporating scratches and propulsive kickdrums. "Interlude", a spoken word evaluation of Outkast's history, precedes the percussion-infused "Reset", which features
Khujo Willie Edward Knighton Jr. (born March 13, 1972), better known as Khujo, is an American rapper. He is one-fourth of Goodie Mob (along with T-Mo, Cee-Lo, and Big Gipp), and one-half of The Lumberjacks (with T-Mo). Life and career Khujo was b ...
and
CeeLo Green Thomas DeCarlo Callaway-Burton (born May 30, 1975), known professionally as CeeLo Green (or Cee Lo Green or simply Cee-Lo), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Green came to initial pr ...
. Comedian Henry Welch performs the brief interlude "D-Boi", while Slimm Calhoun,
Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...
, and Mello appear on "Last Call", a track accentuated with aggressive horns and an eccentric
theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone, etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named aft ...
. ''Speakerboxxx'' closes with a 35-second reprise of "Bowtie", on which Big Boi's vocals are altered with
helium Helium (from ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic, inert gas, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. Its boiling point is ...
. In contrast with ''Speakerboxxx'', André 3000's ''The Love Below'' was identified as a funk, jazz, pop,
psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...
, and
progressive soul Progressive soul (often shortened to prog-soul; also called black prog, black rock, and progressive R&B) is a type of African-American music that uses a progressive music, progressive approach, particularly in the context of the soul music, soul ...
record comparable to the music of
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
in critical commentaries. The disc's abounding theme is love, specifically
falling in love Falling in love is the development of strong feelings of attachment and love, usually towards another person. The term is metaphorical, emphasizing that the process, like the physical act of falling, is sudden, uncontrollable and leaves the ...
and
self-love Self-love, defined as "love of self" or "regard for one's own happiness or advantage", has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness, synonymous with amour-propre, conceitedness, ...
. Sarig suggested that the end of André 3000's relationship with
Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...
influenced much of the lyrical content, which he saw as concerned with the search for true love. André 3000's vocal performance on the string-driven intro was compared to
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
by Andy Gill of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', while on the
noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...
-
lounge Lounge may refer to: Architecture * Lounge, the living room of a dwelling * Lounge, a public waiting area in a hotel's lobby * Lounge, a style of commercial alcohol- bar * Airport lounge or train lounge (e.g., Amtrak's Acela Lounge), a premium ...
opener "Love Hater", it was described as "mock
crooning A crooner is a singer who performs with a smooth, intimate style that originated in the 1920s. The crooning style was made possible by better microphones that picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to acce ...
" by
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
. The interlude "God" finds André 3000 embracing his "horndog" reputation in a prayer, accompanied by an
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
. "Happy Valentine's Day" introduces his
alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...
Cupid Valentino, a reimagination of
Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid ( , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known as Amor (Latin: ...
as a "gun-toting thug".
Anal sex Anal sex or anal intercourse principally means the insertion and pelvic thrusting, thrusting of the Erection, erect human penis, penis into a person's Human anus, anus, or anus and rectum, for sexual pleasure.Sepages 270–271for anal sex inform ...
-themed "Spread" displays trumpets and piano interspersed with a pliant
bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...
and scattering
rimshot A rimshot is a percussion technique used to produce an Accent (music), accented snare drum backbeat. The sound is produced by simultaneously hitting the Drum hardware#Rim, rim and Drumhead, head of the drum with a drum stick. The sound and var ...
s. Prelude "Where Are My Panties?", featuring Toni Hunter, insinuates a
one-night stand A one-night stand is a single sexual encounter in which there is no expectation that there shall be any further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single night performanc ...
leading to a romantic relationship. The lyrical theme continues on "
Prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...
", a funk-
neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from Soul music, soul ...
ballad sung similarly to Prince, Clinton, and
Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development ...
.
Alternative R&B Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, and originally known as PBR&B, hipster R&B, emo R&B, or R-Neg-B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and ...
track "She Lives in My Lap", featuring spoken-word vocals from actress
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama '' Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), '' Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in B ...
, received further comparisons to Prince, as Erlewine compared the song to
Prince and the Revolution The Revolution is an American band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1979 by Prince, serving as his live band and later as his studio band. The band's sound incorporated rock, pop, R&B, funk, new wave and psychedelic elements. Along with P ...
's 1985 B-side " She's Always in My Hair". Acoustic guitar and synth-bass-driven "
Hey Ya! "Hey Ya!" is a song by American hip hop duo Outkast, performed by its member André 3000, who wrote and produced the song. Along with " The Way You Move", recorded by Outkast's other member Big Boi and which featured Sleepy Brown, "Hey Ya! ...
" fuses
power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...
, traditional soul and electro-funk styles. Lyrically an "ass-shaking jam session", it introduces André 3000's second alter ego Ice Cold, who instructs the listeners to "shake it like a Polaroid picture". André 3000 described the song as being "pretty much about the state of relationships in the 2000s. It's about some people who stay together in relationships because of tradition, because somebody told them, 'You guys are supposed to stay together.' But you pretty much end up being unhappy for the rest of your life." "
Roses A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...
", the sole song on ''The Love Below'' on which Big Boi appears, is a
diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (an abbreviation of ''disrespect'' or ''disparage'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feu ...
directed towards a conceited ex-girlfriend referred to as "Caroline". "Pink & Blue" contains samples of
Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 â€“ August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...
's 1994 song "
Age Ain't Nothing but a Number ''Age Ain't Nothing but a Number'' is the debut studio album by American singer Aaliyah. It was released on May 24, 1994, by Blackground Records and Jive Records. After being signed by her uncle Barry Hankerson, Aaliyah was introduced to reco ...
" and reverses its lyrical theme, being directed towards an older love interest rather than a younger one. A "
Goth Goth or Goths may refer to: * Goths, a Germanic people Arts and entertainment * Gothic rock or goth, a style of rock music * Goth subculture, developed by fans of gothic rock * ''Goth'' (2003 film), an American horror film * ''Goth'' (2008 f ...
-soul cha-cha" track, "Pink & Blue" ends with a brief
orchestrated Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...
outro. While "Love in War" is André 3000's lyrical response to Big Boi's "War", the frivolous,
falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...
-sung minimalist electro track "She's Alive" discusses single motherhood. "Dracula's Wedding" follows André 3000 as a vampire infatuated with another vampire, portrayed by Kelis, but fearing commitment. " My Favorite Things" is a
drum and bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...
rendition of the 1959 song of the same title from ''
The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...
''.
Norah Jones Norah Jones ( ; born Geethali Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has won several awards for her music and, , has sold more than 53 million records worldwide. '' Billboard'' named her the top jazz artist of ...
is featured on "Take Off Your Cool", a string-driven acoustic jazz-soul track. On "Vibrate", André 3000 uses pro-environmental metaphors for
masturbation Masturbation is a form of autoeroticism in which a person Sexual stimulation, sexually stimulates their own Sex organ, genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. Stimulation may involve the use of han ...
. The dub-jazz track is built on muted trumpets and backward drumbeats. ''The Love Below'' closes with "A Life in the Day of Benjamin André (Incomplete)", described as an "autobiographical epistolary".


Marketing


Imagery

For the album cover and accompanying imagery for ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'', Big Boi and André 3000 were photographed separately, due to rising creative differences between the two, following prior disagreements over their imagery. Big Boi was photographed by longtime collaborator
Jonathan Mannion Jonathan Mannion is a photographer and film director. He has shot album covers for hip hop and R&B performers including Dr. Dre, Jay Z, Aaliyah, Outkast, Nas, Nicki Minaj, Brandy Norwood and Kendrick Lamar. Early life and education With English ...
, while Torkil Gudnason photographed André 3000. After listening to the entirety of ''Speakerboxxx'', Mannion devised ideas for imagery based on the record's lyrical themes. Meanwhile, Gudnason had a more fashion-oriented approach towards his photo shoot. The selected cover for ''Speakerboxxx'' saw Big Boi dressed in a fur coat and baggy jeans, depicting the fictional procurer named Rooster, who frequently appears on the album. He is shown sitting on a
feather duster A feather duster is a cleaning tool that is typically made from a wooden dowel handle onto which feathers are wound with a wire. The feathers are most often long. Some dusters have a retractable casing instead of a dowel handle and these are t ...
-decorated
rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan (from Malay language, Malay: ''rotan''), is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the clos ...
chair, inspired by a photograph of
Huey P. Newton Huey Percy Newton (February 17, 1942 – August 22, 1989) was an African American revolutionary and political activist who co-founded the Black Panther Party in 1966. He ran the party as its first leader and crafted its ten-point manifesto with ...
published in '' The Black Panther'' dated November 23, 1967. On the cover of ''The Love Below'', André 3000 is shown posing with a gun and portraying Cupid Valentino, one of his alter egos present on the album. Brandon Soderberg of ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' retrospectively credited André 3000's flamboyant appearance on the artwork for inspiring rappers such as
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
,
Lil B Brandon Christopher McCartney (born August 17, 1989), known professionally as Lil B and Lil B The BasedGod, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of the Berkeley, California-based hip hop group the Pack in 2005, who signed wi ...
, and
Cam'ron Cameron Ezike Giles (born February 4, 1976), known Mononym, mononymously as Cam'ron, is an American rapper. Beginning his career in the early 1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed with Lance Rivera, Lance "Un" Rivera's Lance Rivera, Untertainment, a ...
to embrace more feminine clothing styles, in contrast with rap's "normative masculinity". On CD pressings of ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'', Big Boi's image was used as the front cover, while André 3000's cover was placed in the back. However, for digital editions and vinyl pressings, the images were juxtaposed into a single cover, with ''Speakerboxxx'' on the left and ''The Love Below'' on the right. Furthermore, the liner notes were divided into two segments, one for each record, with separate imagery.


Release and promotion

Originally titled ''Outkast Present... Big Boi and Dre''—in reference to Outkast's compilation album '' Big Boi and Dre Present... Outkast'' (2001)—''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' was scheduled for late May 2003, before being postponed to August 19. It was ultimately released on September 23, 2003, by Arista Records. As it was marketed as a double album comprising Big Boi and André 3000's solo discs, Outkast also promoted the album individually, arriving separately to
2003 MTV Video Music Awards The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony is best remembered for ...
on August 28 and staging separate performances and interviews. The strategy elicited intense media speculation over their disbandment, which the members consistently denied. In subsequent months, Outkast appeared on covers of ''
The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...
'', ''
The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...
'', ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'', ''
Vibe Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing. Vibe may also refer to: People * DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ * Lasse Vibe (b ...
'', ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'', ''Rolling Stone'', and '' Q''. On October 31, 2003, they performed together on ''
Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (commonly abbreviated as ''TRL'') is an American television program that premiered on MTV on September 14, 1998. The early version of ''TRL'' featured popular music videos played during its countdown and was also used as ...
'', before performing on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' the following day, at the 2003 American Music Awards on November 16, and at the
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
Big in '03 Awards on November 20. André 3000's solo performance of "Hey Ya!" at the
46th Annual Grammy Awards The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2004, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2002, through September 30, 2003. It recognized acc ...
on February 8, 2004 ignited controversy, as its imagery was described as "racist" and disrespectful towards
Native American culture Native American cultures across the 574 current federally recognized tribes in the United States, can vary considerably by language, beliefs, customs, practices, laws, art forms, traditional clothing, and other facets of culture. Yet along wi ...
. He subsequently performed the song at the
2004 Kids' Choice Awards The 17th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was held on April 3, 2004. The event was hosted by Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz to promote '' Shrek 2''. This would be the first time the award show was held at the Pauley Pavilion since 1999. The ...
on April 3. Outkast performed together at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards Japan on May 23; Big Boi held solo concerts at the Shinkiba Studio Coast in Tokyo the following day, and at the launch of
Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that later became Calvin Klein. In addition to clothing, he has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery. ...
's fragrance Eternity Moment in New York City on June 3. The duo performed "Roses" at the
BET Awards 2004 The 4th BET Awards took place at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California on June 29, 2004. The awards recognized Americans in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. Comedienne Mo'Nique hosted the event ...
on June 29, and a medley of "The Way You Move", "Hey Ya!", "GhettoMusick" and "Prototype" at the
2004 MTV Video Music Awards The 2004 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 29, 2004, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show took place at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, and, unlike in previous years, had no host. Background MT ...
on August 29. André 3000 then performed at
Fashion Rocks Fashion Rocks was an annual international charity fundraiser event, which featured fashions by the world's top designers presented as live performances by popular music acts. Fashion Rocks Worldwide is the owner of the intellectual property righ ...
on September 8, while Big Boi performed "GhettoMusick" with Patti LaBelle at the 2004 World Music Awards on September 15. In September 2023, ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' was reissued on two limited-edition
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
pressings, in commemoration of its 20th anniversary.


Singles

In March 2003,
MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...
reported "Church" and "Prototype" would be simultaneously released as the
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
from ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'', and would be accompanied by a
Bryan Barber Bryan Barber (born December 20, 1970) is a music video and motion picture filmmaker. He has directed many music videos for popular artists, including Outkast's "The Way You Move" and " The Whole World". Barber is known for sprinkling scenes from ...
-directed 30-minute short film comprising both songs' music videos; however, those plans never came to fruition. Instead, "GhettoMusick" was released as the lead single on July 15, 2003, as a double A-side single with "She Lives in My Lap". However, the promotion of the single was soon halted as Outkast focused on subsequent singles "Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move", hence "GhettoMusick" peaked only at number 93 on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
. In select countries, the song was released as the album's double A-side fourth and final single alongside "Prototype" in November 2004. Upon its re-release, an accompanying music video for "GhettoMusick" was filmed; directed by Barber, it satirically depicts Big Boi as a "Delivery Boi" for FedUp, and features appearances from Patti LaBelle and Lil Jon. "Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move" were released as the second and third singles on August 25, 2003. "Hey Ya!" was the first to reach the summit on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it spent nine consecutive weeks, eight of which "The Way You Move" spent at number two, before reaching the top for one week. Thus, Outkast became the first duo in the chart's history to replace itself at the summit. Internationally, "Hey Ya!" reached the top 10 in numerous countries, as well as number one in Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Norway, and Sweden, while "The Way You Move" peaked within the top 10 in Australia, Croatia, Denmark, Hungary, New Zealand, and the UK. At the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, "Hey Ya!" won
Best Urban/Alternative Performance The Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality urban/alternative performance ...
, and was nominated for
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...
. Barber directed both songs' accompanying
music videos A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
, which were produced to appear in sequence as a long-form video. "Hey Ya!" shows André 3000 portraying all eight members of the fictional band The Love Below performing to a rapturous crowd in London, to recreate
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' first appearance on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', while "The Way You Move" depicts Big Boi and Sleepy Brown in a garage specializing in Speakerboxxx audio systems, before the setting is transformed into a lavish party. At the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, "Hey Ya!" won four awards, including Video of the Year; it had also been nominated for
Best Short Form Music Video The Grammy Award for Best Music Video is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos. ...
at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards. "Roses" was released as the fourth single from ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' on March 1, 2004. It became their third consecutive top-10 single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number nine. The song fared similarly internationally, reaching the top 10 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Its accompanying music video, Outkast's sixth consecutive to be directed by Barber, is a contemporary adaptation of the musical ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...
'', and depicts the rivalry between two high school crews—The Love Below, led by André 3000, and Speakerboxxx, led by Big Boi—as they battle for fictional Caroline's attention. The video was nominated for The Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video at the
2005 Soul Train Music Awards The 2005 Soul Train Music Awards were held on March 12, 2005, at the Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California. The show was hosted by Brian McKnight, Fantasia, Nick Cannon and Nicole Richie. Special awards Quincy Jones Award for Outstan ...
. "Prototype" was released as the fifth and final single from ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' on September 27, 2004, and was released as a double A-side single with "GhettoMusick" internationally. Like "GhettoMusick", "Prototype" failed to enter the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 63 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The music video for "Prototype" marked André 3000's directorial debut, and depicts him as an extraterrestrial family member, who falls in love with a woman after descending to Earth.


Critical reception

''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' was met with widespread critical acclaim. At
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a
normalized Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Science * Normalization process theory, a sociological theory of the implementation of new technologies or innovations * Normalization model, used in ...
rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...
score of 91, based on 26 reviews. Reviewing for
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
,
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
called both discs "visionary, imaginative listens, providing some of the best music of 2003, regardless of genre". He credited ''Speakerboxxx'' with "reclaiming the adventurous spirit of the golden age and pushing it into a new era", while referring to ''The Love Below'' as "the great lost
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
album."
Will Hermes Will Hermes (born December 27, 1960, in Jamaica, Queens, New York City) is an American author, broadcaster, journalist and critic who has written extensively about popular music. He is a longtime contributor to ''Rolling Stone'' and to National P ...
wrote in ''Entertainment Weekly'' that the album's "ambition flies so far beyond that of anyone doing rap right now (or pop, or rock, or R&B)". Kris Ex wrote for ''
Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer (from Latin ''mixus, the PPP of miscere eng. to Mix)'' or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary ...
'' that the double album "holds an explosion of creativity that couldn't have been contained in just one LP", while writing for ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'': "It's not just that the collection stands so far above much of today's contemporary hip-hop and R&B; but that it surpasses the high level of genre-defying craftsmanship that the duo has cultivated for nearly a decade." ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''s Dorian Lynskey described both discs as "sublime ... hip-hop's ''
Sign o' the Times ''Sign o' the Times'' (often stylized as ''Sign "☮︎" the Times'') is the ninth studio album by the American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It was first released on March 31, 1987, as a double album by Paisl ...
'' or '' The White Album'': a career-defining masterpiece of breathtaking ambition". According to Andy Gill of ''The Independent'', ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' set "a new benchmark not just for hip hop, but for pop in general", featuring "so many musical tributaries coursing into both Big Boi's progressive-rap pyrotechnics and Dre's freaky
jazz-funk Jazz-funk is a subgenre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat, electrified sounds, and analog synthesizers. The integration of funk, soul, and R&B music and styles into jazz resulted in the creation of a genre that ranges from ...
love odyssey that even their old tag of 'psychedelic hip-hop soul' starts to look restrictive". ''
Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...
''s Nick Southall called the album "a series of spectacular moments and memorable events". John Mulvey of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' described its two discs as "two Technicolor explosions of creativity that people will be exploring, analysing and partying to for years". Sal Cinquemani from ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' wrote that it is "greater than the sum of its parts, and this kind of expertly crafted pop and deftly executed funk rarely happen at the same time—not since ''Stankonia'', at least." In his review of ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' for ''Rolling Stone'',
Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...
was less enthusiastic, particularly about André 3000 expressing his "right to be peculiar in a hip-hop context". Matt Dentler from ''
The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogra ...
'' stated that Outkast performed stronger as a duo than individually, explaining: "It's like Lennon and McCartney solo albums: plenty of solid tunes, but the pen held together is mightier than a solo sword." ''Pitchfork''s Brent DiCrescenzo wrote that ''The Love Below'' does not sustain "consistent brilliance and emotional complexity throughout" like ''Speakerboxxx''. Ethan Brown from ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
'' shared those sentiments, elaborating: "Big Boi's ''Speakerboxxx'' is bolder—he wants to go where most hip-hoppers fear to tread and take the
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
audience along with him. It strikes at the essence of what has made OutKast so important to pop: the accessible, democratic nature of its strangeness." In ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'',
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
said the record could have been "the classic P-Funk rip it ain't quite" had ''Speakerboxxx'' alone been issued with "Roses", "Spread", "Hey Ya!", and "an oddity of ndré 3000'schoosing". He nonetheless commended what he described as "commercial ebullience, creative confidence, and wretched excess, blessed excess, impressive excess". On the contrary, Matt Harvey of
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
praised both counterparts, describing ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' as "hilarious and thought provoking, goes on for hours (without ever getting boring) and is the most ambitious piece of pop f 2003. In ''
The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...
'' (2004), Roni Sarig wrote that "for sheer breadth, ambition, and musical vision, there's little doubt ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' is a classic."


Accolades


Listings


Awards and nominations

Critically acclaimed, ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' was nominated for a myriad of industry awards. At the 46th Annual Grammy Awards on February 8, 2004, it won Album of the Year, the most prestigious
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
, and
Best Rap Album The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories ...
. Outkast thus became only the second rap artists to win Album of the Year, after
Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...
in
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
. Geoff Boucher from ''Los Angeles Times'' declared the album "the first pure hip-hop project" to win the award. While accepting the Best Rap Album award, André 3000 said: "Thank you", showed a
peace sign A number of peace symbols have been used many ways in various cultures and contexts. The dove and olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians and then eventually became a secular peace symbol, popularized by a ''Dove'' lithograph ...
, and left the stage. Carena Liptak of
The Recording Academy National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...
retrospectively called the acceptance speech "perhaps the shortest" in the history of Grammy Awards. ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' also won Best Album of the Year at the
2004 Soul Train Music Awards The 2004 Soul Train Music Awards were held on March 20, 2004 at the International Cultural Center Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The show was hosted by Alicia Keys and Babyface. Special awards Quincy Jones Award for Outstanding Career A ...
, and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at the
American Music Awards of 2004 The 32nd Annual American Music Awards were held on November 14, 2004, at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from the year 2004. Performances Winners and nominees Refere ...
. Internationally, ''Speakerboxx/The Love Below'' won Album of the Year at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards Japan, while being nominated for the
Brit Award for International Album The Brit Award for International Album is an award given by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), an organisation which represents record companies and artists in the United Kingdom. The accolade is presented at the Brit Awards, an annual cel ...
in both
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
and
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
, and for Best Album at the
2004 MTV Europe Music Awards The 2004 MTV Europe Music Awards were held at Tor di Valle Racecourse, Rome, Italy. As in 2003, the awards ceremony was held in a 6,000-capacity big top arena constructed specifically for the main event, called Valhalla Tensile 1, designed by Ma ...
.


Commercial performance

In the US, ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' debuted atop the ''Billboard'' 200 chart dated October 11, 2003, with first-week sales of 509,600 copies. Following three consecutive number-two debuts, the album became Outkast's first number-one on the ''Billboard'' 200, and registered their second-highest first-week sales, after ''Stankonia''. Furthermore, it became their second number-one album on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
. In its second week, ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' sold 235,000 additional copies, remaining atop the ''Billboard'' 200, before descending to number two the following week. During its first month, the album sold over one million units. It returned to the summit in its sixth week, having spent the prior three weeks within the top four. During the Christmas week of 2003, ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' sold 374,000 copies, rising back to the summit, where it stayed for three additional weeks throughout January–February 2004. In total, the album spent seven non-consecutive weeks at number one, and 56 weeks charting. On December 3, 2004, the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) certified ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below''
diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
, denoting shipments of five million double-disc units in the US. By March 2012, the album had sold 5,702,000 copies in the country. Shortly after the album's 20th anniversary, the RIAA certification was updated to 13-times platinum on September 29, 2023, signifying 13 million
album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...
s; ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' thus became the highest-certified rap album of all time. In Canada, ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' debuted at number six on the
Canadian Albums Chart The ''Billboard'' Canadian Albums is the official record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given ...
dated October 11, 2003, and was certified gold by the
Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 in Toronto to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It also offers benefits to some of Canada's leadin ...
(CRIA) in its first week. It subsequently peaked at number four on the Canadian Albums Chart on February 14, 2004. In the UK, the album was a
sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game or other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release, but eventually became a surprise success. A sleeper hit may have ...
, debuting at number 44 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
before peaking at number eight in its 16th week, as well as peaking atop the
UK R&B Albums Chart Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, and previously the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and ...
in its 15th week. It was certified triple platinum by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) in July 2023, denoting album-equivalent units of 900,000. Across Europe, ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' reached the top five in Ireland and Norway, and number six on the
European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart was the European adaptation of the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. It ran from March 1984 until December 2010. Also commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums, the chart showcased the sales of an act in 19 E ...
, while reaching the top 20 in Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. In June 2004, the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...
(IFPI) certified the album platinum, for sales of one million units in Europe. The album was also a commercial success across Oceania, peaking at numbers nine and three in Australia and New Zealand, respectively, and being certified double platinum in both countries. According to IFPI, ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' was the 11th best-selling album worldwide of 2003. As of September 2023, it has sold over 11 million copies worldwide.


Legacy

Despite initial scepticism from both the industry analysts and Arista Records over the performance of ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' due to its double album conceptualization, the album achieved immense commercial and critical success. Jon O'Brien from
The Recording Academy National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...
declared it one of the most influential double albums in hip hop, crediting the album for reviving the concept pioneered by
2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...
's '' All Eyez on Me'' (1996),
The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 â€“ March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...
's ''
Life After Death ''Life After Death'' is the second and final studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on March 25, 1997, by Bad Boy Records and distributed by Arista Records. A double album, it was released sixteen days after his murder. ...
'' (1997), and
Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...
's ''
Wu-Tang Forever ''Wu-Tang Forever'' is the second studio album by the American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released June 3, 1997, by Loud and RCA Records in the United States. Pressed as a double album, it was released after a long run of successful solo proj ...
'' (1997). O'Brien further emphasized the influence of ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' on subsequent hip hop double albums, such as ''
Street's Disciple ''Street's Disciple'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper Nas, released as a double album by Columbia Records. Originally scheduled for a September 14, 2004 release, the album was ultimately released on November 30, 2004. Named after ...
'' (2004) by
Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...
,
UGK UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was an American hip-hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Mitchell "Big Mitch" Queen who would eventually leave the group to pursue a football career and Chad "Pimp C" Butler with Bernard "Bun B" ...
's ''
Underground Kingz ''Underground Kingz'' is the fifth studio album by American hip-hop duo UGK. The album was released on August 7, 2007, by Jive Records. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Lil Jon, Jazze Pha, Swizz Beatz, DJ ...
'' (2007),
Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...
's ''
Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
'' (2018), and
Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...
's '' Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers'' (2022). Thematically, ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' has been credited with propelling
conscious hip hop Political hip hop (also known as political rap and conscious hip-hop) is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the 1980s as a form of political expression and activism. It typically addresses sociopolitical issues through lyrics, aiming t ...
into the mainstream throughout the mid-2000s, alongside recordings by Kanye West and
Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss (, ), is an American rapper who began his career in the 1990s and formed the hip hop trio the Lox alongside Styles P and Sheek Louch in 1994. The group signed w ...
. Chris DeVille wrote for ''
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...
'' that ''The Love Below'' was sonically "an attempt at the kind of funkadelic genre mash
Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson ( ; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She has received ten Grammy Award nominations, and is the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children's and Family Emmy Award. ...
successfully pulled off with ''
The Electric Lady ''The Electric Lady'' is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Janelle Monáe, released on September 6, 2013, by Wondaland Arts Society, Bad Boy Records and Atlantic Records. It is the follow-up to her critically acclaimed de ...
'' 10 years later." Gabriel Szatan of ''Dazed'' praised ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' for expanding the horizons of artistic expression within hip hop, elaborating: "For a relatively young and exceedingly creative genre, big league hip hop was also pretty conservative in its accepted conventions in the 90s and early 00s. OutKast permanently stretched those boundaries, showing eccentricity should be cherished. Nowhere was that done more gleefully than on their flawed, frantic yet furiously fun final masterpiece." Erika Marie from ''
HotNewHipHop ''HotNewHipHop'' (HNHH) is an online publication that covers daily news about hip hop and pop culture, including streetwear, sports, and Sneaker collecting, sneakers. In addition to its editorial content, HotNewHipHop also produces the video seri ...
'' commended Outkast's choice of collaborators, which ensured the album to be "a cohesive masterpiece rather than a disjointed collection", adding that the collaborators were vital in creating an "epitome of excellence" in hip hop's history. Upon its release, ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' was frequently compared to The Beatles' 1968 eponymous double album in critical commentaries, with Outkast labeled the contemporary
Lennon–McCartney Lennon–McCartney is the songwriting partnership between the English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is widely considered one of the greatest, best known and most successful musical collabo ...
. In an analysis of the comparisons for ''Consequence'', Zach Schonfeld wrote that ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' captured the duo's "creative divorcing", drawing a parallel with the conflicts surrounding ''The Beatles'', which arose from the members' pre-disbandment creative differences. Although both he and Big Boi were insistent on denying the intensified rumors of Outkast's disbandment, André 3000 began increasingly expressing his desire to pursue a solo career throughout the promotional cycle for ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below''. In an interview for ''Blender'', he stated: "In a perfect world, this would be the last OutKast record." DeVille called ''Speakerboxxx'' the first indication of Big Boi's ability to record without André 3000, adding: "It's fair to wonder if Big Boi could have ever crossed over to pop and indie audiences without Andr ©to kick in the door for him. But in terms of producing classic music, it seems like Andr ©needed Big Boi a lot more than Big Boi needed Andr ©" However, Outkast recorded another studio album together—'' Idlewild'' (2006), which also served as the soundtrack album for their musical film of the same title—before embarking on an extended hiatus in 2007. ''Idlewild'' was originally conceived as a visual counterpart to ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'', composed of music videos for the album's tracks. However, it was reconstructed and postponed numerous times before its August 2006 release. Regardless, ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' tracks "Bowtie", "Rooster", "Take Off Your Cool", "Church", "She Lives in My Lap", and "Vibrate" were still used in ''Idlewild'' as musical numbers. Preezy Brown of
Revolt Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
described the ''Idlewild'' project as "devoid of the air of excitement and fanfare that surrounded ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below''", calling the latter "the duo's last true shining moment under the Outkast banner.


Track listing

All tracks on ''The Love Below'' are written by André Benjamin, except where noted. All tracks are produced by André 3000; "Roses" is co-produced by Dojo5. Notes * signifies a co-producer * The original pressings of ''The Love Below'' did not include "The Letter", and "My Favorite Things" was a
hidden track In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...
. "Vibrate" did not include its six-second spoken outro, while the ending of "A Life in the Day of Benjamin André (Incomplete)" featured a radio interview instead of a fade-out. The revised edition was released in early 2004, and was made standard for all future pressings and digital editions. Sample credits *"Intro" contains an uncredited sample from an
Emergency Broadcast System The Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), sometimes called the Emergency Action Notification System (EANS), was an Emergency population warning, emergency warning system used in the United States. It was the most commonly used, along with the Local ...
announcement by
Don Pardo Dominick George "Don" Pardo Jr. (February 22, 1918 – August 18, 2014) was an American radio and television announcer whose career spanned more than seven decades. A member of the Television Hall of Fame, Pardo was noted for his 70-year tenur ...
. *"GhettoMusick" contains samples from "
Love, Need and Want You "Love, Need and Want You" is a song recorded by American singer Patti LaBelle from her sixth studio album, '' I'm in Love Again'' (1983). The mid-tempo R&B song was written and produced for LaBelle by Bunny Sigler and Kenny Gamble, and was rel ...
" by
Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...
. *"She Lives in My Lap" contains samples from "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" by
Geto Boys Geto Boys (originally spelled Ghetto Boys) were an American hip hop group originally formed in Houston, Texas. They saw commercial success in the 1990s with the lineup consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D. The group became best ...
, and "Pistolgrip-Pump" by Volume 10. *"Pink & Blue" contains samples from "
Age Ain't Nothing but a Number ''Age Ain't Nothing but a Number'' is the debut studio album by American singer Aaliyah. It was released on May 24, 1994, by Blackground Records and Jive Records. After being signed by her uncle Barry Hankerson, Aaliyah was introduced to reco ...
" by
Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 â€“ August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...
, and an uncredited sample from "
Why Can't We Live Together "Why Can't We Live Together" is a song written and recorded by Timmy Thomas in 1972. A chart hit in the following year, it was included on the album '' Why Can't We Live Together''. It was one of the first major hits to feature the use of a rhy ...
" by
Timmy Thomas Timothy Earle Thomas (November 13, 1944 – March 11, 2022) was an American R&B singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer, best known for the hit song, " Why Can't We Live Together". Life and career Thomas was born in Evansville, ...
. *"My Favorite Things" contains interpolations from
John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 â€“ July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...
's recording of the same title.


Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below''. ;''Speakerboxxx'' *
Big Boi Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), known professionally as Big Boi, is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Atlanta, he was one half of the Southern hip-hop duo Outkast along with rapper ...
– executive producer, lead vocals (all tracks), producer (tracks 4–7, 11, 14, 16), programming (tracks 4, 7, 11, 13, 15), keyboards (tracks 4, 7, 11, 13), background vocals (track 8) *
André 3000 André Lauren Benjamin (born May 27, 1975), known professionally as André 3000, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he was one half of the hip-hop duo Outkast along with rapper Big Boi, which the two formed in 1992. Benj ...
– executive producer, lead vocals (track 2), producer (tracks 2, 9, 18), keyboards (tracks 2, 18), programming (track 18), additional vocals (track 13) *
L.A. Reid Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer who served as president and CEO of Arista Records from 2000 to 2004, as well as chairman and CEO of the Island Def Jam Mus ...
– executive producer *
Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman (born 16 December 1943, Minneapolis) is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chr ...
–
audio mastering Mastering is a form of audio post production which is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device called a master recording, the source from which all copies will ...
(all tracks) *
Killer Mike Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, singer and activist. He made his recording debut on Outkast's fourth album ''Stankonia'' (2000), and guest appeared on the duo's Gr ...
– lead vocals (tracks 7, 14) *Devine Evans – sound design, engineer *
Sleepy Brown Patrick Leroy "Sleepy" Brown (born January 24, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is one-third of the Atlanta-based production team of Organized Noize, which has created hits for acts such as Outkast, Goodie Mob an ...
– lead vocals (tracks 9, 11), backgrounds vocals (tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, 14), additional vocals (tracks 4, 5) *Konkrete – lead vocals (track 11) *
Big Gipp Cameron F. Gipp (born April 28, 1973), better known by his stage name Big Gipp, is an American rapper. He is a member of the Atlanta-based hip hop group Goodie Mob, with whom he has released six studio albums, as well as the duo Ali & Gipp, with ...
– lead vocals (track 11) *
Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...
– lead vocals (track 11) *
Jay Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named the greatest rapper of all time by ''Billboard'' and '' Vibe'' i ...
– lead vocals (track 14) *
Khujo Goodie Willie Edward Knighton Jr. (born March 13, 1972), better known as Khujo, is an American rapper. He is one-fourth of Goodie Mob (along with T-Mo, Cee-Lo, and Big Gipp), and one-half of The Lumberjacks (with T-Mo). Life and career Khujo was b ...
– lead vocals (track 16) * Cee-Lo – lead vocals (track 16) *Mello – lead vocals (track 18) *Slimm Calhoun – lead vocals (track 18) *Cutmaster Swift – producer (track 1), cuts (tracks 6, 14) * Mr. DJ – producer (tracks 3, 8, 13, 14) *Carl Mo – producer (tracks 5, 6) *
Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...
– additional vocals (track 4) *
Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...
– additional vocals (track 18) * Myrna Crenshaw – background vocals (tracks 2, 7–9) * Joi – background vocals (track 2) *
Debra Killings Debra Killings (born July 7, 1964) is an American singer and bass guitarist, notable for extensive session and background vocal work for LaFace Records and Rowdy Records-based artists such as TLC, Monica, and Outkast. Killings appears on the m ...
– background vocals (tracks 3, 9, 14, 16), bass (tracks 3–6, 8, 9, 14, 18) * Tori Alamaze – background vocals (track 4) *John Frye –
audio recording Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording t ...
,
audio mixing Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more audio channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aest ...
(all tracks) *Moka Nagatani – audio recording (tracks 2, 4, 13) *Vincent Alexander – audio recording (tracks 5, 11), recording assistant (track 2) *Matt Still – audio recording (track 9) *Chris Carmouche – audio recording (track 11) *Warren Bletcher – recording assistant (all tracks) *Marvin "Chanz" Parkman – keyboards (tracks 3, 8, 9, 14, 16), organ (track 2), piano (track 6) *Kevin Kendrick – keyboards (track 9) *Donnie Mathis – guitar (tracks 3, 6) *David Whild – guitar (tracks 4, 7, 8, 14) *ZaZa – guitar (track 5) *Preston Crump – bass (track 3) *Aaron Mills – bass (track 9) *Victor Alexander – drums (tracks 7, 8) *Hornz Unlimited – horns (tracks 4–6, 18) *Rajinder Kala – congos (track 3) *Regina Davenport – A&R direction and coordination, production coordinator *Theresa Wilson – A&R administrator *Michael "Big Blue" Williams – management *Joe-Mama Nitzberg – creative direction *Jeff Schulz – art direction and design *
Jonathan Mannion Jonathan Mannion is a photographer and film director. He has shot album covers for hip hop and R&B performers including Dr. Dre, Jay Z, Aaliyah, Outkast, Nas, Nicki Minaj, Brandy Norwood and Kendrick Lamar. Early life and education With English ...
– photography ;''The Love Below'' *André 3000 – executive producer, lead vocals (all tracks), producer (all tracks), programming (tracks 1, 9, 12), keyboards (tracks 1, 9, 12), guitar (tracks 4, 7, 8, 18), tenor saxophone (track 8), acoustic guitar (track 9), background vocals (track 19) *Big Boi – executive producer, lead vocals (track 10; uncredited), background vocals (track 6) *L.A. Reid – executive producer * Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – audio mastering (all tracks) *
Kelis Kelis Rogers (; born August 21, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and chef. She attended Manhattan, New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she played saxophone and was selected for the Girls Ch ...
– lead vocals (track 15) *
Norah Jones Norah Jones ( ; born Geethali Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has won several awards for her music and, , has sold more than 53 million records worldwide. '' Billboard'' named her the top jazz artist of ...
– lead vocals (track 19) *Killer Mike – background vocals (track 10) *Sleepy Brown – background vocals (track 19) *Joi – additional vocals (track 4) *Myrna Crenshaw – additional vocals (track 4) *Marianne Lee Stiff – additional vocals (track 7) *John Frisbee – additional vocals (track 7) *
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama '' Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), '' Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in B ...
– additional vocals (track 8) *Rabeka Tunei – additional vocals (track 9), recording assistant (track 9) *John Frye – audio recording (all tracks), audio mixing (tracks 10, 14, 17), pre-mixing (tracks 2–8, 10–13, 15, 18, 19) *Robert "HipHop" Hannon – audio recording (tracks 4, 5, 9) *Pete Novak – audio recording (tracks 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19), audio mixing (track 15), pre-mixing (tracks 4, 5, 12) *Matt Still – audio recording (track 7) *Terrence Cash – audio recording (track 8) *Reggie Cozier – audio recording (track 13) *Darrell Thorp – audio recording (track 13) *Brian Paluralski – audio recording (track 15) *Padraic Kernin – audio recording (track 18), recording assistant (track 18) *
Neal Pogue Neal H Pogue (born December 27, 1963) is an American producer, audio engineer and mixer originally from Roselle, New Jersey, and based in Los Angeles. Pogue is a multi-time Grammy Award winner, having first won for his engineering and mixing ...
– audio mixing (tracks 2, 7–9, 18, 19) *Dexter Simmons – audio mixing (tracks 4, 5, 12, 13) *Warren Bletcher – recording assistant (all tracks) *Josh Monroy – recording assistant (tracks 4, 5, 9) *Russell Buelna – recording assistant (tracks 4, 13, 14, 19), mixing assistant (track 15) *Chris Carmouche – recording assistant (tracks 8, 13) *Jared Robbins – recording assistant (tracks 9, 15), mixing assistant (track 15) *Jeff Moses – recording assistant (tracks 12, 14, 17) *Greg Burns – recording assistant (track 13), mixing assistant (track 13) *Chris Steffen – recording assistant (track 13), mixing assistant (track 13) *Donnie Whittemore – mixing assistant (tracks 4, 12, 13) *Alex Reverberi – mixing assistant (tracks 5, 7, 8, 10, 14, 18, 19) *Malik Albert – mixing assistant (track 8) *Greg Price – mixing assistant (track 9) *Sean Tallman – mixing assistant (track 17) *Kevin Kendrick – keyboards (tracks 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 14, 19), guitar (track 4), piano (track 17) *Marvin "Chanz" Parkman – keyboards (tracks 8, 19) *Darryl Smith – guitar (track 2) *Tomi Martin – guitar (track 8) *Moffet Morris – upright bass (track 4) *Kevin Brandon – double bass (tracks 4, 14) *Kevin Smith – electric bass (track 5) *Aaron Mills – bass (tracks 7, 8, 17) *Hornz Unlimited – horns (tracks 2, 14, 19), trumpets (tracks 5, 8) *Cutmaster Swift – cuts (tracks 5, 8) *Jef Van Veen – drums (tracks 2, 14) *
Benjamin Wright Ben or Benjamin Wright may refer to: ;Ben *Ben Wright (American actor) (born 1969) and stuntman, "Jack" in the original Broadway production of ''Into the Woods'' (1987) *Ben Wright (bishop) (1942–2010), Australian Anglican bishop *Ben Wright (cri ...
– string arrangement, conductor (track 13) *Charles Veal – violin, concert master (track 13) *James Sitterly – violin (track 13) *Mark Casillas – violin (track 13) *Gina Kranstadt – violin (track 13) *Marisa McClead – violin (track 13) *Mark Cargill – violin (track 13) *Richard Adkins – violin (track 13) *Tibor Zelig – violin (track 13) *Yarda Kettner – violin (track 13) *Louis Kabok – violin (track 13) *Patrick Morgan – viola (track 13) *Robin Ross – viola (track 13) *Michel Vardone – viola (track 13) *March Vaj – viola (track 13) *John Krovaza – cello (track 13) *Martin Smith – cello (track 13) *Lisa Chien – cello (track 13) *Catherine Chan – cello (track 13) *Kelvin Brandon – contra, bass (track 13) *Kevin O'Neal – contra, bass (track 13) *Gary Harris – saxophone (track 17) *Fulton Yard Unlimited – digital editing (track 14) *Regina Davenport – A&R direction and coordination, production coordinator *Theresa Wilson – A&R administrator *Michael "Big Blue" Williams – management *Joe-Mama Nitzberg – creative direction *Jeff Schulz – art direction and design * Torkil Gudnason – photography


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


All-time charts


Certifications


Release history


See also

*
Outkast discography The discography of Outkast, an American hip hop duo (consisting of rappers André 3000 and Big Boi), consists of six studio albums, one compilation album, one soundtrack album, one video album, 32 singles (including eight as featured artists) ...
* List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2003 * List of ''Billboard'' number-one R&B albums of 2003 * List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2004 * List of UK R&B Albums Chart number ones of 2004 *
List of best-selling albums in the United States The following is a list of the best-selling albums in the United States based on RIAA certification and Nielsen SoundScan sales tracking. The criteria are that the album must have been published (including self-publishing by the artist), and the ...


References


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

* * *


External links

*
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
' at
Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...
*
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
' at
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Speakerboxxx The Love Below Outkast albums 2003 albums Grammy Award for Album of the Year Grammy Award for Best Rap Album Arista Records albums Albums produced by André 3000 2000s concept albums