If the two breakout hits on OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below sounded like the work of completely different artists, that's because they essentially were. Big Boi's soulful "The Way You Move" (on his Speakerboxxx) and André 3000's electro-funk "Hey Ya!" (from The Love Below) were initially set to appear on solo albums by the Atlanta duo, but were ultimately brought to term as a double album under the OutKast umbrella.
The much-acclaimed ATLiens' strategy paid off. In December 2003, "Hey Ya!" topped the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for nine weeks. "The Way You Move" followed close behind at No. 2, ultimately knocking "Hey Ya!" from its throne the following year. More than a decade into their career, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below became OutKast's biggest success, selling more than 11 million units (the most of any hip-hop album).
Following are 10 lesser-known facts about Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which ensured OutKast's place in the annals of popular music history.
1. The Speakerboxxx "Intro" features a sampled Emergency Broadcast System announcement by Don Pardo.
The late "Jeopardy!" and "Saturday Night Live" announcer is the first voice to appear on the double album when he cautions, "This is a test." Pardo has also been sampled by Eric B & Rakim and Front 242, among others. He can also be heard assisting Frank Zappa during his 1976 performance of "I'm The Slime" on "SNL."
2. "The Way You Move" was nearly left on the cutting-room floor.
Big Boi's chart-topper was one of the last songs recorded for the album and was almost held for frequent collaborator Sleepy Brown's solo album. Brown sings the song's infectious hook, which he wrote after hearing the beat at one of Big Boi's cookouts. "I heard that melody and I ran to Big and said, 'Yo, I got the craziest hook for this beat,' Brown revealed to MTV. "I told him to go to the studio that night."
3. Speakerboxxx was the original working title of OutKast's subsequent film Idlewild.
Set in a Great Depression-era Georgia juke joint, the 2006 musical film was described by writer/director Bryan Barber as "a mix between The Color Purple and Amélie." In addition to André 3000 and Big Boi, the cast includes "Empire" star Terrence Howard, Patti LaBelle, Macy Gray, Cicely Tyson, and Ben Vereen. The film's soundtrack is the duo's last album together to date.
4. André 3000 approached each of his songs as a different character in a film.
The Love Below was intended as the soundtrack for a film the rapper co-wrote with Barber, who received a Best Short Form Music Video GRAMMY nomination for directing "Hey Ya!" Although the film, which André described as a love story, was ultimately shelved, actress Rosario Dawson appears on the album's Prince-esque track "She Lives In My Lap."
5. Polaroid warned customers to ignore OutKast's advice in "Hey Ya!"
On "Hey Ya!" André 3000 famously encourages all of the Beyoncé and Lucy Lius to "shake it like a Polaroid picture." The company responded with a statement on its website, declaring the action outdated and warned: "Shaking or waving can actually damage the image."
6. "Roses" is the only track on The Love Below that includes a verse from Big Boi.
It is also the duo's last Top 10 hit to date. While Big Boi is mostly absent from The Love Below, André 3000 co-wrote four tracks on Speakerboxxx, including "Ghetto Musick" (one of two tracks on Big Boi's half featuring André's vocals).
7. OutKast became the sixth act to replace themselves on the Billboard Hot 100.
When "The Way You Move" pushed "Hey Ya!" out of the No. 1 spot in 2004, OutKast joined a small group of artists who have pulled off the impressive feat. Others include the Beatles, Usher, Taylor Swift and, most recently, Justin Bieber.
8. Before accepting Album Of The Year, Big Boi joined George Clinton and others onstage for a GRAMMY tribute to funk.
The 13-minute showstopper at the 46th GRAMMY Awards — which was officiated by the righteous "church of the eternal funk" minister Samuel L. Jackson — also featured Robert Randolph and Earth, Wind & Fire, among others. Big Boi recently penned a tribute to the GRAMMY-winning elements, who were 2016 recipients of The Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award.
9. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was the second rap album to win a GRAMMY for Album Of The Year.
Released in 1998, Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill was the first hip-hop album to receive Album Of The Year. OutKast are the first hip-hop group and last hip-hop act to date to win the honor. Their double set also took the 2003 GRAMMY for Best Rap Album, while "Hey Ya!" won Best Urban/Alternative Performance.
10. The Speakerboxxx/The Love Below recording sessions yielded enough material to fill multiple albums.
"Between the two of them, we had the basic tracking done for 60 songs apiece," engineer John Frye told MTV. Time to get started on that anniversary box set.
(Bill Forman is a writer and music editor for the Colorado Springs Independent and the former publications director for The Recording Academy.)
