Music
14 Outkast Lyrics You Can Use Every Day
Internalize these words of wisdom and live like the original ATLiens.
Andre 3000 and Big Boi have been elder statesmen in rap for so long now that it’s easy to forget they were once the underdogs. The pimp and the poet, known collectively as Outkast, debuted with “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” back in 1994 before being named Best New Artist at the 1995 Source Awards. Amid the East and West Coasts battling for hip-hop supremacy, Andre used the platform to declare, “The south got something to say” after taking the stage to a chorus of boos. A year later on “ATLiens” standout “Elevators (Me and You),” Big Boi would rap, “Over a million sold to this day, n****s they take it lightly/’96 gon’ be that year that y’all playa haters can bite me.”
So yeah, Outkast knows a little something about scrapping. Three Stacks and Daddy Fat Sax became GOATs after years of being ignored, called weird, and finally embraced universally — a journey to inspire even the most cynical among us. Learn a little bit more about just what the South has to say with these 14 lines.
“I started off starvin’/Now they got me out here Brett Favre’n/Tryna see if I still got it … ” — Andre 3000
Song: “Da Art of Storytellin’ (Part 4)” [DJ Drama]
Lesson: No matter how successful you are, there will always be someone doubting you. But you should take a look back to see how far you’ve come.
“Stickn’ together like flour and water to make that slow dough/We worked for everything we have and gon’ stick up for/Each other, like we brothers from another mother/Kind of like Mel Gibson and Danny Glover” — Big Boi
Song: "Return of the 'G'"
Lesson: Never abandon your partner. Two ingredients can combine to form something much greater.
"Baby boy you only funky as your last cut/Focus on the past your ass’ll be a has what" — Andre 3000
Song: "Rosa Parks"
Lesson: Live in the past and you’ll get left behind.
“Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die/Horoscopes often lie, and sometimes ‘y’/Nothin’ is for sure, nothin’ is for certain, nothin’ lasts forever”
Song: "Aquemini"
Lesson: This one’s pretty straightforward. Everything ends, and predictions are only so useful. Your best bet is to not get too caught up in the future and focus on what you’re doing now.
“ ... We on our back staring at the stars above/Talking bout what we gonna be when we grow up/I said what you wanna be, she said, ‘Alive’” — Andre 3000
Song: "Da Art of Storytellin (Part 1)"
Lesson: Sometimes, people can’t afford to have grand dreams. Just staying above the ground can be challenging enough. Alternatively (and less fatalistically), staying alive is the greatest gift. Everything else is just a bonus.
"My heart was beating so damn fast/Never knowing this moment would bring another/Life into this world/Funny how shit come together sometimes (ya dig)" — Big Boi
Song: "SpottieOttieDopaliscious"
Lesson: Don’t let fear or nervousness hold you back. One seemingly risky move could end up changing your whole life (and creating a new one).
"I hope we feel like this forever/Forever, forever ever, forever ever?/Forever never seems that long until you’re grown" — Andre 3000
Song: "Ms. Jackson"
Lesson: Young love makes us naive as hell. It’s not until you’re older that your chances of staying together forever (ever) are very low.
“Teddy Pendergrass, cooler than Freddie Jackson/Sippin’ a milkshake in a snowstorm” — Big Boi
Song: "So Fresh, So Clean"
Lesson: When you’re feeling yourself, go ahead and feel yourself. Embrace your cool.
"My soliloquy, may be hard for some to swallow/But so is cod liver oil" — Andre 3000
Song: "Wheelz of Steel"
Lesson: The hardest advice to internalize may just be the most useful. Cod liver oil is hella good for you.
"Well everybody play dumb, but there’s some that succumb/And fall victim, I will overcome any hurdle or obstacle that’s in my path" — Big Boi
Song: "Knowing"
Lesson: You don’t have to be ignorant to be happy. And even when you know things are bad, you have to put it in the back of your mind to move forward.
"Tapes, CDs, Baby please, you make me want to scream/You’re on my team starting first string so why are we arguing?" — Big Boi
Song: "The Rooster"
Lesson: You may have disagreements with your partner, but it’s important to remember that you’re both fighting for the same thing.
"Don’t pull the thang out, unless you plan to bang" — Andre 3000
Song: "B.O.B."
Lesson: Don’t talk a game you’re not willing to back it up with action.
“I can give a damn bout your car, but then I would be/If it was considered a classic before the drastic change/In production when cars were metail instead of plastic/Value, is what I’m talking bout, take two of these and walk it out” - Andre 3000
Song: “Walk It Out (Remix)” [Unk]
Lesson: Look below the surface to see the true value of things. Something that looks good isn’t worth much if it’s made of cheap materials.
"Hate to see y’all frown but I’d rather see her smilin’/Wetness all around me, true, but I’m no island/Peninsula maybe, it makes no sense, I know crazy/Give up all this pussy cat that’s in my lap, no looking back" — Andre 3000
Song: "International Player’s Anthem (I Choose You)" [UGK]
Lesson: Once you meet the right person, none of the other opportunities around matter any longer. Settling down is worth it.
