The Northern Light

OutKast went commercial. The group became two solo artists. Dre changed his stage name to Andre 3000 and stopped rapping. Big Boi remained "that other guy" - a relic who lived on to suggest there was a time when OutKast was actually a rap group. Nowadays "OutKast" refers to Andre 3000 being revolutionary and "that other guy" still doing his rap thing, as if he forgot it wasn't in style anymore. Why, then, is OutKast still a duo?

Any fan of the group who can show receipts of OutKast albums purchased pre-2003 knows the two dope boys sound best in one Cadillac. Unfortunately, Big Boi and Andre 3000 aren't often reading from the same sheet of music anymore. "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" lacked chemistry, that magical element that delivered four classic albums before the latest news was whether or not 'Kast broke up. Though "Idlewild" only sees Andre 3000 and Big Boi together on three tracks, the album gels as one piece because the two follow the same theme.

"Idlewild" is the soundtrack to the movie of the same name, which stars OutKast themselves. Prohibition-era Georgia is the backdrop for the film as well as the music. The album isn't the sum of two men working separately; rather, it's a work of collaborative art. With a sound dressed in sepia and ragtime, the Southern Players work one at a time to build a record as solid as their career. Though some of the tracks don't bleed greatness, there are no bad songs on the album.

On "Chronomentrophobia," Andre 3000 takes a slow stroll through piano and bass-laced drum-ticking funk, just to show he's still sharp. Where he takes his cue from clocks on "Chronomentrophobia," Big Boi follows the beat of train tracks on the domestic frustration song "Call the Law," featuring a jazzy performance from Janelle Monae. Near the middle of the album, OutKast breaks theme and invites Lil' Wayne and Snoop Dogg to speak to the audience on "Hollywood Divorce," a song about Hollywood's presence in hip-hop. The most comfortable track on the album, "PJ & Rooster," features Andre 3000 taking his "Love Below" back to the thirties with hip-hop support from Big Boi in a piece that proves OutKast are the type of people that make even club 1930 get crunk.

Yeah, at some point OutKast went commercial. All that means is kids who didn't listen to hip-hop started buying their albums. OutKast rests among the greatest groups in hip-hop history. You owe this album - and the rest of their discography - to your record collection.

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