Goodness, What to Make of Idlewild?

August 14, 2006

Business…here’s a piece I had run in yesterday’s South Florida Sun-Sentinel about the supposed death of hip hop. Thanks to my man SP for that one.
I’m ridiculously swamped getting ready for NABJ, a meeting with the Page 2 folks, JR’s impending visit, finishing my syllabus for the courses at Elon and planning how to celebrate the girlfriend’s birthday while I’m out of town. But when I get my hands on a new OutKast record, I write about it ASAP.
Even though I know I’ll have to write about it again.
This Idlewild soundtrack…I’m not quite sure what to say about it. It’s been running as my background music for the last hour, and I like it. I can’t say I love it, but I haven’t been able to say that on the first run of an OutKast album since Aquemini. Full appreciation and evaluation of their stuff requires a lot of attention, and there just hasn’t been time for that yet.
This is the observation I can make now, and it’s one I’ll follow up on in a couple of weeks–I’m not sure this record can properly be enjoyed outside the context of the movie.
The sound is very old-timey at parts. Got that ragtime feel to it, or whatever I’m trying to describe this sound as. Better stated–very juke joint-ish. It’s a nice flavor, but it doesn’t really leap out at me right now like other Kast records have. The themes of the songs can be dealt with outside of the movie, but this sounds a lot more like a score than a soundtrack.
Spectacular soundtracks also double as scores. Superfly immediately comes to mind, as does Parade. Purple Rain is a different animal because the movie’s relationship to the music doesn’t always make sense. The movie is about a cat making music that no one likes but himself. But uhhh, that music that only he liked sold several million copies and enthralled theater goers and listeners alike. It’s a weird album, but there’s something strange about that juxtaposition.
Can Idlewild pull off that double? I’m honestly not sure right now. But those that are fearful that, at last, Kast will let us down need to chill. It’s definitely a good record, and I’ll probably say it’s a very good one once I get used to it.
But this is not at the level of quality of their stuff from 1993-2000. It’s clear that the separation between Big Boi and Andre has taken a toll on the group’s sound. And it’s even clearer that this is their last album together. It’s not a bad parting shot, but it kinda feels like Zeppelin’s Coda–if this is the end, it’s probably time.
Long of the short–give it a few listens. Some time around the release date, I’ll revisit this and give it a proper review.

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Mr. Senor Evan

November 23, 3474, 8:24 am

See, I was exceptionally impressed by Speakerboxxx/The Love Below on the first listens of each. That tuesday I left work to get to Best Buy when it opened and knew it was going to be something really special. Additionally, on TLB the album means a whole lot more when listening front to back in one session. Andre tells a fantastic story which magnifies the importance of context with Hey Ya. Listen to that song outside of the flow of the tracks before and after, you're listening to an entirely different song. Hearing Prototype and She Lives in My Lap let you understand where Dre takes it with Roses and Behold a Lady. I'm all for music in context, but I hate to see fans of Outkast probably dog this record because evolution is often just as popular in music as it is in the Bible Belt. evan
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Stephanie

November 23, 3475, 8:24 am

Great piece. Since first seeing the title, I reimagined in my head that Nas' album is really called: Hip Hop Is Dead...Long Live Hip Hop. Because if hip hop is truly dead, what does that mean for a person like him? I'm definitely more of the mindset that a creative evolution is underfoot. I'm always amazed at people's capacity for innovation and change, especially when no one's really paying attention. I love the fact that kids are dancing again. The whole hyphy movement, the Baltimore club music scene, even that Chicken Noodle Soup shit from Harlem, is really exciting to me. While I don't think that any of these threatens to overtake the world (go-go at one time was supposed to be the next big thing), I also don't see them as signs of the apocalypse. In terms of hip hop, there are alot of people out here, talking a whole lot of shit, with some real selective ass memories. Any of these people remember "Treat Her Like a Prostitute", or "Pimpin' Aint' Easy"? I know I do.
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Kirk

November 23, 3476, 8:24 am

People say the same thing about Rock (and every other form of music) eveyr few years anyway. Don't forget, Rock was dead too before Kurt Cobain and friends arrived in the early 90's. Never fear, Kevin Federline will save the genre, I'm sure of it.
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ETS

November 23, 3477, 8:24 am

Please give us an NABJ recap. I'm not going to make it this year.
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Mr Carter

November 23, 3478, 8:24 am

I can't bear to even entertain the prospect of Outkast breaking up. They were more than just my favorite group, they spoke one of the few languages that I actually understood from ages 13-19. And now, they are no more. I guess I really am all grown up now.
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Rex

November 23, 3479, 8:24 am

The thing about LZ's Coda is that it was a collection of past recordings thrown together for a final album after JB's death. "In Through The Out Door" was their last real album.
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eauhellzgnaw

November 23, 3480, 8:24 am

Kast's last album was a bloody mess, yet there were still great songs there if you sifted through the garbage. Had each chosen the best 6 tracks on their respective albums and combined them into one album, they would have had a damn good Kast album, but still probably only their 4th best. The songs I've heard from Idlewild are hit or miss, no question. The responsibility for the misses almost always falls on the shoulders of crooning-Dre. I can tolerate him on hooks and such, but the man is not built for singing. It's painful to see such a talented vocalist undervalue and waste his specific gift. It would be like Jill Scott forgoing singing to do mostly mediocre spoken word poetry. Dre has bought into the bullshit of pop music critics, who can only understand rap in terms of non-rap, specifically "classic" rock. These critics praise any rap that strives to be "more than rap," regardless of quality. They (and Dre, I think) believe that creative rap is not timeless, and as a result, Dre is now convinced that to leave his mark in the music history books, he must leave rap behind and become a 3rd-rate Prince clone. Somebody needs to Drop Squad his ass, foreal. Kast's inevitable breakup is Dre's fault, period. The best we can hope for is that Dre comes to his senses 10 years from now and that, when they reunite, they'll still be musically relevant. History says that it's highly unlikely, however.
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C

November 23, 3481, 8:24 am

Wow. Interesting critique of Speakerboxx/The Love Below... I thought it was great, but then again the singing doesn't bother me. I've heard the entire new album and I think it's hot start to finish. It's weird as all hell on the first listen (the same way i felt about the last 2 Outkast albums) but it improves greatly the more you listen. The thing I love about them is that every album sounds different, but they are unmistakably Outkast every time. I think this one can be described that way as well. If you're no fan of the singing on the love below, then for sure you won't like several of the songs on here. But there's enough of rhymin ass Dre to make you happy.
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C

November 23, 3482, 8:24 am

Wow. Interesting critique of Speakerboxx/The Love Below... I thought it was great, but then again the singing doesn't bother me. I've heard the entire new album and I think it's hot start to finish. It's weird as all hell on the first listen (the same way i felt about the last 2 Outkast albums) but it improves greatly the more you listen. The thing I love about them is that every album sounds different, but they are unmistakably Outkast every time. I think this one can be described that way as well. If you're no fan of the singing on the love below, then for sure you won't like several of the songs on here. But there's enough of rhymin ass Dre to make you happy.
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Mubic P

November 23, 3483, 8:24 am

Hey I dont know anyone here, but that won't keep me from airing my greivances. I think the common denominator can get boring but my problems with hip-hop lie elsewhere. First off, alot of these guys are just lazy. They get by selling an image and a culture rather than making quality product. You constantly see them bragging in interviews about how they spent 20 minutes in the booth writing the lyrics that they recorded in one take. Maybe thats why they seem so stupid. Perhaps if they spent more than a few hours a year on their jobs, they could make something with more depth. I know that occaisionally someone will be inspired and a song will come to them like an epiphany, but these guys act like this happens every time they show up 2 hours late for their studio booking. For some reason though, the populace admires this laziness and it actually boosts the artists image and therefore his sales. People actually want to buy from a hustler. You'll see 50 cent saying that he doesn't make the music that he likes, that he just makes shit that will sell. And perversely, that makes people want to buy his records even more. Its like people are more interested in buying the salesman than the product he sells. This is kind of taking it back a ways, but I remember seeing Ice-T in one of those pimp documentaries. He was telling the pimps that he "cant rap for shit" and that he only got his record deals because his hustle-ability was able to trick the labels. Somehow, this gives him more credibility. Second, to me, way more than half of a song's appeal lies in the production. Yet most albums will have songs made by 5 or 6 different producers, and albums are sold by vocalist not producer. Why would I buy an album where a majority of the songs are made by people I dont know or like. Third, most rappers are narcissists. Thats not neccesarrily bad since I enjoy living vicariously through the shit talking and the self affirmation. What does bother me is that these guys are arrogant enough to think that theyre comedians. No one wants to rehear your stupid skits that were unfunny the first time. Music usually benefits from repitition, jokes usually suffer. Get your fucking jokes away from my music. Kanye West is the glaring example here. The narcissism also causes the filler. The end.
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Mubic P

November 23, 3484, 8:24 am

Hey I dont know anyone here, but that won't keep me from airing my greivances. I think the common denominator can get boring but my problems with hip-hop lie elsewhere. First off, alot of these guys are just lazy. They get by selling an image and a culture rather than making quality product. You constantly see them bragging in interviews about how they spent 20 minutes in the booth writing the lyrics that they recorded in one take. Maybe thats why they seem so stupid. Perhaps if they spent more than a few hours a year on their jobs, they could make something with more depth. I know that occaisionally someone will be inspired and a song will come to them like an epiphany, but these guys act like this happens every time they show up 2 hours late for their studio booking. For some reason though, the populace admires this laziness and it actually boosts the artists image and therefore his sales. People actually want to buy from a hustler. You'll see 50 cent saying that he doesn't make the music that he likes, that he just makes shit that will sell. And perversely, that makes people want to buy his records even more. Its like people are more interested in buying the salesman than the product he sells. This is kind of taking it back a ways, but I remember seeing Ice-T in one of those pimp documentaries. He was telling the pimps that he "cant rap for shit" and that he only got his record deals because his hustle-ability was able to trick the labels. Somehow, this gives him more credibility. Second, to me, way more than half of a song's appeal lies in the production. Yet most albums will have songs made by 5 or 6 different producers, and albums are sold by vocalist not producer. Why would I buy an album where a majority of the songs are made by people I dont know or like. Third, most rappers are narcissists. Thats not neccesarrily bad since I enjoy living vicariously through the shit talking and the self affirmation. What does bother me is that these guys are arrogant enough to think that theyre comedians. No one wants to rehear your stupid skits that were unfunny the first time. Music usually benefits from repitition, jokes usually suffer. Get your fucking jokes away from my music. Kanye West is the glaring example here. The narcissism also causes the filler. The end.
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JD

November 23, 3485, 8:24 am

Er..thanks for that Mubic, I'm not sure what any of that actually has to do with Outkast, but hey, you got it off your chest. First of all, which rappers do you see bragging about how little time they spend writing their lyrics? I've heard of one or two but not enough to generalize most rappers as lazy. I don't see your point about the production, most people do know who produced the album. Especially if it's one of the more well known producers (Timbaland, Neptunes etc). Nearly everyone in the hip-hop community knows that DJ Premier produced on that new Christina Aguilera album. On the last point, most musicians are narcissists, Why do you think Led Zeppelin would stretch out a 3 minute song to 20 minutes live? I agree with eauhellzgnaw on the point that most 'mainstream' music critics tend to praise Rap that's different, rather than whether it's actually any good or not. It's quite frustating to hear good rappers that sometimes rap about cliche topics (Big Pun, was one who didn't get the respect he deserved from most mainstream press) and praise anyone who claims to be different (Spankrock comes to mind). I did enjoy the Love Below though. For Idlewild is a good album, a little disjointed, but good nonetheless. It sounds like what the last album would have sounded like if it was on one disc.
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JD

November 23, 3486, 8:24 am

Er..thanks for that Mubic, I'm not sure what any of that actually has to do with Outkast, but hey, you got it off your chest. First of all, which rappers do you see bragging about how little time they spend writing their lyrics? I've heard of one or two but not enough to generalize most rappers as lazy. I don't see your point about the production, most people do know who produced the album. Especially if it's one of the more well known producers (Timbaland, Neptunes etc). Nearly everyone in the hip-hop community knows that DJ Premier produced on that new Christina Aguilera album. On the last point, most musicians are narcissists, Why do you think Led Zeppelin would stretch out a 3 minute song to 20 minutes live? I agree with eauhellzgnaw on the point that most 'mainstream' music critics tend to praise Rap that's different, rather than whether it's actually any good or not. It's quite frustating to hear good rappers that sometimes rap about cliche topics (Big Pun, was one who didn't get the respect he deserved from most mainstream press) and praise anyone who claims to be different (Spankrock comes to mind). I did enjoy the Love Below though. For Idlewild is a good album, a little disjointed, but good nonetheless. It sounds like what the last album would have sounded like if it was on one disc.
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Mubic P

November 23, 3487, 8:24 am

Er, JD, I was responding to the link he'd posted, as others had done before me, but thanks for reflexively disagreeing with me. Ive heard maybe 4 people talk about spending as little time as possible on their lyrics. I can infer by listening to their music that most other mainstream rappers do the same, seeing as how their lyrics are borderline retarded. You're right, you completely missed my point on producers. How often does a single producer do an entire album? Who gives a shit if Premier did 5 songs on the xtina album? Do you like the people who did the rest? Again, i was responding to his article on how hip-hop sales are dying down. You can guess thats in part because of downloads. Hip-hop as it stands is begging to be downloaded. If I'm a fan of the Neptunes, why would I buy 20 different albums a year, half by vocalists I don't like, just to hear a song off of each? And led zepplin probably never released an entire album where they just talk about what makes them the best. About how they consume the finest products and pussy, products and pussy you can only dream of having. Don't respond to me unless you have your head out of your ass.
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JD

November 23, 3488, 8:24 am

Led Zeppelin haven't made an album where they talk about themselves, but they have released a couple of incredibly overlong live albums, which is a narcisstic act, whether you want to admit it or not. Rappers talk about what makes them the best a lot because Hip-Hop is a different, more competitive form of music than other genres. Single producers do make albums, but they don't neccessarily sound any better for it. Some of the all time hip hop classic albums (illmatic, reasonable doubt, ready to die) were produced by multiple producers, are you saying you wouldn't want to hear a great album just because you don't know who produced it? No need for the kiddy comments about heads up asses and whatnot, we're all adults here.
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JD

November 23, 3489, 8:24 am

Led Zeppelin haven't made an album where they talk about themselves, but they have released a couple of incredibly overlong live albums, which is a narcisstic act, whether you want to admit it or not. Rappers talk about what makes them the best a lot because Hip-Hop is a different, more competitive form of music than other genres. Single producers do make albums, but they don't neccessarily sound any better for it. Some of the all time hip hop classic albums (illmatic, reasonable doubt, ready to die) were produced by multiple producers, are you saying you wouldn't want to hear a great album just because you don't know who produced it? No need for the kiddy comments about heads up asses and whatnot, we're all adults here.
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Mubic P

November 23, 3490, 8:24 am

Ok, im sorry JD for telling you to get your goddamn head out of your ass. Sometimes I forget that mature condescension requires you to maintain plausible deniability. I don't dispute that theres been great albums with multiple producers. Thats just inevitable since a vast majority of albums use more than one producer. But look at all the classics that were produced by one guy (or one group). 36 chambers, southernplayalistic, ATCQ, the roots, dr Dre, Doggystyle, gang starr, madvillain...Its disproportionate. I just wish someone like Mr. DJ (the art of storytellings) or 88 keys (black star's thieves in the night) would settle down with a nice rapper and they'd make a whole album. That would be something I'm interested in.

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