Don't be deceived by the album title, 'Stankonia!' Outkast's latest release lacks any stank at all, and in fact, smells sweeter than bacon & eggs on a Saturday morning. Just as I'd started to doubt myself as an album reviewer, comes forth Outkast. With this release, they reassured me that indeed, there still are some amazing albums coming out on the market. As of late, I hadn't been feeling any albums and I was worried that maybe I'd lost my lust for hip hop. Alas, 'Stankonia' is my savior!

From start to finish this album was near perfect. Outkast just keeps putting together tighter and tighter ish. The style is fresh and diverse: everything from upbeat dance tracks, to borderline alternative, to gospal, soulful R&B chorus. Not to mention that the diverse array of featured artists are so meticulously and tightly intermingled amongst the songs, you'll find it hard to believe that the chemistry doesn't lie solely within the band. The featured artists include: Goodie Mob, Gangsta Boo (Three Six Mafia), B-Real (Cypress Hill), Erykah Badu, Slimm Calhoun, and others. The only downfall of this album was the number of interludes. In total, there were seven interludes, thus hurting the overall cohesion of the album.

There were a fair number of amazing and impressive tracks. They include the first single, "B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)", "Ms. Jackson", "Gangsta Shit", "?", "Gasoline Dreams", "I'll Call Before I Come", "Humble Mumble", and "We Luv Deez Hoez." It shouldn't be hard to grasp how amazing an album this is, just look at how many tracks I listed!

I really dislike interludes, but for Outkast's sake, I'm willing to overlook that fact and deem this the best album since Dr. Dre's 'Chronic 2001.' This album is hot. If you like rap or hip hop, then this album is a must get. Even if you're only a borderline hip hop fan, I still suggest you pick this album up.

www.brockwayent.com

(Originally posted on HipHopCanada.com)

This review was written November 5, 2000