Maps of Music

Stankonia (2000)

Where the lyrics of Stankonia take you, and where it was really made.

The studio where this album was made was once owned by R&B singer Bobby Brown, and it was the place where the duo first recorded vocals together.

Key places

A&M Studios in Los Angeles (2000)

Recording site A&M Recording Studios — The album's recording credits list A&M Studios in Los Angeles as one of its recording locations. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Stankonia Studios in Atlanta (2000)

Recording site DARP Studios (Atlanta) — The album was recorded at Stankonia Studios in Atlanta, a facility the duo had recently bought. The pin marks the city center, not the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Stankonia is the fourth studio album by the American hip hop duo Outkast
• Released October 31, 2000 by LaFace Records and Arista Records
• Recorded at Stankonia Studios, the duo's recently purchased Atlanta facility
• Production by Earthtone III (Outkast and Mr. DJ) and longtime collaborators Organized Noize
• Mixes funk, rave music, psychedelia, gospel and rock within Dirty South hip hop
• Lyrics cover sexuality, politics, misogyny, African-American culture, parenthood and introspection
• Features local Atlanta musicians discovered while the group visited clubs in their home city

Background

• Follow-up to the 1998 album Aquemini, aimed at an expansive and experimental sound
• Aquemini drew national attention to the Southern hip hop scene
• Duo bought the studio in March 1998 near Northside Drive
• Studio was formerly owned by R&B singer Bobby Brown
• Duo recorded vocals together there for the first time, on a remix of TLC's 'What About Your Friends'
• André 3000 coined the name by combining 'stank' and 'Plutonia', the title of a poster in his bedroom
• André 3000 described the studio as a place where you can open yourself up and be free to express anything

Recording

• Recording began in spring 1999 and lasted about a year
• Owning the studio removed the time limits a rented studio would impose
• Big Boi spent most of the recording time in the studio
• André 3000 worked at home on beats and experimented with an acoustic guitar
• 'Ms. Jackson', the second single, came from a guitar jam session
• Much of the album grew out of vibe sessions held in downtown Atlanta clubs
• The group invited performers they saw in clubs back to the studio
• Killer Mike, then unknown, guests on 'Snappin & Trappin''

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• OutKast was an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992.
• Members were Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin).
• The two met in 1992 at Lenox Square mall in Atlanta at age 16 and attended Tri-Cities High School.
• They were pursued by the producers Organized Noize and signed to LaFace Records, becoming the label's first hip-hop act.

Members

• Big Boi (Antwan Patton) was the "player" in the duo, covering conventional hip-hop topics.
• André 3000 (André Benjamin) was the "poet", discussing more unorthodox themes.

Career

• Debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994) is credited with laying the foundation for southern hip-hop.
• ATLiens (1996) and Aquemini (1998) were critically acclaimed.
• Stankonia (2000) brought mainstream recognition; "Ms. Jackson" topped the Billboard Hot 100.
• Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
• The duo split in 2007 after the film soundtrack album Idlewild (2006); both members pursued solo careers.
• They reunited in 2014 for performances at more than 40 festivals worldwide.
• Credited with sales of 20 million records and six Grammy Awards.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: universal acclaim, weighted average 95 out of 100 from 20 critics
• NME, Derek A. Bardowell: praised the rare balance of creative eccentricity and mass appeal
• Rolling Stone, Nathan Brackett: called it one of the best albums of the year
• The Village Voice, Tony Green: praised the group's feel for sonics and structure
• The Village Voice, Robert Christgau: found more bounce and more delight in the jams and raps
• AllMusic, Steve Huey: noted that brief interludes help hold the wide range of moods together
• Entertainment Weekly, Ken Tucker: described the album as artful ambition rendered with impeccable skill
• Vibe, M. Matos: said it turned the South's hip hop sound into something freaky and menacing
• Mojo: called it hip hop with the power to convert even the most reactionary nonbelievers

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 359 in 2003, 361 in the 2012 revision, 64 in the 2020 reboot
• Time: named one of the 100 best albums of all time in 2006
• Rolling Stone 100 Best Albums of the 2000s: number 16
• Pitchfork top 200 albums of the 2000s: number 13 (2009)
• Rhapsody 100 Best Albums of the Decade: number 2
• Paste Magazine greatest albums of all time: number 6 (2024)
• Vibe 100 Greatest Albums from 1985 to 2005: number 23

Records

• Billboard 200 debut at number 2, selling 525,844 copies in its first week
• Certified gold by the RIAA within its first week of release
• Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: number 2, 45 weeks on the chart
• 3.79 million copies sold by February 2002 (Nielsen SoundScan)
• Certified quadruple platinum on November 3, 2003, for four million shipments
• Canada: peaked at number 4 and certified double platinum in 2003
• Germany number 6, Finland number 8, Norway number 8
• 'Ms. Jackson' reached number one on the Hot 100 on February 17, 2001
• 'So Fresh, So Clean' peaked at number 30 on the Hot 100
• At the 2002 Grammy Awards (44th Annual), won Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for 'Ms. Jackson'

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The studio was once owned by R&B singer Bobby Brown and was where the duo first recorded vocals together.
• The name Stankonia was made up by André 3000, combining 'stank' and 'Plutonia', a poster in his bedroom.
• 'Ms. Jackson' came from a guitar jam session, and the album's second single grew out of it.
• Killer Mike was still unknown when he appeared on 'Snappin & Trappin'', and he said he tried to compete with the duo to sharpen his rapping.
• Big Boi was impressed by Killer Mike's voice, calling him a very intelligent guy.
• Owning the studio let the group work without the clock, which André 3000 described as just working on your mind.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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