The Love Below/Speakerboxxx

By the time Outkast had released their third album, the startlingly accomplished Stankonia, they had finally made the elusive breakthrough into the mainstream pop world. Outkast haven’t appeared to compromise their wayward artistic vision, yet their unashamed and finely-honed pop sensibility has ensured their place in CD collections across the world, nestled alongside the likes of Norah Jones and Coldplay.

In a world currently awash with highly generic and masturbatory hip-hop offerings, this album stands head and shoulders above its faux fur-wearing contemporaries. In short, it’s unlike any hip-hop album you’ve heard before – it’s not so much a breath of fresh air as a full-force gale blowing right through you. The Love Below/Speakerboxxx, a double album, is comprised of no less than 39 tracks, each one diverse, engaging and innovative in its own right. The albums draw from a huge range of both futuristic and retro influences, from Sly Stone and Jurassic 5 to Erykah Badu and Busta Rhymes; from traditional soul, NYC disco, and electronica, to sexy jazz fused with bizarre samples (roosters, dropping keys and suchlike).

Beware all ye unbelievers who have denounced hip-hop as an exercise in style over substance. This album is most likely going to convert you all.