Summary4 min read

Hit Parade: "Shake It Like a Polaroid Picture Edition"

Podcast: Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia
Host: Chris Molanphy (Slate Podcasts)
Date: May 29, 2020

Episode Overview

In this episode, Chris Molanphy takes listeners through the rise of Outkast—a duo that transformed Atlanta's music scene, pushed the sonic boundaries of hip hop, and took the genre to new pop heights. The discussion covers the duo's early innovations, their pivotal album "Stankonia," their unlikely pop dominance in the 2000s, and Outkast’s lasting impact on the sound and profile of hip hop worldwide.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Outkast's Breakthrough and Atlanta’s Ascendance

At the start of the 2000s, Outkast (André 3000 and Big Boi) were finalizing "Stankonia," an album that altered their careers and Atlanta's musical reputation ([02:00]).
Atlanta was already a hub for urban music before Outkast, but its output leaned towards pop rather than "pure" hip hop.
Outkast’s vision: Hip hop as “everything music”—a melting pot not beholden to coastal sounds.
- "[Outkast] made the mainstream come to them, not the other way around." — Chris Molanphy ([02:50])

Shifting the Sound and Geography of Hip Hop

The 1990s were dominated by East Coast vs. West Coast “coastal wars,” shaping rap’s look and sound.
Outkast helped move hip hop’s “center of gravity” to the South, especially Atlanta, a phenomenon anticipated by the duo from early on ([04:10]).

Pop Crossover: Outkast as Chart-Toppers

Outkast achieved improbable success as pop stars in the early 2000s, not just hip hop artists.
Their single “Hey Ya!” (André 3000) and “The Way You Move” (Big Boi) consecutively topped the Billboard Hot 100—an extraordinary feat ([06:00]).
- "America's tastemakers, the arbiters of what was cool... what's cooler than being cool? I can't hear you. I say what's cooler than being cool?" — Chris Molanphy quoting "Hey Ya!" ([05:50])
"Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move" swapped chart positions—the rare case where a group replaces itself at #1 ([07:30]).
The week this chart event occurred, Outkast was also celebrated at the Grammys.

Outkast’s Grammy Wins and Their Impact

Outkast won a Grammy for Album of the Year—rare for hip hop artists.
This milestone both cemented their legacy and signaled the end of Outkast’s era as a duo.
- "This win effectively brought about Outkast's self-imposed demise." — Chris Molanphy ([09:00])
Chris draws a parallel to Billy Joel, who also walked away from the pop spotlight at his peak.

Outkast’s Lasting Influence

Outkast not only shifted hip hop’s geography but broadened its musical palette.
Their influence is evident in subsequent Atlanta acts and spin-offs (e.g., Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”).
The episode frames their heyday as transformative for both hip hop and mainstream pop, setting the template for the 21st century.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

On Mainstream Success:
- “Outkast helped change not just the sound, but the breadth of hip hop, including geographically.” ([03:40])
On Atlanta’s New Role:
- “Rap in the ‘90s was infamously undergoing a coastal war... the very idea that Atlanta by the 21st century would become, according to the New York Times, ‘hip hop’s center of gravity’ was one Andre and Big Boi began envisioning from the start.” ([04:20])
On Pop Crossover:
- “Perhaps the most improbable thing about Outkast was that for a few years in the early 2000s, they were also Hot 100-topping pop stars.” ([05:25])
On Self-Replacement at #1:
- “The Big Boi-fronted ‘The Way You Move’ replaced the André-powered ‘Hey Ya!’ atop Billboard's flagship chart. And it all happened the same week they were the toast of the Grammys.” ([07:40])
On Outkast’s Artistic Legacy:
- "Outkast saw that hip hop could be everything music, a melting pot of styles." ([03:20])

Important Timestamps

00:00 – 02:00 | Introduction: Outkast and Atlanta’s context
02:00 – 05:00 | Outkast’s vision and the evolution of Atlanta’s sound
05:00 – 07:30 | Pop crossover: "Hey Ya!", "The Way You Move" and chart dominance
07:30 – 09:20 | Outkast at the Grammys and their self-imposed "ending"
09:20 – End | Broader impact on hip hop and pop (episode preview ends)

Tone and Style

Chris Molanphy’s delivery is enthusiastic, insightful, and authoritative. He mixes pop culture references—like quoting "Hey Ya!"—with music history and industry analysis, making the content both accessible and informative.

Summary Flow

This episode charts Outkast’s story from ambitious Atlanta newcomers to genre-defying superstars who changed the direction of hip hop. Through analysis of their music, chart performance, and industry milestones, Molanphy underscores Outkast’s role in making Atlanta a hip hop powerhouse and reshaping pop’s soundscape. The narrative ends on their Grammy triumph, hinting at both artistic pinnacle and bittersweet closure for the duo.

Anyone interested in how singles become smashes—and how artists like Outkast redefine music’s possibilities—will find invaluable context and memorable storytelling throughout.

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You're listening ad free on Amazon Music. Hey there Hit Parade listeners. What you're about to hear is a preview of our latest episode. As we announced recently, Slate, like many media organizations, has been hit hard by the economic downturn caused by the COVID 19 pandemic. We need your help to continue producing this show and all the other work we do at Slate. So we're asking you to sign up for Slate plus our membership program. It's just $35 for the first year and it will go a long way towards supporting us at this crucial moment. Sign up@slate.com hitparadeplus and you'll get to hear this and every episode of Hit Parade in full. That's slate.com hitparadeplus thanks. And now your episode preview. This podcast contains explicit language. Welcome to Hit Parade, a podcast of pop chart history from Slate Magazine about the hits from coast to coast. I'm Chris Melanfi, chart analyst, pop criticism and writer of Slate's why Is this Song Number One? Series on today's show. Twenty years ago, in the spring of 2000, a pair of rappers from Atlanta, Georgia were in the studio putting the finishing touches on an album that would change the trajectory of their career and arguably their hometown. It would turn outkast from leading figures in Southern hip hop to one of the biggest pop in America. They would call the album released in the fall of 2000, Stankonia, and it would change the game, selling more copies than almost any Atlanta rap album that came before it. But it was not their first album, as outkast would take pains to tell their new fans later. And it was not a tepid or middle of the road album. Antoine, Big Boy Patton and Andre Benjamin aka Andre 3000 made the mainstream come to them, not the other way around. Outkast helped change not just the sound, but the breadth of hip hop, including geographically. Rap in the 90s was infamously undergoing a coastal war between the east and the west, The very idea idea that Atlanta by the 21st century would become. According to the New York Times, hip hop's center of gravity was one Andre and Big Boi began envisioning from the start of their career. Of course, Outkast were not the first chart topping act to come from the atl. Atlanta had been producing vital music for decades and in fact, outkast broke on an Atlanta label better known in the early 90s for its urban pop. Indeed, the hip hop that came out of Atlanta before Outkast was closer to pure pop than rap. But outkast had a more expansive vision. They saw that hip hop could be everything music, a melting pot of styles. The musical universe that Outkast spawned would generate later spin off acts in the world of pop. Does that make Me crazy? And would firmly establish Atlanta as a rap scene thriving to this day. But perhaps the most improbable thing about Outkast was that for a few years in the early 2000s, they were also hot 100 topping pop stars. America's taste makers, the arbiters of what was cool and what's cooler than being cool? I can't hear you. I say what's cooler than being cool? Outkast's chart and cultural success was so enormous they even won a very rare Grammy Award. The last rappers to do so. And this win effectively brought about Outkast's self imposed demise. Just last month I told you about Billy Joel, a Grammy winning megastar who topped the charts and then hung it up while at the top of his game. Well, let's just say that Joel, Andre and Big Boi and have something in common. Today on Hit Parade, we will not only talk about how Outkast moved rap permanently south, but how they expanded its sonic boundaries, affirming that hip hop would be the lingua franca of 21st century pop. Even when Andre 3:3000 wasn't actually rapping and even when the two members of Outkast were trading places at the top of the charts. And that's where your Hit Parade marches today, the week ending February 14, 2004 when Outkast replaced themselves at number one on the Hot 100. The Big Boy fronted the Way youy Move replaced the Andre powered Hey Ya atop Billboard's flagship chart. And it all happened the same week. They were the toast of the Grammys. It was the culmination of a ride outkast had begun a decade earlier. But for the partnership of Big Boi and Dre, it was the beginning of the of the end to be your big freak. Skinny slim women got the camel toe within them. You can hump them, lift them, bend them. Thanks for listening to this episode Preview. To listen to the Full Hit Parade episode, please go to slate. Com Hit Parade plus.