A Life In The Day Of Benjamin Andre : a rap masterpiece.

Speakerboxxx / The Love Below fue el album que entronó a Outkast en el stardom musical global.
Hace 10 años "Hey Ya" arrasó convirtiéndose en un megahit , Universal Music se lo curró y nos lo metió hasta en la sopa. Hasta aquí en España lo petó, las radios pusieron en heavy rotation a Eminem, 50 Cent, Black Eyed Peas y Outkast a principios del cambio de siglo.
Sirvió como entrada e introducción al rap de muchos ajenos al género.
Se llevó el grammy al album of the year, el galardón ansiado de Kanye y que lo quema por dentro, primera y única vez que unos rappers lo han ganado, aunque la mitad del doble cd no era rap. Esa fue la principal queja de los headz y fans del dúo, a André 3000 apenas se le escuchaba rapear. A pesar del bombo, algo pasó desapercibido sobre este trabajo.


Entre tanto single se devaloró la capacidad de un gran MC como Big Boi para sacar adelante un notorio LP en solitario lleno de beats bombásticos y musicalidad, que más tarde perfeccionaría con el increíble The Son of Chico Dusty, su primer largo oficial como solista, un pepino de tamaño desproporcionado.
Entre tanto hit, controversia, millones por royalties, nuevas estrellas musicales mundiales, niños blancos que querían dejarse el pelo largo, ser negros y cantar como el de Outkast..entre toda esa parafernalia, escondido y para cerrar el disco, salía una obra maestra del rap en forma de barras llamada "A life in the day of Benjamin Andre".

Ahora, en 2013, el tema cobra áun mas valor: es el epitafio a la carrera de Outkast y a la de 3stacks como integrante de Outkast. Es la puntilla final, ya que después se sacaron de la manga Idlewild, como banda sonora del film del mismo nombre en el que los dos eran protagonistas y en el que Dre no rapeaba y apenas cantaba.

El cabrón se marcó un trabajo de pop/soul  que nunca me gustó, ni me disgustó. Como disco pop no cuela y el moderno que te diga que es una obra maestra es un puto hipster gafapasta, ni influencias de Prince ni pollas. Como experimento de rapper puede valer, tiene temas buenos pero en total apenas supera el aprobado.
Lo de cabrón lo digo porque a pesar de cantar en todo el album, nos deja para el final ( tanto de su lp, como del doble lp, ya que es el disco 2 ) una joya de str8 spittin'.

El mejor tema de todo el doble album y uno de los estandartes de la discografía de los de Atlanta.
A base de excéntricas metáforas y flows dejados y elásticos de tonos nasales nos resume la historia de Outkast con un storytellin' excepcional, rodeado de un beat eerie asincopado de atmósfera bizarra, de otro mundo.
El testamento de un genio musical. Ni coros, ni cantos, sin pausas, solo rap.
Porque podrá llevar las pintas que quiera, cantar y alisarse el pelo. En su día lo acusaron de maricón y de loco y te canta baladas chichinabescas, pero llega el final y nos suelta esto.
Y nos deja a todos con la mandíbula desencajada, en bragas, dándole al replay y quemando el track una y otra vez como yonkatas.
Y 10 años más tarde Outkast sigue sin sacar album de rap.

I met you in a club in Atlanta Georgia

Said me and my homeboy were coming out with an albumYou looked at me like "yeah, nigga, right"But you gave me you number anyway, you were on the talcumPowderPowder, how's about them oranges?Moved away from home to school with big plansBy day, studied the history of musicBy night, just to pay for that shit, you'd danceTo get your pants was a Mission ImpossibleWe were both the same age, but ISuppose wasn't on the same page, but inThe same book of life, so I'd paged you whenI felt you that were getting off of workOr either when you're on your way to schoolWe started hanging like Ernie and BertAnd in my idle head I'm thinking: "cool"Just when I think I'm going down your shirtYou're hiking up your skirt nowThe events that followed had me volley if your hometown would beHeaven or hellThe angelic nastiness you possessed made you by far the bestTherefore hard to tellTherefore hard to tellYou'd dropped me off by the dungeonNever came in, but I knew that you were wonderingNow are these niggas in this house up to somethingSelling crack sack by sacks so they could function?Well, yes and noYes we were selling itBut no it wasn't blowCook it in the basement then move it at a showThen grab the microphone and everybody yelled "ho!"Meanwhile the video starts playingBET college radio and a vanPacked full of niggas with a blunt in their handAnd one in their earYou know what I'm sayingBut, I kept your number in my old phoneGot a new chip flip with the roam roamSo it took me a minute to retrieve 7 digitsBut I promised I would call you when I got homeBut, when I got home I never didBy the time I did, heard that you had a kidBy some nigga in DecaturWho replied see you later when he got the good news, that's life shitNow, I'm 19 with a CadillacMy nigga had a Lex with the gold packGot a plaque but I'm living with my pop popSo I got Glock and a low jackYou kinda fast for that fella in class who used to drawAnd never said much cause half of what he sawWas so far from that place you wanna beThat words only fucked it up more follow meAre you starting to gather what I'm getting at?Now if I'm losing you tell me then I'll double backBut keep in mind, at the time "keep it real" was the phraseSilly once said now, but those were the daysWhen Spring Break, and Daytona, and "Freakniks"Made you want to drop out of college and never go backMove to the south, but that ain't a KodakMoment, on went myself and Big BoiWell you knew him as TuanThat's right, you were around before this shit begunWhen Tuan had a daughter andSort of was made to mature before the first tourWe hit the road like jackLaughed and cried and drived it back with some YakGirls used to say, y'all talk funny, y'all from the islands?And I'd laugh and they'd just keep smilingNo, I'm from Atlanta babyHe from Savannah, maybeWe should hook up and get tore up and then lay down, hey weGot to go because the bus is pulling out in 30 minutesShe's playing tennis disturbing the tenants15-love fit like gloveDescription is like 15 dovesIn a Jacuzzi catching the Holy GhostMaking one woozy in the head and comatose, agree?Enough about me, how's about you?How's the lil' kid?She was about 2 the last time we spokeI hadn't smoked or took a shot of drinkCause I'd start the 2nd album off on another noteNow, that note threw some niggas in the hood offBut see I'd balled out, and before I fall outI'd Slow my Lac down to a nice speedThe brain is that fried egg I might needNew direction was apparentI was a child looking at the floor staringSo changing my style was like release for the primitive beastYes I was on the rise, yeast was the streetTo make bread - never primary concernJust to hop on these beats and wait my turnI'd meet Muslims, gangstas, bitches, rastasJust to hop on these beats and wait my turnI'd meet Muslims, gangstas, bitches, rastas, and macaroni niggas - impostersSo on a trip to New York on some beeswaxI get invited to a club where emcees atAnd on stage is a singer with some thing on her headSimilar to the turban that I covered up my dreads withWhich I was rocking at the timeWhen I was going through them phases trying to findAnything that seemed real in the worldStill searching, but I started liking this girlNow you know her as Erykah "On and On" BaduCall Tyrone on the phone why youDo that girl like that boy you ought to be ashamedThe song wasn't about me and that ain't my nameWe're young, in love, in short we had funNo regrets no abortion, had a sonBy the name of "7" and he's 5By the time I do this mix, he'll probably be 6You do the arithmeticMe? Do the language artsY'all stand against the wall blindfolded me throw the dartsTo poke you in the heartAnd take you from the startTo when luxury transportation meant a Marta cardOr either when your girlfriend that went to MaysMomma or her daddy let her borrow the Benz because she's smartOr maybe if your neighbor does you a huge favorAnd he sells you that Rabbit that's been sitting in his yardYou fix it up, you trick it out, you give it rims, you give it bumpYou give it all your time because that's all you can think aboutAnd that's as far as I got(music fades)[Radio Interview]And that's as far as I got, and where I wanted to goKnowing the whole time that's all you could think aboutEven though if you cut it off and start that bitch upYou need a jump like you'll need and you'll want to growAnd you change all the time so that Rabbit that you thought aboutThat whole summer, the next summer you didn't want that Rabbit no moreYou wanted something bigger and better           (Interviewer)So the summer past and now the Rabbit's old?                  (Andre)Right...right, so now you want a Cadillac..