In December 1998, the United States and England launched the largest attack upon Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War. Dubbed Operation Desert Fox, the campaign turned out to be a short one of just four days of bombing and missile strikes.
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This is a reference to the myth that diamonds come from coal which has recently been debunked. But if it were true, Big Boi is advising us all to try and make something out of nothing – in other words, turn worthless coal into valuable diamonds. The implication being that this is what Big Boi himself has done.
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André makes it clear that their relationship wasn’t simply lust-based; there were actually emotions involved and thoughts about settling down with a family. Goodyear tires can be used for tire swings put in the backyard for little kids to play on, and the oak tree is often used as a symbol for age/wisdom – which connects to the next line about being around forever.
This is also a great allusion to the fact that this was all during their good years.
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The message of this song’s chorus is just as powerful as a left hook to the jaw. This could also be a play on words, as a hip-hop chorus is often referred to as a “hook”.
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In so many words, OutKast tells other rappers to make way for the revolution they lead; comparing the Montgomery Bus Boycott, sparked when Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of the bus, to OutKast’s movement to revive hip-hop makes sense, but did not come without any controversy.
Rosa Parks sued the duo for using her name in a song with vulgarities without her permission, especially because the song seemed to trivialize the bus boycotts. But Mr. DJ denied any wrongdoing in naming the song after Ms. Parks, claiming:
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Ironically, Operation Desert Fox actually did substantially degrade Iraqi weapons of mass of destruction. See this overview by Iraq specialist Joel Wing (of the Jamestown Foundation and other public policy forums) for more details:
Of course, there was no way for the song’s writers to know this at the time of the song’s creation. It very much seemed like the US was beating around the bush.
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Big Boi plays on the meaning of “meet” here. It can refer to how big things happen to André and Big Boi every time they get together, but it can also refer to track meets which track teams compete in. Finally, it also speaks on how crack fiends are always dying to “meet” with their next crack rock.
Consequences are given for livin'
The fence is too high to jump in jail
Too low to dig, I might just touch hell—hot! OutKast – B.O.B.
The fence is too high to jump in jail
Too low to dig, I might just touch hell—hot! OutKast – B.O.B.
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André cautions his listeners that while 1999 is a good year to act a fool and be yourself, you still have to remember that there are consequences for your actions. If you do something stupid and get yourself thrown in jail, that is going to stick with you for the rest of your life.
The “too high to jump” “too low to dig” part emphasizes how difficult it is to escape from jail – both physically, and in terms of the rest of your life. The fence is too high to overcome, and you would have to dig all the way down to hell just to have a shot to dig under it.
This line could also be a reference to rapper DMX’s debut album It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot.
9 years
Here he’s telling the listener that life is open, and to be what you wanna be, as long as you know that there are consequences for everything. That’s rule#1 of taking responsibility over your life. If you choose to be a thug or sell drugs, there are consequences for that. If you choose to have kids, or impregnate a woman, there are consequences to that too. And of course, if you literally pull your gun out on someone, there’s consequences to that too.
This portion of the lyrics is very much in line with the whole message of the song–to take responsibility over your life and your actions. And to follow through.
In fact, this is a recurring theme I find in many of Outkast’s other songs (e.g., “…you’ve got to follow through, struggle to complete your dreams…” from Humble Mumble:
). It’s a message they always harp on. Much of Outkast’s lyrics are blueprints for folks to empower themselves, rise up, and lift themselves out of the ghetto.
Weatherman tellin' us it ain't gon' rain
So now we sittin' in a drop-top, soakin' wet OutKast – B.O.B.
So now we sittin' in a drop-top, soakin' wet OutKast – B.O.B.
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This line, like much of the song, reflects on the relationship OutKast has with the music industry. When OutKast was first coming up, all of the critics told them that their unique southern style would never translate to mainstream success at a time when the East and West coasts dominated the genre. But they beat the odds and ended up seeing their first 3 albums leading up to this one go platinum, so now they are chilling in their expensive cars, unprepared for the amount of fame they are dealing with.
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3 Stacks does a good job of comparing and contrasting the two life paths you can take as a young kid in the hood in these lines. You can either use Arm & Hammer to cook cocaine into crack in hopes to be able to afford a nice car one day, or try to make an honest living and settle down with a family.
This is also a description of the unique place his life was in at the time. André and Big Boi both started off as stereotypical Southern hustlers rocking gold teeth and braids, but settled down when their baby mamas gave birth to their children. The “Black Cadillac and a pair of Pampers” is a link between his old life and his new one – he is carrying diapers for his baby son in a car he bought using money from his hustling days.
Get a life now they on sale.. This song is about domestic policy.. Im pretty sure this is a reference to organ harvesting, where people’s body parts are exhumed for profits.
105
*those
105
“Get a life now they on sale, then I might cast you a spell” could also be referring to this selling their life/soul to the devil/industry
133
This is clearly a reference to a man in the ghetto choosing to sell crack, and baking crack from cocaine.
The drug can make one feel powerful: “Make a nigga wanna stay on tour for days”–in fact you can go for days without sleeping. But at the end it just adds up to a “ball of power” (which sounds a lot like a “ball of powder”) which is how coke is purchased (in “8-balls” of white powder). Racing thoughts are one of the most well-known side-effects of it (“thoughts at a 1,000 miles per hour”).
Note the stark contrasts he paints in each line, ‘the scale’ vs. ‘the Arm & Hammer’ (scale measures drugs, baking powder dilutes it), the ‘soul gold grill’ vs. the ‘baby mama’ (the gold grill is ‘bling’, the baby mama is real-life responsibilities), the ‘black Cadillac’ vs. ‘the stack of pampers’ (you tell me which one’s priority). These are all opposing forces: on the one hand the ghetto man has got his ghetto pursuits i.e. his paper chase and sale of drugs, fat money, and bling-bling, BUT on the other hand he’s got real world responsibilities to deal with (a baby to take care of, a baby mama, pampers to buy, etc.).
At the end Andre is telling the ghetto man to “let your brain breathe” (i.e., sober up) and to believe that there’s always something more out there outside of the crack and the 8-balls and the gold grills.