1994 was an incredible year for hip-hop, and particularly its new blood. It brought us debuts from Nas and The Notorious B.I.G., as well as new discs from the likes of the Roots and Gang Starr. It was also the year that Outkast put themselves and on the map, and helped shine a brighter light on their native Atlanta.
With their debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, the duo of Andre and Big Boi ‒ just 18 and 19, respectively ‒ laid a groundwork for what would become a legendary career.
Today, that seminal debut turns 20. Full of smoked-out funk and rhymes that balance pimp-talk and self-awareness, we take a look at the disc by the numbers.
31: Letters in the Album Title
According to Oxford, the longest word in the dictionary has 45 letters. Though it’s not quite as long, and not in the dictionary (though let’s be real, it should be), the album’s title comes close, with a whopping 31 letters. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik definitely rolls off the tongue better than pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis, too.
17: Verses from Both Andre and Big Boi
The two fresh-faced MCs struck a perfect balance on their debut, as they each rapped the same number of verses. It averages out to one per song on the 17-track release, though some had more (two each on “Player’s Ball”) and some less (none on “Funky Ride”).
20: Peak Position on Billboard 200
With the five albums that followed their debut, Outkast always reached at least No. 2 on the Billboard 200. However, with Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, the duo couldn’t climb higher than the 20th spot. Still, the ...