It’s Throwback Thursday again, and while you might be bummed that the Psy costume from last year is a bit tighter around the waist than you remember, we’ve been busy digging in the crates for some ghosts of Halloween past. And we unearthed a classic from October 31, 2003, when Outkast were just starting their journey into music history with the record-setting double-solo album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by dropping in to visit “TRL.”
Though co-host La La dressed up in her Cleopatra best, ‘Kast kept it ice cold by showing up as themselves. Andre 3000 sported a kind of preppy French film director look — high-cuffed jeans, striped shirt, blue hat, sunglasses, red tie and red sweater over his shoulders — while partner Big Boi looked equally dapper in a black suit with matching leather bucket hat. In other words, they dressed up as Outkast.
The Andre song that would propel them to infinity, “Hey Ya!,” had been out for almost two months at that point, while Big Boi’s companion #1 smash, “The Way You Move” had haunted radio for most of October.
The talk that day, though, was all about Halloween. Asked if he ever dressed up as kids, Andre said, “of course, I think every kid did.” He then ticked off the list of his greatest costume hits: Superman, Dallas Cowboys player, Dracula (with a shout-out to the Speakerboxxx/The Love Below song “Dracula’s Wedding,” of course). It sounded like the costume box was a little bit more modest at Big’s house back in the day. “We used to have a mask and some pajamas on sometimes,” he laughed. “And I remember a lot of my momma’s makeup, we was clowns for a long time, too.”
The duo performed on the show in what ended up being a teaser to a tour that never happened for what became their final non-soundtrack studio album together. But what a way to go out, as Speakerboxxx went on to become the best-selling hip-hop collection of all time according to the RIAA while garnering six Grammy nominations and three wins, including the prestigious Album of the year.
When co-host Damian Fahey asked how the rest of the Outkast family was celebrating the day, both men revealed what their kids had big plans. Andre said that son Seven was going to be a robot/space dude. “I know he’s at the crib getting spaced up,” he said. “My little man is going to be Mickey Mouse and his sister’s going to be a genie and my other son is going to be Sully from ‘Monsters Inc.,” added Big.
The dynamic duo suited up again for a medley of Speakerboxxx hits at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards. (Okay, Big did, but Andre forgot his shirt, while remembering his red beret and scarf.) But, after teaming for the movie/soundtrack for “Idlewild,” they went on an extended hiatus that began in 2007 and they’ve been doing their own things ever since.
Here’s a tip, though. If you’re in the Atlanta area tonight and you see a skinny dude dressed up like guitar god Jimi Hendrix , well, it might just be Andre.
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