Initial pressings of STANKONIA will include a mix of alternate cover art.

Outkast: Andre 3000 (vocals, synthesized guitar); Big Boi (vocals).

Additional personnel includes: Sleepy Brown (vocals, Fender Rhodes piano, Moog bass); Khujo Goodie, Killer Mike, J-Sweet, Gangsta Boo, Eco, B-Real, Backbone, Big Gipp, Erykah Badu, Slimm Calhoun, C-Bone, T-Mo Goodie, Cee-Lo Goodie, Big Rube, Rosalin Heard (vocals); Donnie Mathis, David "Whild" Brown (guitar); Jason Freeman, Jerry Freeman (horns); Marvin "Chanz" Parkman (piano, keyboards); Earthtone III, Organized Noize (keyboards, programming); Preston Crump (bass, synthesized bass); Aaron Mills, Robert Grister, Dookie Blossumgame (bass); Victor Alexander (drums); Cutmaster Swift (cuts); Myrna "Screechy Peach" Crenshaw (background vocals).

Producers: Earthtone III, Organized Noize, Carl Mo.

Engineers include: John Frye, Neal H. Pogue, Kevin Parker.

Principally recorded at Stankonia Recording, Atlanta, Georgia.

STANKONIA won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. "Ms. Jackson" won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.

The Atlanta-based critically acclaimed duo of Big Boi and Dre returns with yet another innovative contribution to hip-hop. STANKONIA, an album borrowing its title from the group-owned recording studio, continues Outkast's tradition of delivering groundbreaking music.

The two MCs cover topics that only they would rap about, over self-produced tracks that only they could make. Songs like "B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)" are in contrast to the current hip-hop scene, with its bass music background, while "Ms. Jackson," a dedication to a baby's momma's momma, sports a soulful melody in the tradition of Outkast's previous efforts. Either way, Outkast still proves to be in its own elite class.

What the critics say...

Rolling Stone (1/4/01, pp.106,114) - Ranked #4 in Rolling Stone's "Top 10 Albums of 2000" - "...[Their] masterwork is practically a hip-hop AMERICAN BEAUTY....easily the most erotically unzipped hip-hop ever recorded..."
Spin (1/01, p.73) - Ranked #6 in Spin's "Top 20 Albums of the Year [2000]" - "...It's highbrow bounce with fluorescent jimmy hats. Par-tay!"
Entertainment Weekly (11/3/00, p.81) - "...Reeks of artful ambition rendered with impeccable skill....transcending the Southern funk-rock-hip-hop synthesis....Take a deep breath and jump into this music..." - Rating: A
Q (1/03, p.54) - Included in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums Ever"
Q (1/01, p.114) - 4 out of 5 stars - "...Eccentric rather than egocentric, bohemian not boastful, STANKONIA parades some of the most ambitious music - hip hop or otherwise - currently on offer."
Alternative Press (12/00, p.108) - 5 out of 5 - "...Bold and confrontational....coalescing the political and societal challenges of hip hop's past into what is one of the genre's most artistically unorthodox releases so far..."
The Wire (1/01, p.34) - Included in Wire's "50 Records Of The Year".
The Wire (12/00, p.65) - "...There are so many shifty, elastic clauses...you can't put a finger on 'em, much less cover an ass that shakes from Funkadelic to Prince booty Bass..."
Muzik (12/00, p.95) - 5 out of 5 - "...[They] rip up the rulebook. Tear it into tiny soul-pieces. Build something new....supremely warm, funky and f***ed up music....This is great black music..."
CMJ (1/08/01, p.27) - Included in CMJ's "Best Hip-Hop Albums" of 2000.
CMJ (10/30/00, p.4) - "...One listen, and you'll be a lifelong resident of STANKONIA..."
The Source (12/00, pp.237-8) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Bizarre and groundbreaking....They're hip-hop's Lewis and Clark....Thir Funkadelic-inspired rap universe is the antithesis of predictable..."
Melody Maker (12/5/00, p.58) - 4.5 stars out of 5 - "...This is witty, tight, political, thoughtful, inspired and, above all, tuneful hip-hop....F***ing superb."
NME (Magazine) (12/30/00, p.79) - Ranked #42 in NME's "Top 50 Albums Of The Year".
NME (Magazine) (11/18/00, p.41) - 9 out of 10 - "...Introduces a fresh Southern lilt to the gangsta s*** and imbues it with a gacked-up overabundance of reality and imagination....Think Prince's SIGN O'THE TIMES, then multiply it by a million..."