Atlanta duo Outkast caused quite a stir on last year's hip-hop scene with the release of their dazzlingly self-confident album Stankonia. Far from being blushing debutantes, however, Antwan Patton (aka Big Boi) and Andre Banjamin have been peddling their distinctive mixture of sampled loops and freestyle rapping since 1994, amassing a formidable back catalogue in the process. For casual listeners, then, this 16 track compilation (including three new compositions) is the perfect introduction to Outkast's Deep South take on urban violence and racial tension. The lyrics to Bombs Over Baghdad might just seem a little inappropriate in the post-September 11th climate (it's been discreetly re-named B.O.B here) but it can't detract from the track's brutal, glorious madness, while Ms Jackson and So Fresh, So Clean show that Outkast can even turn out commercially friendly fare when they put their mind to it. A timely reminder of the standard their rivals have to match.
