The story behind Outkast’s ‘Da Art of Storytellin’ (Part 1)’
The third single from the duo’s 1998 album Aquemini, Outkast’s ‘Da Art of Storytellin’ (Part 1)’ does exactly what it says on the tin. On a mellow guitar loop and over sharp, solid percussion, Big Boi and Andre 3000 let their lyrics really come to the centre of the song, the pair exploring themes of love, loss, youth and time within the American South.
In the song, the Outkast duo explore different experiences. Big Boi lyricises the story of a promiscuous woman he knew before, referring to a chaotic time and environment, with a rhythmic delivery that highlights the tongue-and-cheek wordplay.
Andre 3000’s verse, on the other hand, is more introspective than his partner’s. Slower and more soulful than Big Boi’s narration, it tells the story of a young girl called Sasha Thumper, charting out her story from being a child full of potential to an adult struggling with addiction.
In an interview, Andre 3000, Aquemini co-producer Mr. DJ, and Preston Crump, a musician on Aquemini, discuss the origin stories behind ‘Da Art of Storytellin’ (Part 1)’.
“Every story that I’ve ever told is either triggered by something that I’ve been through or something that someone I know has experienced. So a lot of times, it’s based on something real,” said Andre 3000. “When me and Erykah [Badu] were still together, one of Erykah’s friends in Dallas had a young daughter who was real intelligent. She was in school one day and the teacher asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, and the answer she gave was, “alive.” I always thought that was so cool so I wove it into the story I was telling.”
“The song started out with a sample of a lady just saying ‘No, no, no, no.’ And I put it on a 16-bar thing and changed the tone of it, and it just had this weird feeling to it. Everybody who walked in the [studio] that day was like ‘Man, what is that?’ It just made you feel a certain kind of way,” said Mr. DJ.
“I remember when [Mr. DJ] Sheats started doing beats,” contributed Crump. “He was the DJ for OutKast at first, then he decided he wanted to start making beats. [Rico and Ray] were laughing at him at first because of the beats he used to bring back. He had a different swing to his beats; they were a little more stiff but they still hit.”
“I can’t remember how that bass line came about but I just played it like a chord. After that whenever we’d do a song, Mr. DJ would be like, ‘Yeah put some of them chords in there. [laughs] I’d say, you know them chords ain’t gonna work on everything.”
‘Da Art of Storytellin’ (Part 1)’ is widely considered one of Outkast’s best tracks. In 2021, The Guardian listed it fourth on its ranking of the 20 greatest Outkast songs, while The Ringer culture website placed it ninth. Despite failing to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 – and only coming up at 67 on the R&B and Hip-Hop chart – it is still considered a classic by Outkast fans and hip-hop enthusiasts alike for its production and storytelling.