Classic Verse: Outkast’s “Rosa Parks” (Video)

Though they often get overlooked in "greatest ever" conversations, Outkast are undoubtedly a first ballot hip-hop hall of fame group, thanks in no small part to tracks like "Rosa Parks". With all due respect to Big Boi, Andre 3K deserves to be ranked among the all-time best, a fact that even other elite rappers acknowledge, and his work on "Rosa Parks" is one of his greatest creations, a widely ranging lyrical work that marries his ill delivery and peerless wordplay.



"I met a gypsy and she hipped me to some life game
To stimulate, then activate, the left and right brain
Said, 'baby boy, ya only funky as your last cut -- / Ya focus on the past, your ass'll be a has-what'
That’s one to live by or, either, that’s one to die to
I try to just throw it at you
'Determine your own adventure, Andre'
Got to her station; here's my destination / She got off the bus, the conversation
Lingered in my head for hours / Took a shower kinda sour
Cause my favorite group ain't comin with it
But I'm witcha cause ya probably goin through it anyway / But…anyhow, when in doubt
Went on out and bought it / Cause I thought it would be jammin’
But examine all the flawsky-wawsky / Awfully…sad and it's costly
But that's all she wrote / And I hope I never have to float in that boat
Up sh—‘s creek / “It's weak” is the last quote
That I want to hear when I'm goin down
When all's said and done and we got a new joe in town / When the record player get to skippin and slowin down
All y'all can say is them n----s earned that crown
But until then..."

Reading that verse doesn't begin to do it justice, you have to listen. More than the actual words, the way Andre delivers his verse, cutting his lines in unexpected places and emphasizing off-syllable words, is what it truly makes it so classic. What's more, there are relatively few end rhymes (when the last word of two consecutive lines rhyme) in the entire verse, an incredible feat considering how smoothly the lines flow. Instead, Andre weaves together the verse via internal rhymes, for example the "hope" and "wrote" in "But that's all she wrote / And I hope I never have to float in that boat." And yes, I realize that was some deep linguistic breakdown, but Andre 3K deserved it. Academics aside, this verse is the shit. Listen and learn aspiring rappers.