Video Breakdown: Outkast’s “Roses”

The 2003 album "Speakerboxx/The Love Below" by Outkast was groundbreaking for hip-hop in many ways. The album sold over 15 million copies to date, reaching diamond status and making it one of the most commercially successful hip-hop albums of all time. It also marked the last original LP (not counting the "Idlewild Soundtrack") from the Atlanta hip-hop duo and the musical divergence that resulted in their double disc format of the album. Conceptually, commercially and visually the album and all its associated content were groundbreaking, tasteful and appealing to a wide-ranging audience. This week we take a look at the clever and often overlooked video for "Roses" off "Speakerboxx".



As a music video aficionado and someone with very particular aesthetic and visual preferences, it’s somewhat paradoxical that I have a strong distaste for musicals and musical theatre as well (you could probably have seen the last one coming). Despite my disliking for all things John Travolta and the movie "Grease", for some reason I truly enjoy Bryan Barber’s video for Outkast’s "Roses". Using clever references to Grease and not taking himself too seriously, Barber is able to make a fun, lighthearted and original video that transforms something not typically seen as hip-hop (Grease and musical theatre) into something fun, cool and enjoyable for fans. With special cameos from Paula Abdul, Katt Williams (a few years before he became the superstar that he is today) and Diddy’s former man servant Farnsworth Bentley, dance numbers from Andre 3000 and his posse of backup dancers, and tongue in cheek yearbook photos and pages for each character, the video also brings forth the authentic 50s aesthetic and conveys the much different way of life that high schoolers experience during that time period.

Towards the end of the video Andre and his crew have a Westside Story-esque showdown with Big Boi and his posse, poking fun at the musical division of "Speakerboxx/Love Below" into a double album and then proceed to duke it out in hilarious fashion. To bring in the final bit of comic relief, a hilarious Katt Williams then swoops in and takes away the leading girl while both Andre and Big Boi and their gangs are busy fighting each other. Barber combines creative visuals, intelligent cultural references, and most importantly lighthearted comedy to make "Roses" one of the most overlooked yet unique and creative videos of 2003. Now if only Outkast could come out with another album in 2010, we should be so lucky.