news

RTB Rewind: OutKast's "Hey Ya" Tops the Billboard 100

RTB Rewind: OutKast's "Hey Ya" Tops the Billboard 100

Published Tue, December 13, 2022 at 11:24 AM EST

On December 13, 2003, OutKast's "Hey Ya" hit the #1 spot on the Billboard 100, and remained there until February 7, 2004.

Featured on the duo's acclaimed, hugely successful diamond-certified double album, Speaker Boxxx/The Love Below, "Hey Ya" was the first single from Andre 3000's side, aka The Love Below. While Big Boi delivered a horny-heavy two-step groove with "I Like the Way You Move" as his first single, Andre went in a different direction, offering a high-energy, danceable pop song about the dips and highs of love.

Incredibly catchy, with numerous one-liners that have lasted to this day ("shake it like a Polaroid picture" ended up revitalizing Polaroid, which had declared bankruptcy), the track's zany energy was matched by the accompanying video, directed by Idlewild's Bryan Barber. It starred Andre playing the role of different members of a band. Big Boi also got in on the fun as the band's manager.

"Hey Ya" was a commercial monster, racking up critical acclaim as well, among of slew of other accolades, including becoming the first single ever to reach one million downloads on iTunes.

The Love Below was originally supposed to be a solo album,” Andre explained to Rolling Stone in 2004. “At the last minute, management and the record company said it wasn’t a good time to do that, so Big Boi did Speakerboxxx. But I was taking so long to finish The Love Below that he wanted to release that as a solo album. A lot of people don’t know the album almost wasn’t made…”

The album became one of the definitive entries in OutKast's standout catalog, and "Hey Ya" is still a signature track for Andre.

Related posts

OUTKAST and Shanti Das

The 11 Best Hip-Hop Skits

Jun 17, 2020

ATLiens by OUTKAST

Classic Albums: 'ATLiens' by OutKast

Aug 25, 2021

SPEAKERBOXXX/THE LOVE BELOW by OUTKAST

Classic Albums: 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below' by OutKast

Jan 01, 1970

What's new