Rain On Your Parade: Why You Should Lower Your Outkast Expectations Posted by Lucas G. on 01/13/14 | Filed under Opinion, Outkast

What is the one thing that hip-hop heads around the world want more than world peace? Even more than, "Detox", a Detox shirt, and a Kendrick Lamar-Justin Beiber collab...true hip-hop heads have been raising torches and pitchforks for damn near a decade trying to get Outkast back together. I know how you feel. I got to see Big Boi live and while he was great it just wasn't the same; hearing only half of "ATLiens" and "Ms. Jackson" doesn't do it for me. So when Outkast announced a comeback tour, where they would play at over 40 festivals and the internet is going nuts about it, why aren't I more excited? I have been waiting so long for this day and now that it is here, I am drastically underwhelmed. 

Perhaps I'm just being a debbie downer who didn't get enough sleep on a Monday, or maybe just maybe, you shouldn't be excited either. Here's why. First, the obvious. As Nathan said on the last podcast, THIS DOES NOT MEAN THERE IS AN ALBUM IN THE WORKS. Blocking out a few weeks out of the year for a relatively easy, straightforward concert gig is not that tough. Finding the time, putting in the work, overcoming years of separation, and working out deals with labels to make an album is a whole different ball game. Plus, there hasn't even been one show yet. As we all know, reunion shows in hip-hop go off with out a hitch only never; just ask Wu-Tang. Dru Hill broke up literally minutes after announcing a reunion for fucks sake. With so much still left to go so wrong, it seems like people are counting their chickens before they hatch. You know what, it is more like counting chickens before they are eggs, because even with a formal announcement, we still have yet to get one show.

Okay, so an album is out (for now) but at least we (maybe probably) get a few cool shows right? Well, technically, if you consider trekking ass into the middle of some desert or the boonies of Tennessee and sleeping in dirt while drugged up hippies try to hump you at every turn cool. I have never been one for festivals. When it comes to my concert experience I enjoy intimate, small concerts to giant, grandiose ones where 10 million people are standing between me and the performer. Just imagine how early you would have to get to the Outkast stage to get a good viewpoint?  And even then you would miss some other acts worth seeing. Besides, it always seems like those "reunion" shows never live up to the hype and are always sort of forced. If this was a Outkast only show I would be on board, but how great can one act out of 1,000 really be? It seems like alot of talk and excitement over something that might not be able to deliver as expectations are higher than Snoop Dogg in Denver. 

I love Outkast as much as the next ATLien, but this just doesn't do it for me. The odds of me making it to one of the 40 festivals (20 of which are probably in Europe) are slim to none. Even if I had the chance, I still might not go. When the new album is in my hands (or my iTunes) then I will fully freak out, but until then, I am keeping myself shut off. My heart can't take a Outkast-sized disappointment. What about you RefinedHype Nation? Would you/do you plan on seeing Outkast this year?

Nathan S. Update: Personally, if I was still 22-years-old I'd go see Ouktast and no one can stop me. But at 31, I'm older and lamer. I'm also a festival hater, so I'm going to be hard-pressed to make it to Coachella; we'll see. Put Kast in the Staples Center though, and I'm motherfucking there. 

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