The unintended consequences of songwriting

Written by James Russell
Published April 12, 2003

Or, how Outkast's "Bombs Over Baghdad" inadvertently became a war anthem:

At a time when some country music fans are protesting Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks for making derogatory remarks about President Bush, Big Boi was in the unusual position of being an artist who could have objected to pro-war forces using the song improperly.
But the veteran rapper (real name: Antwan Patton) has long understood that artists can't control how the public responds to their work. [...]
Big Boi, who is joined in OutKast by Andre 3000 (Andre Benjamin), saw what he felt was half-hearted U.S. bombing raids on Iraq in the 1990s as an analogy for a lack of dedication among many artists in the music business.
"There were lots of people making music, but there was nothing real about it," he says. "We were like saying, make music that has something to say or just get out of the way."

Keep reading for information and comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own!
Buy from Amazon.com
Stankonia Stankonia
OutKast
Music,

The unintended consequences of songwriting
Published: April 12, 2003
Type:
Section: Music
Filed Under: Music: News, Music: Rap
Writer: James Russell
James Russell's BC Writer page
James Russell's personal site
Spread the Word
Like this article?
Email this
Submit to del.icio.us Save to del.icio.us
RSS Feeds
All RSS Feeds (240+)
Comments on this article
BC articles by James Russell
Music: News
Music: Rap
All Music Articles
All BC articles
All BC Comments

Comments

Want comments emailed to you? No spam, promise! Address:

Add your comment, speak your mind

(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/4549)

Personal attacks are not allowed. Please read our comment policy.





Remember Name/URL?

Please preview your comment!

Fresh
Articles
Fresh
Comments