Happy Birthday to Two Hip-Hop Greats

Today is a big day for hip-hop: it’s the birthday of both Andr 3000 and RJD2. Born just one year apart, they both have had an indelible influence on the genre — and in very different ways.

Andr 3000 is one half of Outkast, whose 2004 double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below took home three Grammys, including one for the incredibly infectious (and still-catchy-after-all-these-years) single “Hey Ya!”. RJD2’S albums are largely instrumental and a little more under the radar, but they feature some of the best and catchiest beats to hit the underground scene this decade. He has also produced tracks for talented MCs like MF Doom and Aceyalone and released an album The Colossus earlier this year.

Though both are known for their collaborations with other artists, the two have never worked together. Luckily, someone else had the good idea that they should. So, in honor of their birthdays, we present this great mash-up of Outkast’s “ATLiens” and RJD2’s “Ghostwriter.” (Heads-up: mash-up master HueJue1 blended the two songs without bleeping out the naughty words.)

– Becky Sullivan