Shownotes
Idlewild (2006) is a story about friendship, dreams, and survival —all set to an OutKast soundtrack in a glittering, dangerous Jazz Age world. But most people missed out on it!
Topics discussed:
🤔 Why you should reconsider this bold film experiment
🎤 Where Idlewild fits in the hip hop canon
💔 Why it signaled the end of this legendary rap group
🤷🏻♂️ A contrary opinion about the film
Credits
Hip Hop Movie Club is produced by your HHMCs JB, BooGie, and DynoWright. Theme music by BooGie.
And remember:
Don't hate...ideate!
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Transcripts
Idlewild.
2
:I think a lot of people missed out on this one because they want to see like a Menace II
Society or Boyz n the Hood type movie in ATL, but this is not that.
3
:It didn't really achieve the commercial success that other hip hop films had,
but it was a bold experiment.
4
:I think more people should reconsider it.
5
:On this episode of Hip Hop Movie Club, we'll tell you why you should reconsider this bold
film experiment by OutKast, where Idlewild fits in hip hop canon, why it signaled the
6
:we'll tell you why you should reconsider this bold film experiment by OutKast,
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:where Idlewild fits in hip hop canon,
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:why it signaled the
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:end of this legendary rap group,
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:and a contrary opinion about the film.
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:I'm DynoWright, filmmaker, designer, longtime hip hop fan.
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:I'm JB, 80s and 90s nostalgia junkie, longtime hip hop fan.
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:I'm Boogie, a DJ, longtime hip hop fan.
14
:Set in Prohibition-era Georgia in the 1930s, Idlewild portrays a story of two childhood
friends going in completely different directions.
15
:It showcased how artists were expanding
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:traditional street narratives and your traditional urban plot lines, which we saw so many of those and we covered them and it gets a little repetitive, you know, see like New Jack
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:City and...
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:so many others, Menace II Society, all this stuff, same type of theme. Coming of age story, people get caught up in the wrong thing and yeah, it does reflect a lot
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:of real life.
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:So this just stands out as like, wow, they told a story, a period piece and showcase their
rapping talents mixed with the jazz of the time.
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:Yeah.
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:This blends the Jazz Age aesthetics with the hip hop sensibilities, stylized Prohibition era.
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:fantasy, which it's kind of like that Cotton Club, Moulin Rouge type feel.
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:So I got some good vibes out of it.
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:I was really, really into it.
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:Captured my attention.
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:So it's a definitely a musical showcase of OutKast, they provide the entire soundtrack as
well.
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:I didn't know what to expect, but I was thoroughly entertained with it.
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:But the guys from OutKast just shows their creativity and their ambition in film,
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:their artistic vision.
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:Yeah.
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:I think the costumes were up to par as well, like some flapper dresses.
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:Because I know, I remember when it came out.
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:And I immediately bought the soundtrack thinking I was going to hear, Elevators or, you know, something along those lines, Southernplayalistacadillacmuzik and listening to the
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:soundtrack.
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:And I didn't get it at first.
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:I really didn't get it.
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:So I didn't really listen to it often because it was just like, okay, they're not rapping really.
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:When they are rapping, they're rapping over, different music.
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:I'm like, I don't get this.
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:Years later now, it's on cable a lot.
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:It would always be on.
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:And that's when it sparked my interest and I’m like, wait a minute, this is actually a really good movie.
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:And it's thoroughly entertaining.
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:It’s got all the elements.
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:It's got character development.
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:It's got drama, action, love story.
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:Yeah.
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:All those elements work really well together.
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:And the period piece is, it's great visual.
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:So when you're talking about where does it fit in the hip hop canon, it's a hip hop period
musical, which is unusual territory for the genre.
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:This is like Hamilton, but not in the Revolutionary era.
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:It occupies a unique space.
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:A lot of those other films, the cautionary tale from the modern day standpoint, there’s always crack epidemic or gang violence.
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:Like you said, it does get to be repetitive.
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:What I definitely appreciated the most.
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:the Cotton Club-esque club scenes and I like the style, the dress, the cars.
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:The visuals and the choreography, like the dance scenes, they were having like
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:small, like almost like little dance cyphers, while Big Boi was performing on stage. The dancing
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:was nice.
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:This film, it is somewhat of a cautionary tale.
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:You do see some of the negatives that were going on at the time, but
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:the period is, like you said, untapped from this perspective.
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:If you want to dive a little bit into the soundtrack, I thought that Chronomentrophobia was
catchy.
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:It was a really catchy song with all the...
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:yeah.
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:birds, yeah the cuckoo birds and he's in the bathtub and it was catchy.
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:I was definitely nodding my head to most of the songs.
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:I like that Bowtie song and that Rooster song.
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:I thought the IdleWild soundtrack was gonna be like
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:that Speakerboxx/The Love Below album.
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:Each one of them just showcasing themselves. I thought this was gonna be like similar but them together you know but it wasn't really you know yeah it was like wow what is what what is
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:this it's not a hip-hop album per se it's like I can't nod my head I can't get jiggy with
this
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:This sort of prefigures his, André 3000s flute album he put out.
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:Yeah.
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:there were some anachronisms.
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:I noticed I was, actually had the captioning and the one song mentioned Luther Vandross and I'm like, that doesn't play, it doesn't play the 30s.
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:That was one thing I saw, but it was, it was anachronist on purpose because you did have
hip hop.
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:Luther is timeless but not that timeless.
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:It was anachronist on purpose because you did have hip hop.
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:Like it had the piano mixed with 808s and there's some of their signature stylings along
with the jazz, which was, which is neat.
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:I think this is like their breakup movie.
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:You can kind of tell they're going in different directions.
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:Well, this came out of Speakerboxx/Love Below, which was like their double solo albums as
an OutKast album.
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:Their swan song album.
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:They weren't much long for the earth after this movie come out.
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:You can see it happening.
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:Oh! They were on divergent paths.
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:Yeah, you're right.
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:I didn't enjoy it as much as you guys did.
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:I thought Andre 3000 was a little flat acting in this movie.
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:But I do appreciate that
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:they really swung for the fences on this and they didn't hit a home run,
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:I don't think. They had a solid double. Standup double, but I don't know, the pieces it
threw into this gumbo didn't hang together.
95
:I think Terrence Howard just ate them alive.
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:Terrence Howard is a legend.
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:He's a darn good actor.
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:yeah, he's definitely the best part of this for me in this film.
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:The rest of it?
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:Yeah, I just thought, is this over yet?
101
:Man. Oh man.
102
:It didn't really have a great plot.
103
:We got these musical numbers, but they're not like OutKast songs.
104
:I mean, they are, but they aren't.
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:Yeah, I didn't it didn't really.
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:like spoken word over the jazz.
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:Yeah.
108
:I dug it.
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:Yeah, I couldn't tell you any of the songs.
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:Nothing like stuck with me.
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:I'm like, oh, that was a really great song.
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:They just sort of like, oh, here's a great like musical number and it's very well
choreographed, like Busby Berkeley would be proud.
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:But it didn't really hang with me.
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:I was like, kind of like looking at my watch.
115
:This meeting could have been an email.
116
:It is funny because that's probably the reaction a lot of people had to seeing it I think
I think I think a few people probably went out and Saw it and came back and were like,
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:yeah, y'all don't bother.
118
:It's why people slept on it.
119
:Are you guys ready to go around and rate this film?
120
:Boogie, for Idlewild, would you bring this funky flick back or leave it in the vault?
121
:I’m-a quote the guys in this movie before I give my vote.
122
:God makes no mistakes.
123
:You ain’t said nothing slick to a can of oil.
124
:Bring that funky flick back.
125
:I like it.
126
:like it.
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:DynoWright for Idlewild.
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:Would you bring this funky flick back or leave it in the vault?
129
:Despite my many misgivings about this film, I'm gonna bring this funky flick back because
it is an important sort of piece of hip-hop cinema.
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:And I do love bold experiments.
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:I'm all about a bold experiment.
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:So bring this funky flick back.
133
:All right, I'll make it unanimous.
134
:I will say for Idlewild, I will bring this funky flick back.
135
:I was vibing on it and enjoying it.
136
:I was thoroughly entertained and it is a bold experiment and I love these guys from
OutKast
137
:I rate it highly.
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:Thanks for tuning into the Hip Hop Movie Club Show.
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:I'm DynoWright, filmmaker, designer, longtime hip hop fan.
140
:And I'm glad to have seen Outkast live during the Smokin' Grooves Tour in 2002 with Lauryn
Hill.
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:actually did perform.
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:CeeLo Green and Jurassic Five.
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:Nice.
144
:Mm, it's a lineup.
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:I'm JB, 80s and 90s nostalgia junkie, long time hip hop fan, and I once wrote out all the
lyrics to Young MC's Fastest Rhyme.
146
:This was pre-internet, so took a lot of playing and rewinding back on the cassette.
147
:I remember them days.
148
:You remember?
149
:I remember having to do that. Oh man.
150
:Yeah, and I'm Boogie, a DJ, long time hip hop fan, and everyone talks about how nice Andre
:
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:I like to call him Andre Three Stacks.
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:But this movie right here shows just how nice Big Boi is.
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:He's a lyrical heavyweight as well.
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:And remember, don't hate, ideate.
