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interessant stuk over 'The love below'

My look at Andre 3000's "The Love Below" *A must read*

Let me first say that this album is very deep. This actually isn't really an album it's more of an autobiography of the evolution of Hip-Hop and the life of The Benjamin Family. Andre attacks each song like a philosopher and if you listen closely each follows in order like chapters in a book.

Andre plays the role of his father in all the songs in Chapters 1 - 14. Chapers 15 - 19 he plays himself.

Chapter 1 - The Love Below: "Some say Atlanta, Some say New York, Who knows where this flower rose"

The track shows where the evolution of hip-hop and the black music culture began which was with Jazz. Notice the music sounds pure and untouched sorta like a virgin. This seems to symbolize the 1930's..

Chapter 2 - Love Hater : "Everybody needs someone to love before it gets too late.."
Andre's father seems to be tired of being a player and he realizes that he needs a woman to settle with. Seems to be ragtime music which was the late 1930's to early 1940's, I think. The evolution of hip-hop doesn't return until track 9 which is "Hey Ya"

Chapter 3 - God (Interlude): Andre's father speaking to God, asking for a girl to love and God tells him that he found someone for him.

Chapter 4 - Happy Valentine's Day - "When cupid knocks at your door/ You can't ignore me/ Happy Valentines Day, every day the 14th/ If you know what loves means , 'body me"

Andre's father goes out looking for that person that God sent to him and he finds her. He doesn't see it at first but he has found love. The two could've met at a club or something.

Chapter 5 - Spread - "I dont want to move too fast, but/ Can't resist your sexy ass/ Just spread, spread for me"

Andre's father kicks game to Andre's mother and he asks her for sex. They leave the club in a hurry in a car so they could hurry to his house to have sex. Pops was a playa.

Chapter 6 - Where Are My Panties? - The mother after that first night of sex. They both wake up opposite ends of the bed and share completely different thoughts. His mother feels like a hoe while his father begins to relize that this is the woman that God sent. He trys to fight off his feelings for her but he can't.. At the end he's says to himself, "What if she's the one..."

Chapter 7 - Prototype - "I hope that you're the one/ If not you are the prototype"
Andre's father is truely in love with his woman and he doesn't mind telling her how he feels for her..

Chapter 8 - She lives in my Lap - "You've got me open wide/ Please come inside (baby)/ It's yours, I'm yours"

The realtionship seems to falling apart. This marks the time of the relationship where Andre was concieved. Andre's mother seems to hanging out at the clubs and plays the streets alot. This seems to be an arguement between the two of them. His mother reassures him that she's there for him and that she doesn't care for the other men only him.

Chapter 9 - Hey YA! - "
"My baby don't mess around, Because she loves me so""

The two make up and since Andre plays the role of his father, this serves his fathers joyous feelings. This also marks the beginning of the commericalization of music. It feels like a Beetles' song which would mark the 1960's to early 1970's..

Chapter 10 - Roses - "Caroline! See she's the reason for the word "*****"/I hope she's speeding on the way to the club/Trying to hurry up to get to some Baller or singer or somebody like that"

Andre uses this as an indriect diss to his mother. Maybe Andre feels that if she wasn't all in the streets the relationship could've lasted between his father and his mother. His father is tired of her club hopping and he seems to be upset and this is just him venting his fustration.

Chapter 11 - Good Day, Good Sir - The bad and the good side of Andre's fathers conscience seems to be bothering him. He can't seem to know if he should leave her or not. He then sees her again and realizes that she's the one.

Chapter 12 - Behold A Lady - Too Complex, I have yet to understand this..

Chapter 13 - Pink & Blue - "You've got me talking like a baby(You make me talk baby talk)

Andre expressing his love for his mother while he's inside her stomach

Chapter 14 - Love In War - "Lets kiss not fight, try to do what's right tonight..."
This is an arguement between the two and shows that the relationship of the two is seriously in trouble..

"This is not the time to be alone..."
His mother is telling the father that she's pregnant and he needs to be there for the child..

"Cliche the end is near.."

The term Cliche, which means, "a much used term". This much used term is Love. So, "Love the end is near...."

This seems to be a song similar to Marvin's Gaye's "What's Going On"
Mother, mother, there's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother, there's far too many of you dying
You know we'ver got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today, hey

This would mark the mid 1970's

Chapter 15 - She's Alive - "The year was 1975...." This is when Andre Benjamin was born so this marks the beginning of his life and the end of his father in this story. Andre's voice while singing seems to be of a young child crying out for his father. His mother who is labeled as "Miss B" or Miss Benjamin explains to him why his father isn't there. Notice taht throughout the track Andre's voice gets deeper and at the end he speaks in the tone of a grown man. When he says "She's Alive" for the final time.

Chapter 16 - Dracula's Wedding - "You're all I ever wanted, but i'm terrified of you.."

Andre meets hip-hop and at first he's about all the shooting & killing and this messages that he projects troubles him. "I've cast my spell on millions, but i'm terrified of you.."

Chapter 17 - Theses are a few of my favorite things - This track isn't listed on the track listing because he doesn't reconize that time in his carrer. There's no need for words because you already got the albums.This marks the era of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994) & OutKast - ATLiens (1996)..

Chapter 18 - Take off your Cool- "Baby take off your cool, take off your cool/ I want to see you, I want to see you..."

This is time in which Andre meets Eryka Badu. Notice how Nora Jones sounds just like Eryka Badu.. This is the transformation of him as a person and artist..Some would mark this as his decline.. This marks the era of Aquemini (1998)& Stankonia (2000)...

Chapter - 19 - Vibrate - This is the modern day Andre 3000. On this track he seems to be vibrating or meditating. This is where he trys to clear his mind of everything wrong with hip-hop. He has to keep telling himself not to follow the trends "Mothafock the wagon come join the band".. This is the only song that seems to have a modern beat to it..

Chapter 20 - A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre (Incomplete) - The beat of the song seems to have a dream like sound to it so Andre must be in full meditation. The song title alone shows that is a backwards story. If this was a correct song title it would be " A day in the Life of Andre Benjamin". This could be the back of a book where there is a short summary about his autobiography. He ryhmes about his career in the rap game.