Ms. Jackson

"Ms. Jackson" is a song by American alternative hip hop duo OutKast, consisting of André 3000 and Big Boi. It was released on October 17, 2000, as the second single from OutKast’s fourth album, Stankonia. It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week on February 17, 2001, and also reached number one in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. In October 2015, NME placed it at number 81 on its list of the, "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years"[2] and in June of the same year Rolling Stone ranked it at number 55 in their, "100 Best Songs of the 2000s".[3]

"Ms. Jackson"
Single by OutKast
from the album Stankonia
B-side
Released
  • October 17, 2000 (2000-10-17) (radio)
  • January 22, 2001 (2001-01-22)[1]
Recorded2000
Genre
Length
  • 4:30 (album version)
  • 4:03 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Earthtone III
OutKast singles chronology
"B.O.B"
(2000)
"Ms. Jackson"
(2000)
"So Fresh, So Clean"
(2001)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Ms. Jackson" on YouTube

"Ms. Jackson" won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards. The music video, directed by F. Gary Gray, features animals nodding along to the song, won the BET Award for Video of the Year and MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video. The single helped sell the album following the commercial underperformance of the lead single, "B.O.B.", which, despite near universal acclaim from critics, failed to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 and only reached number 69 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[4]

Background and writing

In Vibe magazine, a few years after the song was released, André Benjamin (André 3000) recalled creating the song, "'Ms. Jackson' was an acoustic guitar song that I was doing at home. Then I just converted it over into something people could understand a little bit more."[5] The song was inspired, in part, by Benjamin's relationship with Erykah Badu and her mother.[6] In November of 2016, Badu described her initial reaction to the song, stating that, "It hit kind of a sore spot. I didn't wanna hear that, especially when I heard Big Boi's verse. When I heard André's verse, I felt very good because his verse was really, really inspiring. He just said how he felt and it was his honest feelings and I always respected that and listened to what he felt and appreciated it." Badu also noted that her mother loved the song, saying, "Baby, she bought herself a 'Ms. Jackson' license plate. She had the mug, she had the ink pen, she had the headband, everything."[7]

Content

The song discusses the problems that break-ups, separation, and divorce can have on a couple, and the animosity that a woman's mother can have for her daughter's former boyfriend or husband. It samples The Brothers Johnson's version (with various audio effects, prominently reversing) of "Strawberry Letter 23", by Shuggie Otis.[8]

The music video works as a possible metaphor for the duo's, "stormy" relationships with the mothers of their children and their families.[9] The storm theme is alluded to in the song, particularly by André 3000: "Me and your daughter got a special thing going on/You say it's puppy love, we say it's full grown/Hope that we feel this, feel this way forever/You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather, Ms. Jackson."

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[56] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[57] Gold 25,000*
France (SNEP)[58] Gold 250,000*
Germany (BVMI)[59] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[60] Gold 5,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[61] Platinum  
Sweden (GLF)[62] Platinum 30,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[63] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] Platinum 600,000
United States (RIAA)[65] 3× Platinum 3,000,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. "Australian-charts.com – Outkast – Ms. Jackson". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  2. "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". NME. November 16, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  3. "OutKast, 'Ms. Jackson'". Rolling Stone. June 17, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  4. Stankonia - OutKast | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved August 26, 2020
  5. Vibe Magazine, October 2006, p. 128
  6. Johnson, Cherise (November 25, 2016). "Erykah Badu Shares How The Real "Ms. Jackson" Felt About Outkast's Apologetic Hit". Hip Hop DX. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  7. Levine, Nick (November 26, 2016). "Erykah Badu reveals what the real 'Ms. Jackson' thinks of Outkast's iconic rap hit". NME. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  8. Songfacts. "Ms. Jackson by OutKast - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  9. "OutKast - Ms. Jackson (Official Video) - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  10. "Ms. Jackson" – US CD single promo (Liner notes). Outkast. LaFace Records, Arista Records. 2000. LFPCD-4487.CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. "Ms. Jackson" – UK & European CD single (CD sleeve). Outkast. LaFace Records, Arista Records. 2000. 74321 836822.CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. "Issue 578" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
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  30. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
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