500 - OutKast Aquemeni - Byron Bowers (FULL EPISODE)

There aren't many people better suited to do a deep dive into the eclectic and boundary pushing sounds of Rolling Stone's choice for #500 out the 500 best albums of all time than comedian and actor Byron Bowers. Much like Outkast, the hip-hop duo that released this week's album, titled Aquemini, Bowers hails from Atlanta, Georgia. And as rappers Andre 3000 and Big Boi embody two ends of a broad cultural spectrum, Bowers has worked hard to balance both the gangster mindset and the avant garde aesthetic through his comedy, which has led him to appear on The Eric Andre Show on Adult Swim, the reboot of BET’s Comic View and Jimmy Kimmel Live. He also currently plays "Meldrick" in the Showtime series drama The CHI. Josh and Byron have been friends for nearly a decade, and in this episode they pick apart the deeper meanings of the album's versatile wordplay, as well as think back on just how hard Byron was twerking in an Atlanta nightclub circa 1998. Click on our playlists page to check out what Byron's listening to today. Show Notes: 00:15 - Intro 09:35 - Interview starts 10:37 - What Byron listened to growing up 13:16 - Wanting to grow up to be a vampire 14:51 - Thoughts on current artists coming out 15:48 - How Byron's musical taste has changed 16:33 - Listening to music in the car/funny car story 18:31 - First mention of album 19:58 - Southern music at the time Outkast came out/Male twerking 22:33 - East Coast vs. West Coast vs. South 24:09 - What Byron's life was like when he first heard Outkast 26:25 - Living the lyrics 28:35 - What's the crunkiest song? 29:19 - Making Georgia proud 30:38 - Slump/Dabbling in drug dealing 34:38 - Return of the G sets the tone 36:02 - Josh's introduction to Outkast 37:10 - Black Eyed Peas stories 39:19 - How Byron has changed over time 41:25 - The time Josh met Byron's grandma 42:15 - Andre 3000 encourages self expression 43:11 - The party's always at the back of the bus 44:14 - Rosa Parks sues Outkast 46:40 - Skew It on the Bar B, not the best song 48:08 - Opening up the East to the South, vice versa 48:56 - Feeling weird in unfamiliar places 49:16 - Aquemini is a very influential track 50:45 - Listening to Synthesizer on acid 53:17 - West Savannah is an older sounding song 53:54 - The simplicity of being old 55:17 - Losing people to the game 56:50 - IF you go to jail... 59:15 - Why do rappers always help out their friends? 01:01:01 - Young Buck denies fucking a transexual woman 01:02:00 - Byron's friend asks if he has a gun 01:04:39 - Spottottiedopalicious references Good Times/using references in comedy 01:06:45 - Nathaniel/Liberation are Josh's favorite tracks 01:07:51 - Josh impersonates Cee Lo 01:10:35 - Josh impersonates Erykah Baduh 01:12:05 - Bryon's mom had a stroke 01:13:53 - Facts! 01:15:57 - How much do you improvise on stage? 01:18:31 - Big Boi has a strip club in his house 01:21:32 - Does finding a white audience mean selling out? 01:22:46 - Is the stage for misfits? 01:26:28 - Outro Credits: Josh Adam Meyers - Host & Creator Jeremiah Tittle - Executive Producer Sam Murphy - Executive Producer David Ross - Executive Producer Pete Musto - Associate Producer Cory Zechmann - Playlist Producer The 500 with Josh Adam Meyers is a Native Creative Podcasts production.