"We done split it down the middle so you can see both the visions," raps Big Boi on "Tomb of the Boom," one of the highlights from Outkast's 2003 magnum opus. And he wasn't kidding.

Essentially two solo albums for the price of one, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below saw Atlanta's premier hip-hop duo take the creative reins for one disc each, resulting in a whopping 135 minutes and 40 tracks of genre-hopping genius.

Favorably compared with classic double albums such as Prince's Sign O' The Times, Pink Floyd's The Wall and the Beatles' The White Album, the follow-up to 2000's Stankonia enjoyed similarly super-sized success, too. It topped the Billboard 200 for seven weeks on its way to worldwide sales of 11.4 million, spawned two No. 1 hits and picked up six nominations at the 2004 GRAMMY Awards — which resulted in three wins, including the coveted Album Of The Year.

And a full 20 years on from its Sept. 23, 2003 release, Outkast's fifth studio effort still stands up as a fearless, funkadelic and forward-thinking body of work. Below, take a look at 10 reasons why Speakerboxxx/The Love Below still has the power to get us all shaking it like a Polaroid picture.

It Helped Outkast Join An Exclusive Chart Club

Only 14 acts in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 have knocked themselves off the top spot. And Outkast joined that illustrious group — which also now includes the likes of Drake and Taylor Swift — in 2004 thanks to two of the era's most addictive hits.

The Little Richard-goes-power pop of "Hey Ya!" was the first to reach the summit, spending nine weeks there between December 2003 and the following February. And then it was finally dislodged by the brassy Southern hip-hop of Sleepy Brown collaboration "The Way You Move," which enjoyed just seven days in pole position before Twista's "Slow Jamz" put an end to the Outkast stranglehold.

It Doubled Outkast's GRAMMY Count

By 2004, Outkast were no stranger to the GRAMMY Awards. They'd picked up Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Ms. Jackson" and Best Rap Album for Stankonia in 2002, and then emerged victorious in the former category again a year later for "The Whole World." But it was the 2004 ceremony where they truly reigned supreme.

The duo stole the show with two memorable performances. First, Big Boi performed "The Way You Move" in a star-studded Funk Music Tribute, which also included legends George Clinton, Earth Wind and Fire and Robert Randolph. Later, André 3000 closed out the show with a celebratory rendition of Best Urban/Alternative Performance winner "Hey Ya!"

The "Hey Ya!" performance was a fitting end to the night indeed, as the pair took home the final — and most prestigious — award: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was crowned Album of the Year. (It also won Best Rap Album earlier that evening.)

It Spawned Several Classic Videos

Outkast had always been a visual hip-hop outfit, but their videography undeniably peaked with the Speakerboxxx/The Love Below campaign. "Hey Ya!" deservedly picked up four MTV Video Music Awards thanks to its inspired tribute to the Beatles' debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show" — and André 3000's portrayal of all eight of the fabulously named musicians in the video, including guitarist Johnny Vulture and drummer Dookie Blossom Gain III.

Also directed by Bryan Barber, the "The Way You Move" video saw Big Boi showcase his lyrical flow in everything from a rim shop and old-school music hall to dojo and safari retreat. "Roses," meanwhile, finally allowed both members to share the screen as warring members of rival high school crews in a tongue-in-cheek homage to West Side Story.

It Boasts An Impressively Diverse Guest List

Big Boi roped in several usual suspects on Speakerboxxx, including Big Gipp on "Tomb of the Boom," Killer Mike on "Bust" and Cee-Lo Green on "Reset," while also securing the talents of heavy hitters like Jay-Z, Ludacris and Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz. While an undeniably impressive guest list, André 3000's choice of collaborators was even more intriguing.

Shortly before teaming up with the rapper on her own track "Millionaire," Kelis lent her signature husky tones to the appropriately creepy funk of "Dracula's Wedding." Hot on the heels of Come Away with Me, Norah Jones provided the necessary sultriness on the acoustic "Take Off Your Cool." And perhaps most unexpected of all, Hollywood actress Rosario Dawson proved her diva credentials on the metallic funk of "She Lives In My Lap." The Love Below's roll call was yet another sign that Outkast weren't interested in playing by hip-hop's rules.

It Samples Wisely

Considering Speakerboxxx/The Love Below consists of 40 different tracks and clocks in at nearly 135 minutes, it's surprising that Big Boi and André 3000 only relied on a handful of samples. And like their choice of collaborators, they're far from obvious, either.

Who knew that The Sound of Music showtune "My Favorite Things" would work as a drum and bass instrumental? Or that Timmy Thomas' one-hit wonder "Why Can't We Live Together" and the sensual New Jack Swing of Aaliyah's "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number" would fit perfectly as on "Pink and Blue"?

Elsewhere, the propulsive electronic hip-hop of opener "Ghetto Musick" borrows from Patti LaBelle's '80s soul jam "Love, Need and Want You," while "She Lives in My Lap" lifts from both Geto Boys' "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" and Volume 10's "Pistolgrip-Pump."

It Paved The Way For Genre-Hopping

While genre boundaries have been well and truly broken down in today's streaming era, back in 2003, most major artists stayed in their lane — but not Outkast.

The Love Below certainly has little regard for pigeonholing, veering from big band crooning ("Love Hater") to celestial neo soul ("Prototype") to twitchy electro ("Vibrate") with both confidence and panache. The more-focused Speakerboxxx also keeps listeners on their toes, whether it's with the squelchy P-funk of "Last Call," punchy rap-rock of "Bust" or the mariachi-tinged hip-hop of "The Rooster."

Despite its mammoth running time, the album impressively never repeats itself, providing more flashes of invention than most of the duo's peers manage in an entire career.

Even The Interludes Are Inspired

Of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below's 40 tracks, 11 could be classed as interludes — a number that would normally draw groans, especially considering how much they're often the bane of a hip-hop album. But while the blink-and-you'll-miss-it contribution from comedian Henry Welch ("D-Boi") and the brief helium-voiced reprise of "Bowtie" are rather pointless, the majority of the breathers do add something to the record.

"Interlude" is a hypnotic spoken word piece which offers a crash course in Outkast history ("Believe in the dirty Southernplayalisticadillac-funky-ATLiens/ Together, makes Aquemini"). "The Love Below (Intro)" is a sumptuous orchestral number in which André 3000 throws things back to the Rat Pack. And "God (Interlude)" finds the latter living up to his horndog reputation in a cheeky prayer recited over some sun-dappled guitars.

It's About Both Love And War

As titles such as "Happy Valentine's Day," "Behold a Lady" and, of course, The Love Below would suggest, André 3000's half of the album is largely focused on the affairs of the heart — no doubt informed by his break up from Erykah Badu and subsequent quest to find 'the one.'

But to counterbalance all the love talk, Speakerboxxx is a more socially-conscious record in which Big Boi tackles themes of spirituality, philosophy and politics, none more so than on "War," a fervent protest song which no doubt left George W. Bush's ears burning ("Basically America, you got f—ed/ The media shucked and jived, now we stuck, damn.")

The Pair Deliver Career-Best Vocals

Free from having to battle for space on the same track — they only appear together on "Ghetto Musick," "Knowing" and "Roses" — Big Boi and André 3000 have arguably never sounded better than on their respective discs.

The former is in particularly ebullient form on his alter ego Sir Lucious Left Foot's origin story "Unhappy," and also spars well with hip-hop giants Jay-Z and Ludacris on "Flip Flop Rock" and "Tomb of the Boom," respectively. His regular partner in crime, meanwhile, appears to relish channeling his inner Prince on the falsetto-led "Spread" and final single "Prototype."

It Helped Revive The Hip-Hop Double Album

The mid-'90s had been a boom period for the hip-hop double album, with Tupac Shakur's All Eyez on Me, Notorious B.I.G's Life After Death and Wu Tang Clan's Wu Tang Forever regarded as the holy trinity. But the concept had fallen out of favor until Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below shifted nearly six million copies in the United States alone.

Following its triumph, Nas (2004's Street's Disciple), UGK Underground Kingz (2007's Outkast-featuring Underground Kingz) and Tech N9ne (2008's Killer) all got in on the act. More recently, Vince Staples (2015's Summertime '06), Drake (2018's Scorpion) and Kendrick Lamar (2022's Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers) have also tried to bottle lightning twice. But while they all have their high points, none quite match up to the sheer brilliance of Outkast's crowning glory.

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It took Earth, Wind & Fire six studio albums before they became mainstays on the pop charts. However, the genre-blending funk group's longstanding influence suggests that they've been opening minds and writing inspiring music since their self-titled debut in 1971.

Earth, Wind & Fire's legacy is now cemented with multi-platinum albums and six GRAMMYs, but just as important is the cultural impact they left on the generations of artists that followed them. Founding member Maurice White introduced the kalimba, a Zimbabwean finger-plucking instrument, to mainstream audiences, while their seamless blend of soul, funk, R&B, and jazz — particularly on breakout album That's The Way Of The World — paved the way for future crossover success from Black artists. 

EWF's contemporaries in the 1970s and 1980s were showering them with praise and incorporating elements of the group's sound and style into their own work. Even when it's not explicitly stated, moments like the look of the Jacksons' 1984 album, Victory, and its subsequent tour seemed to draw directly from the sequin-heavy, futuristic and eccentric costumes and large-than-life performances of Earth, Wind & Fire. Miles Davis once called EWF his "all-time favorite band," which Maurice White said there was no greater honor than that in his book My Life With Earth, Wind & Fire. Isaac Hayes, Quincy Jones, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder have all praised the group's impact on popular music and their work.

Then came the hip-hop generation who discovered Earth, Wind & Fire records in their parent's record collections. According to Whosampled.com, their most popular sample isn't even a famous single, but a minute and twenty-one second interlude from All 'N All called "Brazilian Rhyme (Beijo Interlude)." The rhythmic barbershop vocals and percussion have been sampled in over 100 hip-hop and R&B songs by artists like Big Pun, the Black Eyed Peas, Eazy-E, Mary J. Blige, Madlib, and the Fugees. (The clip has also been a staple for house and disco DJs through edits and remixes by DJs like Danny Krivit, who extended the groove by looping the rhythm section for a more satisfying burn on the dance floor.)

More recently, EWF's iconic hit "September" took on new life in 2016 thanks to actor and TV writer Demi Adejuyigbe's viral videos dedicated to honoring the 21st day in September. For six years, his meme-worthy annual "September" videos garnered millions of views and raised thousands of dollars for charity. And just this year, pop music's newest queen Sabrina Carpenter gave the group their flowers during her headlining set at Lollapalooza in Chicago, bringing out the hometown heroes to perform "September" and "Let's Groove" with her. 

Coincidentally, on this September 21, Earth, Wind and Fire will be the subject of a television special titled "A GRAMMY Salute to Earth, Wind & Fire Live: The 21st Night of September" from 8-10 p.m. (ET/PT) on CBS and Paramount+. Filmed at the Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Philharmonic, "A GRAMMY Salute to Earth, Wind & Fire Live" will honor the group's cultural impact and timeless sound with hit songs and special guests; Stevie Wonder, the Jonas Brothers, Jon Batiste, and Janelle Monáe are among the artists who will join in the celebration.

Ahead of the special, check out five acts — Monáe included — who have paid respect to the group's everlasting legacy through their own artistry.

Janelle Monáe

In a 2011 interview with Rhapsody.com, Janelle Monáe shared that growing up, the only 8-track albums she and her sister wanted to hear in her father's car were the Earth, Wind & Fire ones. "They left a lasting impression in my mind of what funk music represented," she said.

It's easy to see the Afrofuturist lineage in placing the Egyptian futurism of EWF album covers alongside Monáe's 2010 breakout album, The ArchAndroid. Her sound moved closer to EWF influences on "It's Code" and "Ghetto Woman" from 2013's Electric Lady. However, it's her 2023 LP, The Age of Pleasure, where the free-spirit singer directly tapped into her idols' energy. 

As Monae told Rolling Stone, she was thinking about the Maurice White quote "If it ain't no beauty, make some beauty" while recording The Age of Pleasure. Much like EWF pushed Black consciousness and ancestral spirituality in the 1970s through infectious funk and a triumphant brass section, Monáe's GRAMMY-nominated album opened that same consciousness chakra to a Pan African diaspora and pro-LGBTQIA+ community.

Outkast

In 2003, following the release of Outkast's epic double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, André 3000 referenced Earth, Wind & Fire while musing about the mystical nature of certain album artwork: "You looked at album covers and they was like, 'Damn! Look at that picture of Earth Wind & Fire.' It's like, aw, man! That's amazing. They must be magic or something."

If there's one group who came close to the visual aura of EWF, it was undoubtedly Outkast. Whether it was the zodiac mash-up of Aquemini, which paired a bohemian with a lowriding pimp, or the expansive experimentalism of Stankonia that sought to treat rave, gospel, twangy funk, and psychedelia as a unified groove, Outkast honored EWF with their fearless spirit. But, if there's one song that exemplifies their admiration for EWF, it's "The Way You Move" featuring Sleepy Brown. 

With its horn accompaniment and Sleepy's Philip Bailey-esque falsetto chorus, the single off Big Boi's Speakerboxxx rose to ubiquitous, EWF-esque levels of mainstream success. The connection was confirmed when Earth, Wind & Fire shared the stage with Outkast and Sleepy Brown for a performance of the single at the 2004 GRAMMYs, the same night that Outkast made history as the first rap album to ever win Album Of The Year.

Pharrell Williams

In a feature on the soundtrack to his life, Pharrell Williams told The Guardian that he was "raised on Earth, Wind & Fire" — going on to credit "Can't Hide My Love" as the song that "made me a singer."

Knowing that, it's hard not to hear Williams' signature falsetto as his take on Philip Bailey. And while some of his biggest, most EWF-esque singles with Daft Punk were made with another 1970s disco legend in Nile Rodgers, Daft Punk provides a bit of Earth, Wind & Fire in songs like "Get Lucky" and "Lose Yourself To Dance." 

Williams' role as a producer has also incorporated the group's influence. N.E.R.D. productions that feature orchestral flourishes, like "Bobby James" and "Run To The Sun," feel like direct descendents of Charles Stepney-era Earth, Wind & Fire.

Phil Collins

By the 1980s, Phil Collins was exclusively known for the prog-rock stylings of Genesis — in turn, few understood or expected Collins' experimental proclivity would produce an R&B- and jazz-influenced pop album. But, Collins was a big admirer of experimental Black musicians who would still create infectious grooves like Weather Report and Earth, Wind & Fire. 

Rather than imitating his admiration for EWF's horn section, The Phenix Horns, he hired them to accompany him on six songs for his 1981 solo debut, Face Value. While recording in Los Angeles, he'd been developing a pop-friendly crossover sound that pulled more from R&B and world beat that fit squarely in the Phenix Horns' comfort zone. 

Collins' continued to draw from EWF when he returned to Genesis, once again enlisting the Phenix Horns for "No Reply At All" on the album Abacab, which was released just seven months after Face Value. In 1984, he recorded "Easy Lover" with Philip Bailey for the EWF singer's third solo album, Chinese Wall, while EWF drummer Fred White appeared on Collins' 1990 live album, Serious Hits… Live!

A Tribe Called Quest

In a 2013 interview with Red Bull Music Academy, Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest shared that when he was recording their debut album, 1990's A People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, his thought process was to "to make something as close to like the Beatles, or Earth, Wind & Fire, or Sly [Stone] as possible for hip-hop." Which is why it's no surprise that he looped a segment of Maurice White's signature scatting lyrics from "Brazilian Rhyme (Beijo Interlude)" for the Tribe song "Mr. Muhammed."

While the quartet didn't sample EWF much beyond "Mr. Muhammed," their eclectic and adventurous sound that blended disco, funk, soul, and jazz into a groundbreaking new style for hip-hop — mixed with open-minded lyrics — makes A Tribe Called Quest descendents of EWF. In fact, after Maurice White passed away in 2016, Q-Tip revealed that "Tribe was meant to be hip-hop's equivalent" to Earth, Wind & Fire during a tribute episode of his Apple Music radio show, "Abstract Radio." In a Facebook post promoting the episode, Q-Tip wrote the simple dedication to "My hero, the master, the maestro."

This week's bevy of new releases is filled with major collaborations from the worlds of hip-hop and R&B (The Weeknd with Playboi Carti and Doechii; UMI with 6LACK), pop-punk (Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan), country (Thomas Rhett and Tucker Wetmore; Kenny Chesney and Megan Moroney), Latin (Becky G and Manuel Turizo), and rock (Halsey and Evanescence's Amy Lee).

Notable new albums include Maren Morris' DREAMSICLE, Sleep Token's Even in Arcadia, Forrest Frank's CHILD OF GOD II, Blake Shelton's For Recreational Use Only, I'm With Her's Wild & Clear & Blue, Cuco's Ridin', KALEO's MIXED EMOTIONS, and Arcade Fire's Pink Elephant.

Plus, Tyla is wrapped up in "Bliss" on her latest single, Morgan Wallen sings to his son on "Superman," David Archuleta puts his heart on the line on the dreamy "Can I Call You," and Moses Sumney gets into the groove with Hayley Williams for "I Like It I Like It."

Below, press play on 11 major new releases, including exciting new singles from ROSÉ, Karol G and Miley Cyrus, full-lengths from PinkPantheress and Kali Uchis and more.

Doechii joins The Weeknd and Playboi Carti for a self-assured remix of the duo's recent smash single "Timeless," which kicked off the former's rollout for Hurry Up Tomorrow and was part of The Weeknd's return to the GRAMMY stage at the 2025 GRAMMYs.

The reigning Best Rap Album GRAMMY winner revels in her meteoric rise on her new verse. "I been legit since I came out the swamp/ Miss TPA and the Birkin's a croc,'" she raps. "My brand grossin' numbers you'll never believe/ It's a bill' on the streams/ Hop in the booth, I advance on the beat/ B—, it's a wrap like lettuce and cheese."

Read More: Doechii's Sonic Evolution: From Rising Alt-Hip Hop Anomaly To Best Rap Album GRAMMY Winner

ROSÉ revs up the romance on "Messy," her contribution to the star-studded soundtrack of F1 The Movie, which arrives in full on June 27 alongside the film's theatrical release.

"Baby I'm obsessed with you and there's no replica/ Maybe if it's messy, if it's messy, if it's messy/ Then you know it's really love," the K-pop superstar sings on the ballad's cascading chorus. And though the accompanying music video is interspersed with footage from the movie — in which Brad Pitt is a retired Formula One racer — it's ROSÉ who steals the show as she's showered in diamonds and finds herself strolling straight down the middle of a remarkably deserted Las Vegas Strip. 

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Miley Cyrus ushers in Act 3 of her forthcoming pop opera, Something Beautiful, with "More to Lose." Upon first listen, the emotional ballad has the potential to become one of the defining showstoppers in the superstar's discography as she confesses, "I knew someday that one would have to choose/ I just thought we had more to lose."

In between the song's clever, heartfelt wordplay ("The TV's on, but I don't know/ My tears are streaming like our favorite show"), Miley's fashion sense takes center stage in the accompanying visual — whether she's wearing the same archival 1997 Thierry Mugler couture seen in the album's transcendent cover art, a sparkling, strapless gown paired with a messy updo and winged eyeliner, or the tailored black suit and matching sheer face-kini she's donned by the final chorus.

Watch: Miley Cyrus' Evolution From Teen Idol To Boundary-Breaking Superstar | Run The World

To celebrate the release of her new Netflix documentary, Tomorrow Was Beautiful, Karol G offers up the tender "Milagros" as her first release of 2025. "Pa' que más milagros/ Que estar respirando/ Pa' que milagros/ Quiero yo, corazón/ Que sentir tu mano," she sings on the track, which translates to "Miracles" in English.

The midtempo Spanish-language ballad, which plays over the film's end credits, is inflected with folksy flourishes that deviate from the superstar's reggaeton-driven sound in favor of a simple acoustic guitar and an instrumental break featuring a flute solo. 

Read More: Mañana Y Siempre: How Karol G Has Made The World Mas Bonito

"My name is Pink and I'm really glad to meet you," PinkPantheress states in the opening moments of her sophomore mixtape, Fancy That. Arriving 18 months after her 2023 debut album Heaven knows, the 9-song project serves as something of a reintroduction to the British sensation, who first went viral with her 2022 smash "Boy's a Liar."

Citing club legends like Basement Jaxx, Groove Armada and Fatboy Slim as major influences for the project's dance-fueled sound, PinkPantheress also finds Y2K-era inspiration by sampling the likes of Panic! At the Disco's 2008 deep cut "Do You Know What I'm Seeing?" on lead single "Tonight," and Jessica Simpson's 2001 pop hit "Irresistible" on highlight "Nice to Know You." Other standouts include The Dare-produced single "Stateside" and closer "Romeo," which borrows from Basement Jaxx's 2003 hit "Good Luck" with Lisa Kekaula.

For his new single "BUCK," Jackson Wang recruited Indian superstar Diljit Dosanjh, who just made his own starry debut at the Met Gala on Monday night.

"I can show you how to dance" the Got7 member-turned-solo star promises over and over before rapping, "Yeah, bad lil' thing, make a ruckus/ Smile when she turn around and buss it." On the second verse, Dosanjh — who counts Ed Sheeran and Sia among his past collaborators — injects a dose of melody into the track in his native Punjabi language before the track culminates in a dance break worth waiting for. 

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On her fifth album, Sincerely, Kali Uchis is a big fan of using punctuation to help make her point. Just look at the track list filled with ellipses (lead single "Sunshine & Rain…" and opener "Heaven Is a Home…"), exclamation marks ("Sugar! Honey! Love!" and "Daggers!"), liberal commas ("Lose My Cool," "Silk Lingerie," "Fall Apart," ) and a single, blunt-force colon ("For: You").

The host of varying dots and dashes punctuate the five-time Latin GRAMMY nominee's heart-on-her-sleeve songwriting across the album's 14 tracks, whether she's refusing to apologize for her love in the brand-new music video for doo-wop-inspired focus track "All I Can Say" or confessing it all on previously released single and album closer "ILYSMIH."

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In the 15 months since P1Harmony released their debut full-length, Killin' It, in early 2024, the K-pop boy band has already delivered a new EP (Sad Song) and now, their eighth mini-album. Titled DUH!, the six-track project takes their P1ece fandom on a decade-hopping journey from the '90s-inspired hip-hop of the title track and boom bap highlight "Murmur" to the EDM of the 2010s on the appropriately titled "Flashy."

Several of the group's members split creative duties on the mini-album. Jiung, Intak and Jongseob share co-writing credits across the six tracks, while Keeho joined Jiung and Jongseob in helping compose the EP's sonic palette. 

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Avril Lavigne joins forces with Simple Plan on "Young & Dumb," a triumphant look back at the Canadian stars' pioneering reign over the pop-punk takeover of the early 2000s — and a celebration of their upcoming summer tour together.

Over anthemic guitars and a singalong chant, Lavigne namedrops her roots in the tiny Ontario town of Napanee before referencing her famous '00s-era uniform made up of a white tank, black eyeliner and striped necktie. Together with Simple Plan's Pierre Bouvier, she reminisces about living like rockstars, trashing hotel rooms and getting dumb tattoos on their way to pop-punk greatness. 

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Grupo Firme are back with Evolución, their first full-length album in three years. Alongside previously released singles "Hubiéramos" and "El Beneficio de la Duda," the Spanish-language studio set features new focus track "Alégale Al Umpire" and comes complete with 14 music videos filmed across Europe — from Barcelona's Basilica de la Sagrada Familia to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The Latin GRAMMY winners also recruited fellow regional Mexican music acts for a trio of collaborations across the LP, including two-time Latin GRAMMY nominee Joss Favela ("La Vida Es Pa'Gozarla"), Mexican pop icon Gloria Trevi ("Súfrale"), and Carolina Ross ("Todavía Te Amo").  

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André 3000 heralded the surprise arrival of his new EP, 7 piano sketches, in the most epic way possible: by strutting up down the carpet of the 2025 Met Gala with a high-fashion piano strapped to his back.

In stark contrast to such a grandiose announcement, the seven-track EP is spare and understated — though equally as experimental as some of the avant-garde fashions seen on The First Monday in May. The instrumental sketches found here range from the three-and-a-half minute mark on the circuitous, glowing "off rhythm laughter" to just a scant 54 seconds on the meanderingly titled "when you're a ant and you wake up in an awesome mood, about to drive your son to school, only to discover that you left the lights on in the car last night so your battery is drained."

Editor's Note: This article was updated with a new photo and YouTube videos on Dec. 16, 2024.

When it comes to holiday music, you can never go wrong with the tried-and-true classics.

Who doesn't love Nat "King" Cole's "The Christmas Song," Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas," Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You," Charles M. Schulz's GRAMMY-nominated A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, or any new version of a festive favorite?

Even so, it's always good to get out of one's comfort zone. With that in mind, unwrap these 12 outside-the-box Christmas songs, spanning rock to rap and featuring everything from refreshing spins on the familiar to unexpected holiday thrills.

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This firsthand account of spending the most joyous holiday locked up and separated from the one you love offers a different kind of longing than the average lonesome Christmas tune. In signature John Prine style, "Christmas In Prison" contains plenty of romantic wit ("I dream of her always, even when I don't dream) and comedic hyperbole ("Her heart is as big as this whole goddamn jail"), with plenty of pining and hope to spare.

"Christmas In Prison" appeared on Prine's third album, 1973's Sweet Revenge, and again as a live version on his 1994 album, A John Prine Christmas, which makes for perfect further off-beat holiday exploration.

When it comes to gloriously tasty six-string instrumentals, no one does it better than GRAMMY-winning Texan Eric Johnson. For his take on this timeless Christmas carol, the "Cliffs Of Dover" guitarist intermingles acoustic-based lines, sublime clean guitar passages and Hendrix-y double-stops with his trademark creamy violin-like Strat lines. The result is a sonic equivalent on par with the majesty of the Rockefeller Christmas tree. (For more dazzling holiday guitar tomfoolery, look into the album it's featured on, 1997's Merry Axemas.)

Who doesn't want a large semiaquatic mammal for the holidays? For then-10-year-old child star Gayla Peevey, not only did she score with the catchy tune, she also got her wish.

The 1953 novelty hit, written by John Rox, rocketed up the pop charts and led to a fundraising campaign to buy Peevey an actual hippo for Christmas. Children donated their dimes to the cause, and the Oklahoma City native got her hippo, named Mathilda, which she donated to the Oklahoma City Zoo.

The song itself features plodding brass instrumentals and unforgettable lyrics such as, "Mom says a hippo would eat me up but then/ Teacher says a hippo is a vegetarian." It seems Peevey still has a fond legacy with the hippo activist community — she was on hand in 2017 when the Oklahoma City Zoo acquired a pygmy hippopotamus.

In a contemplative mood this Christmas? Try getting into the holiday spirit by way of meditating on the true meaning of the season with this brash, uptempo Southern California crust punk tune.

Now the best-known song from the Vandals' 1996 Christmas album of the same name, "Oi To The World!" remained a relatively obscure track by the Huntington Beach punkers until it was covered by a rising pop/ska crossover band from nearby Anaheim, Calif., in 1997. (Perhaps you have heard of them — they were called No Doubt.) Ever since, the song has been a mainstay of the Vandals' live sets, and they have also played the album Oi To The World! in its entirety every year since its release at their annual Winter Formal show in Anaheim, now in its 29th year.

Though it's best known from OutKast's 1994 debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, the Christmas version of the track "Player's Ball" was released earlier on A LaFace Family Christmas, an L.A. Reid-led project to introduce new acts. The then-young Atlanta rapper duo took a Southern hip-hop spin on the season, which can come across as a little irreverent, but at least they're honest: "Ain't no chimneys in the ghetto so I won't be hangin' my socks on no chimneys." Though some people may not find it cheerful, OutKast's season's greetings give "a little somethin' for the players out there hustlin'."

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more heartbreaking Christmas story than this Tom Waits' masterpiece from 1978's Blue Valentine. "Charlie, I'm pregnant and living on 9th Street," begins the Christmas card narrative in which a woman writes to an old flame, reporting how much better things are going since she quit drugs and alcohol and found a trombone-playing husband.

Waits' signature early career piano-plinking and tall-tale-storytelling weaves through a dream world of hair grease and used car lots, even sneaking in a Little Anthony And The Imperials reference. In the end, our narrator comes clean with the sobering lyric, "I don't have a husband, he don't play the trombone" before pleading, "I need to borrow money to pay this lawyer and Charlie hey, I'll be eligible for parole come Valentine's Day." For the uninitiated, this is the off-beat genius of GRAMMY winner Waits at his finest.

Though they took some lumps in their '80s hair-metal heyday, few would dare deny Winger's talent and musicianship. Surely on display here, frontman Kip Winger (a GRAMMY-nominated classical musician) and his bandmates begin with a traditional unplugged reading of the Franz Xaver Gruber-penned holiday chestnut, complete with four-part harmony.

But then it gets really interesting: the boys get "funky" with an inside-out musical pivot that fuses percussive rhythmic accents, pentatonic-based acoustic riffing, Winger's gravely vocals, and some choice bluesy soloing (and high-pitched vocal responses) courtesy of lead guitarist Reb Beach.

With lyrics that include "I know I should have thought twice before I kissed her" in the opening, you know you're in for a sleigh ride like none other. It's therefore no surprise that Cyndi Lauper and Swedish rock band the Hives' unconventional Christmas duel describes many marital hiccups that might make some blush.

Yet, the raucous duet somehow comes out on a high note, concluding, "We should both just be glad/And spend this Christmas together." The 2008 track was the brainchild of the Hives, who always wanted to do a song with Lauper. "This is a Christmas song whose eggnog has been spiked with acid, and whose definition of holiday cheer comes with a complimentary kick below the belt," wrote Huffington Post in 2013. "It's also an absolute riot."

Leave it to LCD Soundsystem's producer/frontman James Murphy to pen a holiday song about the depressing side of the season. "If your world is feeling small/ There's no one on the phone/ You feel close enough to call," he sings, tapping into that seasonal weirdness that can creep up, especially as everything around you is incessant smiles, warmth and cheer, and pumpkin-spice lattes. While he doesn't shy away from examining the depressing side of surviving the holiday season as an aging 20-, 30-, 40-something, Murphy does at least give a glimmer of hope to grab onto, transient and fleeting though it may be, as he refrains, "But I'm still coming home to you."

As Snoop Dogg declares, "It's Christmas time and my rhyme's steady bumpin'." This track from the 1996 album Christmas On Death Row lets you know why "Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto." Church food, love between people, and happiness stand out as Christmas is "time to get together and give all you got; you got food, good moods and what's better than together with your people." Love in the hard hood might have to watch itself, but the various artists of Death Row contagiously testify to abundant love and seasonal joy.

Bypassing the urge to write new material on their rocking Christmas album, 2006's A Twisted Christmas, Twister Sister instead took the most recognizable holiday classics in the book and made them faster, louder and more aggressive. The result — which, to date, equate to the group's seventh and final album — is a supercharged concept collection of songs such as "Silver Bells," "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and "Deck The Halls" bludgeoned by chainsaw guitar riffs, thundering drums and lead singer Dee Snider's soaring screams. This unusual combination makes A Twisted Christmas the perfect soundtrack for any child of the '80s still hoping to tick off the neighbors this holiday season.

In anticipation of the 2025 NBA All-Star Game in San Francisco, P-Lo breathes new life into T.W.D.Y.'s classic "Players Holiday." Featuring Saweetie, Larry June, Kamaiyah, LaRussell, G-Eazy, thuy, and YMTK, the track celebrates Bay Area culture with its infectious energy and hometown pride. With its dynamic lineup and energetic vibe, "Players Holiday '25" is a love letter to the region's sound and legacy that bridges hip-hop and basketball culture.

This article features contributions from Nate Hertweck, Tim McPhate, Renée Fabian, Brian Haack, Philip Merrill, Nina Frazer and Taylor Weatherby.

The 2025 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 67th GRAMMY Awards, will air live on CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday, Feb. 2. Watch highlights from the 2025 GRAMMYs on live.GRAMMY.com.

The 2025 GRAMMYs telecast will be reimagined to raise funds to support wildfire relief efforts and aid music professionals impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles. Donate to the Recording Academy's and MusiCares' Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort To Support Music Professionals.

Sharing an album with the world is an artist’s way of immortalizing a fragment of their life. Though virality can propel music to the mainstream, releasing an album is a profound accomplishment that can have a deep and laying impact. Albums are more than an encapsulation of a musician’s lived and learned experiences: they’re a way to cherish them forever.

The Recording Academy is proud to present the 2025 GRAMMYs nominees for Album Of The Year, honoring both artistic and technical skill of the highest degree in music. The Category is notably dominated by women this season, while several entries see established artists tapping into new genres and sonic arenas. 

Check out the nominees below and read the full 2025 GRAMMYs nominations list ahead of Music's Biggest Night on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. 

André 3000 — 'New Blue Sun'

André 3000 might be best known for his role in Outkast, but recently, the Atlanta rapper has been busy carving out a new reputation as André the flutist.

In the years following Outkast’s split in 2007, André 3000 has been spotted wandering everywhere from LAX to Japan with his flute in tow. Now, the opening track of his first-ever solo album amusingly calls out his genre switch: "I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time."

To record improvisations that eventually birthed New Blue Sun, the flutist worked with producer Carlos Niño, keyboardist Surya Botofasina, and guitarist Nate Mercereau to craft a surreal, textured soundscape. Throughout, André 3000 plays the contrabass flute, Maya flute, wood and bamboo flutes, and more wind instruments — harmoniously uniting to create the artist’s first release in over 17 years.

Composed of eight tracks with bizarre, lengthy titles, the lyricless New Blue Sun is labeled as new-age and experimental jazz. It’s fairly shocking that André 3000 is not a trained musician, given the project’s brilliance; led primarily by rhythm, and using his instincts developed from rapping, the expert flutist embeds New Blue Sun with an organic authenticity. The album feels limitlessly atmospheric, dipping into an ambience that teeters between peaceful and precarious.

With Big Boi in the ‘90s, André 3000 undoubtedly helped shape hip-hop, pushing the genre forward with creative integrations of funk, jazz, rock, and gospel. In 2024, he continues to break rules as he champions alternative jazz — all with his flute by his side.

When Beyoncé’s first country song came out in 2016, people questioned if the icon belonged on the country radio — despite the indisputable impact of Black artists on the genre. Eight years later, the genre-bending diva is still drowning out the noise by switching on her very own radio station: COWBOY CARTER’s KNTRY Radio Texas, that is.

The fantasy station is one of the many visionary elements of COWBOY CARTER, an album that honors the cultural contributions of Black artists to American country music. The eighth studio project is Act II of her album trilogy; while the first installment RENAISSANCE (2022) focused on futuristic escapism, COWBOY CARTER looks to the past. It pays vibrant tribute to the Black community’s roots in country music, offering a glorious reimagination of Americana.

Not just championing but also reinventing Southern subgenres, COWBOY CARTER is yet another example of Beyoncé’s revolutionary versatility. From horseshoe steps to boot stomps to Beyoncé’s fingernails as percussion, the album unites bluegrass, zydeco, folk, R&B, and more to craft a majestic testament to Beyoncé’s boundless artistry.

Boasting 27 tracks and five years in the making, the Texas-born legend’s album includes features from Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Linda Martell, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, and Brittney Spencer, embracing country legends as well as making space for up-and-coming Black artists on the scene.

While Beyoncé has yet to take home GRAMMY Gold for Album Of The Year, she remains the artist with the most GRAMMY wins of all time. After all, this isn’t her first rodeo.

"Oh, I leave quite an impression," Sabrina Carpenter croons on Short n’ Sweet, with a nonchalance that’s virtually intoxicating. While the 25-year-old indeed stands at just five feet tall, it’s evident the actress-turned-songstress has enough talent to fill a stadium.

Glowing with lighthearted, honest-to-goodness genius, Short n’ Sweet is the cherry on top of Carpenter’s already extensive discography. Her sixth studio album spawned a trinity of 2024 hits: "Espresso," "Please Please Please" and "Taste." With this remarkable trio, Carpenter became the first artist since the Beatles to chart their first three top five US hits in the same week. Short n’ Sweet's success was boosted by her Coachella debut earlier in the year, and furthered during her first arena tour.

On her delightful summer hit "Espresso," Carpenter explicitly mentions that her "twisted humor" is what makes her lovable, which might remind older fans of her 2022 single "Nonsense." The pop track went viral for its raunchy, often silly outros that Carpenter lovingly tailored to each city she toured in — and on Short n’ Sweet, she taps into her risqué wit much more fully, rocketing her album to another level of memorable.

Undoubtedly, it’s Carpenter’s bright confidence that makes space for her playful pen game on Short n’ Sweet. With her signature plucky yet composed soprano, she balances her soulful ardor with her deadpan humor expertly, allowing her to explore the nuances of romance in new and clever ways — all while maintaining her infectious charisma that earned her her first GRAMMY nominations this year.

Charli xcx knows how to throw a party, and on June 7, 2024, she turned the world into her own nightclub. BRAT, her sixth studio album, gloriously splattered the globe a garish green, with hits like "360," "Apple," and "Von Dutch" soundtracking the summer.

Ten years after scoring her first GRAMMY nominations for "Fancy" with Iggy Azalea, the British queen of "brat summer" continues to crank out bangers about chandelier swinging and driving in the fast lane. Working with producers A.G. Cook, EASYFUN, Cirkut, her fiancé George Daniel, and other longtime collaborators, Charli conjured her own genre: a chic, club-ready pop blend of electroclash and hyperpop.

Though the self-proclaimed 365 party girl sings about dancing until dawn and sipping one too many aperol spritzes, BRAT is also Charli’s most vulnerable album, her long nails gingerly peeling back the sticky layers of fame and womanhood. BRAT makes blunt confessions about jealousy, questioning motherhood, grief, and intergenerational trauma. Brilliantly, she’s dauntless and exposed all at once — and still bumpin’ that at the club.

Her popular co-headlining SWEAT Tour with GRAMMY-nominated collaborator Troye Sivan vroom-vroomed BRAT to arenas across the U.S. Charli xcx might have had her shades on while performing, but make no mistake: she has nothing to hide.

When people think of contemporary jazz, rollercoaster might not be the first word that comes to mind — but Jacob Collier is nothing if not ambitious. As the climax of his four-album project dating back to 2018, Djesse Vol. 4 triumphs as an odyssey through genre.

What makes Collier such a prolific musician is his refusal to distill abundance. He sees the beauty in anything and everything, and Djesse Vol. 4 brings his perspective to life. The project not only centers but celebrates the human voice; in fact, about 150,000 voices feature on Djesse Vol. 4 — many from his own concert audiences that he transformed into improvised choirs. 

Collier has won multiple GRAMMY Awards for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals, and Djesse Vol. 4 continues to showcase his mastery of sound via genre diversity. The nominated album is modern and sprawling, from the serenity of his audience-choirs to howling of heavy metal. Djesse Vol. 4 is thought-provoking, engrossing, and oftentimes surprising; who else would have aespa and Chris Martin on the same track?

Collier is the first British artist to win a GRAMMY for each of his first four albums, and Djesse Vol. 4 already boasts a GRAMMY-nominated track on it (2022’s "Never Gonna Be Alone," featuring Lizzy McAlpine and John Mayer, which was later announced as the album’s first single). Collier was previously nominated for Album Of The Year for Djesse Vol. 3 and also received a nod at the 2023 GRAMMYs in the same Category for Coldplay’s nominated Music of the Spheres.

Djesse Vol. 4 has redefined Collier’s perspective on life, and in a way, Collier’s album is more than a reflection: it’s an open invitation.

Billie Eilish had a fear of water as a child, yet to capture the album cover for HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, she spent six brutal hours on-and-off submerged underwater with a weight on her shoulders. "A lot of my artwork is painful physically in a lot of ways, and I love it," the 22-year-old told Rolling Stone. "Oh, my God, I live for it."

Eilish delves beneath the surface in more ways than one on HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. As rippling, immersive alt-pop, the album swims through similar topics covered in her first two studio albums, including coping with fame, body image, and post-breakup grief. Yet Eilish is no longer the proudly self-proclaimed "bad guy"; instead she doesn’t tether herself to a persona.

In this way, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT holds dear a newfound, striking level of maturity. Eilish is incontestably true to herself, and lyrically, the album feels especially unbridled and attentive. With its title a paradoxical demand, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT powerfully represents the impossible struggle between intensity and tenderness — both in love and in life.

Though the album cascades as an emotional torrent, it’s as cohesive as it is potent. It’s (unsurprisingly) produced by her brother and day-one collaborator, FINNEAS, whose minimalistic but nevertheless hard-hitting soundscape gives bedroom pop a makeover. Eilish’s third Album Of The Year nomination shows that, once again, she isn’t treading water; she’s plunging straight into the deep end.

In the prismatic world of pop, Chappell Roan knows how to rotate through every color in the rainbow. A kaleidoscope of wistful yet intense romance, Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess churns with the unabashed authenticity that only true superstars can craft — and on a debut album, nonetheless.

Although Roan’s career began 10 years ago on YouTube, the Missouri-born singer skyrocketed to fame in the last year following spectacular festival performances and an opening slot on Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour. Her 2020 single "Pink Pony Club" pushed the singer toward a massive 2024 breakthrough, the song an open proclamation of queer joy (amid understanding her evolving relationship with religion).

Inspired by drag queens, Roan’s aesthetic is breathtakingly campy and sparkly — much like her striking debut album. Championing female and queer freedom, The Rise And Fall gushes with yearning in a way that’s both carefree and confessional. From the hungry, heart-shattering "Casual" to the kinky pleasure of "Red Wine Supernova," each track showcases Roan’s sharp dynamism.

The Rise And Fall bursts with radiant '80s-inspired and 2000s synthpop from GRAMMY-winning producer Dan Nigro, all of which only highlights her dynamism. Beyond her vocal flips and cutting lyricism meant for laughing and/or crying, what’s special about Roan’s album is its defiance. Chappell Roan is the definition of unapologetic, and The Rise And Fall is all the evidence anyone needs.

Before it was even released, The Tortured Poets Department had already made GRAMMY history: during her acceptance speech for the 2024 GRAMMY Award for Best Pop Vocal Album, Taylor Swift surprised audiences by announcing the album’s upcoming release. And just one year later, Swift is making history yet again with her seventh Album Of The Year nomination.

Serving as a creative "lifeline" for Swift during the Eras Tour, working on The Tortured Poets Department reminded the star of how integral songwriting is to her wellbeing. Consequently, the 16-track album (plus an additional 15 tracks in an expanded version of the labrum) unveiled some of her most diaristic songwriting yet. Swift's meandering lyrics stand out as particularly candid, dramatic, and whimsical — though it’s far from the first time the prolific songwriter has used or referenced poetry in her work.

For a return to her folksy synthpop sound, Swift turned to her close friends Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, who most recently helped produce her GRAMMY-winning album Midnights among other projects. Showcasing Swift’s collaborative brilliance, The Tortured Poets Department also features Post Malone on the hauntingly atmospheric opener "Fortnight" and a stirring "Florida!!!" verse from Florence + the Machine.

As the Eras Tour comes to a close (unless, of course, she has another surprise up her sleeve) on Dec. 8 in Vancouver, The Tortured Poets Department’s nomination is one of the many recent reminders of Swift’s staggering legacy. Swift is the first and only person to have won Album Of The Year four times, and The Tortured Poets Department could score her a legendary fifth win — further solidifying her as a breaker of records and rules.