"The Way You Move" is a 2003 number-one single recorded by
Big Boi of the hip-hop duo OutKast, released on LaFace Records.
The song features OutKast mentor Sleepy Brown on guest vocals.
It and "Hey Ya!", recorded by André 3000, the other member of
the duo, were released as the first singles from OutKast's
double album project
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which includes a solo album
from each member. Released from Big Boi's
Speakerboxxxhalf of the double-album, "The Way You Move"
peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming
OutKast's third number-one single. In 2009 it was named the
22nd most successful song of the 2000s, on the
BillboardHot 100 Songs of the Decade.
"The Way You Move" is credited to Big Boi, Sleepy Brown, and
the song's producer, Carlton Mahone; Big Boi also does some
co-production. Combining elements of bass music, Atlanta-style
southern hip hop, and 1970s soul music, "The Way You Move" is
Big Boi's light-hearted dedication to women. The song's
instrumental track is punctuated with the prominent live horn
section "Hornz Unlimited" of Atlanta reminiscent of Earth Wind
and Fire, and the chorus and bridge feature Sleepy Brown
singing in style inspired by the work of Motown star Marvin
Gaye.
The song's music video, directed by Bryan Barber, features
Big Boi as the proprietor of a rim shop. The video's
performance shots eventually gravitate to other locations
during the video's running time, featuring several young women
who Big Boi, dressed in a pimp's suit, attempts to pick up. The
video features an appearance from Fonzworth Bentley and another
from actress Ki Toy Johnson.
"The Way You Move" music video was designed to be shown in
tandem with the video for André 3000's "Hey Ya!". A long-form
"The Way You Move/Hey Ya!" video combines both clips with a
bridging sequence.
"The Way You Move" spent eight weeks at the number-two
position behind "Hey Ya!" before finally replacing it at number
one on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 7, 2004, where it
stayed for one week. That was the sixth time a recording act
has replaced itself on the
Billboardpop chart. "The Way You Move" was ranked number
five on the 2004 Billboard Year-End Chart. On the Hot
R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, "The Way You Move"
peaked at number two (seven positions higher than "Hey Ya!"),
and reached the top of the Hot Rap Tracks chart.
In 2004, Saxophonist Kenny G and Funk legends Earth, Wind,
& Fire released a cover of the song "The Way You Move" with
Philip Bailey and Maurice White on vocals. The song appears on
Kenny G's
At Last... The Duets Albumand Earth, Wind, & Fire's
2005 album
IlluminationThe song went to number 12 on the Adult
Contemporary Chart.