"Ms. Jackson" is a song by OutKast and the second single
from their fourth album
Stankonia. It topped the U.S. charts for the week of
February 17, 2001, and won a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap
Performance by a Duo or Group. It also reached number one in
Germany and number two in the United Kingdom, held from the top
spot by Atomic Kitten's "Whole Again".
The titular "Ms. Jackson" is the real-life mother of Erykah
Badu, André 3000's ex-girlfriend and the mother of his son
Seven. 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.
The single helped sell the album following mixed reaction to
the lead single "B.O.B.", which failed to chart on the U.S. Hot
100 and only reached #69 on the
BillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The song samples "Strawberry Letter 23" by The Brothers
Johnson (with pitch shifting and reversing) and features an
altered version of a tune from "Bridal Chorus" from the opera
Lohengrinby German composer Richard Wagner (also known
as the "wedding march"), played on piano.
OutKast performed the song for pop singer Janet Jackson in
tribute to her on MTV's
MTV Iconin 2001, replacing the lyric "I'm sorry, Ms.
Jackson" with "We love you, Ms. Jackson".
The video for "Ms. Jackson", directed by F. Gary Gray,
features the two members of Outkast in an old house. Big Boi is
cleaning a car, and Andre is making home improvements. The
house is overrun with pets, mostly dogs, a cat, a snapping
turtle, and an owl that, at times, seem to contribute to the
song. Through camera effects, the pets are made to nod their
heads to the song.
Soon it begins to rain, spoiling Big Boi's hard work. The
light rain rapidly turns into a storm, lightning strikes the
car and it explodes. Meanwhile, Andre attempts to keep the
house, which has a roof littered with leaks, dry with the use
of buckets. Big Boi attempts to climb the roof and fix the
holes in the rain.
The lights go out in the house, creating yet another problem
for Andre, who runs about trying to fix it. Big Boi, in a
yellow raincoat, is on top of the roof and getting considerably
more annoyed with his inability to complete the repairs.
The lights however, eventually return. Big Boi climbs down
and joins Andre, helping with the rainwater. But the storm,
ironically, clears almost instantly. The two stare up through a
ceiling hole torn open by the storm, at the bright blue sky and
shining sun.
The video works as a possible metaphor for the two artists'
"stormy" relationships with the mothers of their children and
their families (themes expressed by both artists in the song).
The storm theme is alluded to in the song, particularly by
Andre 3000: