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"Ms. Jackson"
#1 weeks: 1
weeks: 2001-02-17
genre: alternative hip hop
artist: OutKast
album: Stankonia
writers: André Benjamin, Antwan Patton, David Sheats
producers: Earthtone III
label:
formats: 12", CD
lengths: 4:30 (Album Version), 4:03 (Radio Edit)

"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: