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People On Twitter Are Debating Whether Outkast Is Better Than The Beatles

For the past several decades, The Beatles have been considered one of the greatest rock bands in existence and the measuring stick by which many other popular music acts are measured. In recent years, however, music fans on Twitter have taken to trolling The Beatles’ legacy (and fans) by suggesting that newer groups — particularly ones in hip-hop, such as Migos — are more impactful and popular. The latest group to receive this lofty assessment is Outkast, who for some reason have been injected into the debate on Twitter today, prompting a trending topic and a fiery debate between fans.

While one might expect the division to be intergenerational or split between fans of each genre, many of the most prominent tweets center on longstanding appropriation accusations against The Beatles, with commentators pointing out the influence the band gleaned from existing Black rock and blues artists who came before them. A common argument, the sentiment was even echoed a few years back by no less an authority than Quincy Jones, who called The Beatles “the worst musicians in the world” in an interview with Vulture. Even Eve 6 got involved, using the opportunity to take a wild shot at Radiohead.

Meanwhile, Outkast is being lauded for their innovations to hip-hop music (conveniently overlooking the stylistic quirks they inherited from funk fixtures like P-Funk) and their impact on younger artists (despite receiving a mostly confused reception when they played Coachella in 2014 and many younger music fans being completely unaware of their existence). These quibbles and facts aren’t getting in the way of the spirited, hilarious debate, which you can see more of below.

Published by Katherina Alvarez