The Fire This Time

Kiese Laymon’s essay begins by describing Catherine, his grandmother, enacting her morning routine before working as a “buttonhole slicer at a chicken plant” (117). She rose early, bathed, made breakfast, and cared for Laymon before leaving for work at this difficult, messy job in Mississippi. She took pride in doing the job well to bolster the reputations of other working black women. She described the factory’s smell as “this stank” (118), a term Laymon uses to describe her identity as an exemplary Southern black woman. She always wore stylish accessories with her white usher uniform on Sundays at church as part of this distinctive, self-made personal style. For Laymon, listening to OutKast’s music reveals his Grandmama’s personal expression in a new way. 

Laymon first heard OutKast’s album ATLiens from a friend playing the music at college. The duo’s music celebrates black Southern culture like Goodie Mob, another of Laymon’s favorite groups. ATLiens, however, distinguishes itself with a new sound like “red clay, thick buttery grits, and Mars” (120). 

Laymon, compelled to be a writer, was previously confused about the notion of writing “voice” so often praised in classrooms. OutKast’s music showed Laymon the power of developing a personal voice through creating unique, fictional stories. Later, he also learned how voice does not emerge whole-cloth but grows through using different writing techniques and genres. He admires the brief moan, a familiar sound from people in his community, in OutKast’s song “Wailin’.”

Hip-hop is a newer, popular expression from black Americans, particularly in New York. Laymon doesn’t connect as much to New York hip-hop as he does to Southern hip-hop, of which OutKast was a major representative during the 1990s. The group’s two members, Big Boi and André, rap with different styles. If some of their lyrics indicate tension between the two, it likely bespeaks good-natured fighting. Their music speaks specifically to the black Southern experience with its blend of genres like gospel and blues, as well as lyrics that redefine maturity for young black men. 

While studying fiction in a master’s program, Laymon realizes OutKast’s misogyny after listening to Lauryn Hill’s album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Soon after, OutKast’s new album Aquemini debuted, and its songs contain wider visions of black women. A skit on the album depicts a boy speaking about sex with a girl on the phone, and the girl says no. The song after the skit, “Da Art of Storytellin’ (Pt. 1),” contrasts two speakers’ romantic relationships with women named Suzy Screw and Sasha Thumper. 

“Da Art of Storytellin’ (Pt. 2)” links the end of the world with OutKast’s music. The song’s narrative occurs as the apocalypse rages outside the recording booth. Aquemini, as well as the novel Kindred by Octavia Butler inspire Laymon to write his first novel about a young female rapper. 

Although Laymon intended to interview Big Boi and André alongside his Grandmama for this essay, he could not arrange to meet with him at his home in Oxford, Mississippi. His visions of the interview included no discussions of OutKast’s music, but rather discussions of their grandmothers. Laymon’s Grandmama quit her job at the chicken plant in her older age, and her familiar after-work scent vanished as well. Laymon dedicated himself to celebrating her as “the freshest person in my world” (126-27). 

The writer imagines visiting his Grandmama and completing this essay in her home while OutKast’s music plays. He will thank her for her love, the hope it brings him, and how she affirmed him as a “beautiful Southern black boy” (127) when no one else did.