The Year 2003

For some reason, i've been on this 2003 kick recently. Don't quite know what brought it on. Maybe rewatching Chappelle's Show. That could have done it. I usually don't get nostalgic. Either way, I've been thinking about it recently, and it was a pretty good year for music. I was a sophomore/junior in high school, it was a very critical time in my youth, when of course you think you know everything. Either way, some very entertaining shows and music came out that year, and here are a couple of my favorites.

This is my favorite show ever. It's so cutting edge it had to end as quickly as it did. NEVER JUMPED THE SHARK. Dave Chappelle is my hero, and this show is still solid gold. So many legendary skits. Just genius.

This album seriously expanded my consciousness. I dug At The Drive-In, but The Mars Volta was an insane upgrade. I love everything these guys do pretty much. They are always thought provoking.

Outkast was peaking creatively in 2003, and we got this brilliant double album. There are many interesting things going on here. Besides the great songs, there was very little crossover between both members. It was like two solo albums released under the Outkast banner. Unfortunately, this was the last great thing these guys did as Outkast, but it was the biggest thing they ever did. "Hey Ya!" was inescapable. These album(s) still holds up. Andre 3000 is one of the most interesting people in music.

A.F.I. also got really huge in '03. I had heard there earlier stuff, but this is when they got really popular and gained radio play. Butch Vig produced this album and gave it a glossy sheen that served it well. I still think it is maybe their best album, honestly. The singles were great. Ironically though, I didn't really get into this album until like, 2006, so I didn't actually listen to it at the time, but the singles will always remind me of high school. Great album.

The Year 2003