OutKast released their Idlewild soundtrack through LaFace/Jive Records on August 22, 2006, three days prior to the release of their Universal Pictures musical film of the same name. Several of the album’s songs appeared in the film and snippets from the film appeared on the album. The film is set in 1935 and the music reflects sounds from the times, with genres such as R&B, blues, soul, jazz and swing music being mixed with contemporary rap.
The album received mixed reviews and many OutKast fans go as far as not even ranking this project with the rest of the classic albums in their catalog. The Cab Calloway-inspired “Mighty O” was the first single released from the project followed by the solo singles from Big Boi (“Morris Brown”) and André 3000 (“Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry ‘Bout Me)”) The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and achieved platinum status.