"B.O.B" ("Bombs Over Baghdad") is a song by American rap duo Outkast from their fourth studio album Stankonia (2000). It was released as the album's lead single on August 29, 2000, through LaFace Records and Arista Records. Produced by Earthtone III, the song features a high-speed tempo beat consisting of drum and bass rhythms, guitars, organs, and gospel vocals. Although not a huge commercial success, the song has been cited as one of the greatest songs of all time by publications such as Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Blender and Complex. The song became popular during the Iraq War.
Produced by Outkast and Mr. DJ under the name Earthtone III, "B.O.B" features "jittery drum'n'bass rhythms" and has been classified as a "stylistic tour de force" combining "Hendrix-ian" guitars, organs, and gospel vocals. On the track, André 3000 and Big Boi employ a "frantic" flow in order to keep pace with the song's high-speed tempo, which runs at 155 beats per minute.
Big Boi said that they wanted to differ from current music: "Everybody's been doing music like they all have the same formula — e = mc2. They get a beat, an MC, somebody to sing the hook, and go platinum. Where's music going to go when everybody's trapped in this same repetitious flow?"
In addition to the regular release, there is also a clean version available in the video game Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX, which removed expletives such as "hell" and references to recreational drug use to allow the game to receive an "E for Everyone" rating.
The song became increasingly popular during the Iraq War in 2003. Many radio stations increased its airplay and U.S. troops were using it as a battle cry. During the 2003 NASDAQ-100 Open, tennis player Jennifer Capriati requested it to be played. Both members of Outkast have clarified they opposed the invasion, with Big Boi wishing that the U.S. government consulted the United Nations before taking action and Andre 3000 stating that the half-hearted bombings are a metaphor for lack of dedication in the music industry.
Iggy Azalea's 2013 single "Work" was inspired by the chord progression in "B.O.B". The single's music video also paid homage to the visual elements of the "B.O.B" music video.Janelle Monáe's "Many Moons" is also influenced by the drum pattern of "B.O.B".
The song was featured in the video game Saints Row IV, and in the movies How High Head of State (2003 film) and Scoob!.
In October 2020 it was announced that Zack de la Rocha's remix of the song would appear on a 20th-anniversary rerelease of Stankonia later the same year. This remix, which was made in Fall of 2000, was originally released to rock radio. It has also appeared on file sharing sites as a remix credited to Rage Against the Machine, de la Rocha's band.
