“Forever… for-EVER-ever… FOR-EVER-EVER?!”

Ashford & Simpson were, but Outkast’s Andre 3000 and Big Boi weren’t so lucky in love.

But they are just as earnest in “Ms. Jackson,” an outrageously catchy tune detailing “baby mama drama” with a super endearing video to boot.

The backstory makes it even better, and dare I say, one of the most iconic songs in hip-hop history. Sweet, sensitive Andre wrote this song on his acoustic guitar. OF COURSE HE DID, I can hear you saying already. The chorus is a dead giveaway once you know that. Strip away the beat, and “Ms. Jackson” is a classic ballad. But there’s more. It’s not just any old ballad.

It’s a tale of star-crossed lovers, Erykah Badu and Andre 3000, and a promise to be a good father to their son despite the circumstances. Too nervous to confront Erykah’s mother, Andre wrote “Ms. Jackson” as his sincere apology for the part he played in their failed relationship.

You gotta pay attention to the order that things happen though, and the video lends some extra context. It’s not unheard of, but it’s certainly unusual that “Ms. Jackson” starts with the chorus. It’s Andre’s original chorus, and his feelings at their most raw, laid over scenes of his repeated failures at repairing a house. Oh, the symbolism.

On the flip side though, everybody’s got an ego, and wants to go on the defensive against their aggressor. In the video, the fictional Ms. Jackson mean-mugs both of our stars, but seems to reserve her nastiest looks for Big Boi. Once Andre’s finished his passionately apologetic chorus though, Big Boi goes straight on the offense with all of the reasons he’s BIG mad. Of course, Ms. Jackson is going to defend her daughter, but there’s a unspoken part of him that hates being made the enemy.

Oh, yes, this is like modern-day Shakespeare, friends. There are twists and turns, heartbreak and deceit. The story is juicy. And the F. Gary Gray-directed video only makes us more invested. If the name is familiar, it’s because you’ve seen it in the credits of blockbusters like The Italian Job, Law-Abiding Citizen, Friday, Set It Off, and countless music videos including TLC’s “Waterfalls.” The video for “Ms. Jackson” is chock full of sight gags and little nods to the song’s lyrics as Easter eggs. Andre’s “oooohs” are perfectly timed to the disasters happening around him. The animals “sing” and tromp across piano keys right on cue. Puppy love, Goodyear swings and unpredictable weather from the lyrics all make physical appearances in the video. And good thing too, because things are literally falling apart throughout.

But that’s OK. Because “Ms. Jackson” isn’t a tale of disaster, and the video makes that clear to us too. It’s more of a parable about how sometimes, things have to fall apart to be put right.

For real.

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