Aquemini
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Aquemini
Studio album by OutKast
Released	September 29, 1998
Recorded	1996-1998
Genre	Alternative hip hop Southern hip hop
Length	74:47 (Explicit) 62:35 (Clean)
Label	LaFace/Arista 26053
Producer	Babyface (exec.) Donny Mathis Organized Noize OutKast Antonio M. Reid (exec.) David "Mr. DJ" Sheats
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Robert Christgau (A-) link Entertainment Weekly (A) link Los Angeles Times link PopMatters (favorable) link Q link Rap Pages link RapReviews link Rolling Stone link The Source link Spin link VIBE (favorable) link
OutKast chronology
ATLiens (1996) Aquemini (1998) Stankonia (2000) Singles from Aquemini "Rosa Parks" Released: 1998 "Skew It on the Bar-B" Released: 1998 "Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 1)" Released: 1998

Aquemini is the third studio album by hip hop duo OutKast, released September 29, 1998 on LaFace Records.¹ The title is a portmanteau of the two performers' Zodiac signs: Aquarius (Big Boi) and Gemini (André 3000).² The album was certified platinum in November of 1998, only two months after its release, and was certified double platinum on July 2, 1999 by the Recording Industry Association of America.³ Aquemini peaked at #2 on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop charts.⁴ Four of the album's tracks had already or would later become singles.⁵

Music

Content

A vaguely futuristic, synthesizer-drenched album punctuated with anthemic choruses and bluesy beats, Aquemini tackles many topics such as emancipation, drug addiction and problematic relationships, while exploring the bleakest aspects of humanity. In contrast to much of hip hop music in the late 1990s, OutKast did not tone down the regional qualities, like the harmonica break on "Rosa Parks" and distinctive Atlanta slang and diction throughout. The song led to much controversy with Rosa Parks filing a defamation suit against OutKast.⁶ "Rosa Parks" was later nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.⁷ Aquemini also featured live instrumentation and poetic lyricism, such as the reggae horns on the seven-minute long "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" and wah-wah guitar on the closing track "Chonkyfire". The album also included West Savannah, which was an outtake from Outkast's debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. The track was also featured as an intro to the "Benz Or Beamer" video, but was held off Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik and not used on the duo's follow-up album ATLiens, finally to surface (admittedly as filler) on this album. The song is the original version and was not re-recorded for the album. A small intro to the song begins at the end of Slump, with Big Boi referring to the song's history.

Lyrics

Delivered by rhythmic vocal abilities and distinctive Southern rapping, the main focus of the album seemed to be on morality. With complex metaphors and dirty South slang, Andre addresses his critics in the album opener, "Return of the G". It's the return of the gangsta/Thanks ta' them niggas that think you soft/And say, "Y'all be gospel rappin'" /But they be steady clappin'/When you talk about bitches and switches/And hoes and clothes and weed.... Aquemini's catchy lyrics are a mix of street-wise and common sense. RapReviews.com noted that "Aquemini is full of small moments that make you nod your head and look forward to hearing them again."⁸ "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" featured a soulful hook by Sleepy Brown and introspective lyricism by Big Boi and Andre. In addition to the very detailed metaphors, Big Boi recited his lyrics in spoken word style for the song.

When I first met my SpottieOttieDopalicious Angel
I can remember that damn thing like yesterday
The way she moved reminded me of a Brown Stallion
horse with skates on smooth like a hot comb on nappy ass hair
I walked up on her & was almost paralyzed
her neck was smelling sweeter than a plate of yams with extra syrup
eyes beaming like four karats apiece just blindin' a nigga
felt like I chiefed a whole O of that Presidential
My heart was beating so damn fast
never knowing this moment would bring another
life into this world

_{—Big Boi, "SpottieOttieDopalicious"}

Reception

At the time, mainstream rap was almost entirely dominated by Puff Daddy's New York-based Bad Boy label, which was criticized for putting out music that hip-hop fans claimed was commercially watered-down both lyrically and in terms of production. OutKast's sound was hook-laden and accessible, yet distinct and fresh at a time of stagnation in the hip hop community.

The album's creative depth accompanied with its innovative, natural rhymes and funky, characteristically Southern beats was praised by many critics, including the L.A. Times, which called Aquemini a "brilliant slice of hip-hop". It also received a "classic" ranking of 5 mics from The Source magazine, which later wrote of the album that it "possesses an uncanny blend of sonic beauty, poignant lyricism and spirituality that compels without commanding".⁹ In a November 1998 article, What Magazine praised Aquemini, as they wrote,

OutKast's third album is the perfect concoction of spirituality, street reality and chunky Southern beats. On Aquemini, Atlanta's first soldiers have pointed their Cadillacs toward the Cosmos. Lyrically, Big Boi's street patter flawlessly complements Dre's increasingly abstract cerebral flow. While Big Boi keeps your feet firmly planted in reality, Dre drags your head through the many dimensions of the spiritual universe. The results are dangerous.¹⁰

—What Magazine

Some critics appreciated the absence of a materialist focus. Rolling Stone declared that the album proved "that you don't have to sell out to sell records"¹¹, while PopMatters agreed, claiming "(i)n a year where excess was romanticized by nearly everyone, OutKast was one of the few commercial groups concerned with more than just 'the Benjamins'".¹² Q magazine called Aquemini "breathtaking in its ambition... (Aquemini) makes most rappers seem drab and doltish in comparison", ¹³ while others have identified the album as alternative hip hop or compared it to progressive rock and bands like Pink Floyd.¹⁴ The music website Nude as the News called "Rosa Parks" "one of the best rap songs ever crafted." ¹⁵ The album was later ranked #21 on Chris Rock's list of the Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums of all time. ¹⁶

Track listing

The clean version of the album has shortened versions of "Return of the G", "Rosa Parks", "Aquemini", "Synthesizer", "Slump", "West Savannah", "Da Art of Storytelling Pt. 1", "SpottieOttieDopalicious", "Y'all Scared", "Liberation", and "Chonkyfire". The interlude "Nathaniel" was omitted as well.

Personnel

Chart history

Album

Singles

References

External links

• About.com - Outkast Discography - Aquemini
• Acclaimed Music - Aquemini: Lists, Ratings and Rankings
• MTV.com - Aquemini album lyrics
• Warr.org - 90s odds and ends: Outkast - Aquemini review