[41] AllMusic's Steve Huey called it "a stroke of brilliance".
[48] Pitchfork ranked the record at number 50 on their "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s", describing it as "smooth and well-conceived". [1] After the album was certified platinum, LaFace Records gave OutKast more creative control and advanced money for their 1996 follow-up album ATLiens. The band employed a large number of musicians for the album, who frequently entered and exited the studio throughout the recording process and had a major influence on the writing development of the album's songs. The track is an introduction to "Liberation". [32] The case was settled in 2005 with OutKast and LaFace Records agreeing to create educational programs to "enlighten today's youth about the significant role Rosa Parks played in making America a better place for all races.
"[16], Aquemini begins with the introductory track "Hold On, Be Strong", which was written by session guitarist Donny Mathis and was originally a full song with verses, but the group preferred to only use the hook. [45] The album was placed at number 11 on the list of the "100 Best Albums of the Nineties" by the same magazine. [9] The album features the song "West Savannah", which had been recorded during the Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik sessions, and was included on Aquemini to give listeners a "bonus" that had sentimental value for the duo, as well as to pay homage to Big Boi's family living in Savannah. The duo experimented with several delivery styles on the record, using "relaxed, hyper, distorted, speedy and conversational presentations. "[23] The next track, "Da Art of Storytellin' (Part 2)", is an apocalyptic song that represents the group's vision of "the last song recorded in the world", with André 3000 commenting, "I do remember thinking, 'What if it was the end of the world and we had to get to the Dungeon on some X-Men superhero shit. [17] Another theme is the duality of the two members and their differing personalities, with Big Boi as "the player" and Andre 3000 as "the poet", according to the album's cover. "[20] Steve Jones of USA Today commented that the duo's "molasses-smooth raps speak to the stark realities of urban streets. [55], The album was included in Blender's "500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die" (2003),[55] Tom Moon's 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (2008),[55] Continuum Books' 33⅓: A Series of Books about Critically Acclaimed Albums,[57] and Q's "The Ultimate Music Collection" (2005)[58] The lead single "Rosa Parks" was nominated in the category Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 1999 Grammy Awards. city", "Review: Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city (Interscope)", "OutKast Chart History (Canadian Albums)", "Offiziellecharts.de – OutKast – Aquemini", "Norwegiancharts.com – OutKast – Aquemini", "OutKast Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)", "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998", "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999", "Canadian album certifications – Outkast – Aquemini", "American album certifications – Outkast – Aquemini", Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, International Players Anthem (I Choose You), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aquemini&oldid=982726129, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Album chart usages for BillboardRandBHipHop, Certification Table Entry usages for Canada, Certification Table Entry usages for United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
[17] Saul Austerlitz of the Yale Herald notes the central theme of the group's "ability to move between two worlds--the G-funk glamorized by the Notorious B.I.G. [16] Rolling Stone wrote that "Atlanta's reputation as hip-hop's most avant-garde area code – the Long Island of the Nineties – was cemented" with this effort. [15] Ebony observed that Aquemini is "perhaps OutKast's best effort" and "a huge commercial and artistic success".
I think I was vibing on some end-of-the-world, last-recorded-song shit'". [2] On ATLiens, André 3000 and Big Boi abandoned the "hard-partying playa characters" of their debut album in favor of personas that were more futuristic, and produced many of the songs on their own for the first time.
"[47], Paste called the album "the best Atlanta hip-hop album of all time". [22], "Da Art of Storytellin' (Part 1)" tells the story of a self-destructive childhood friend named Sasha Thumper who dies of a drug overdose. [9] "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" relates a story of ill-fated romance, with André 3000 describing the infatuation during an encounter with a woman at a club and Big Boi noting the hopelessness of the relationship as the song progresses. The title is a portmanteau of the two performers' Zodiac signs: Aquarius (Big Boi) and Gemini (André 3000), which is indicative of the album's recurring theme of the differing personalities of the two members. [14] AllMusic's Steve Huey detected the "ethereal futurism" of ATLiens in the music on Aquemini, but also noted that "more often Aquemini plants its feet on the ground for a surprisingly down-home flavor". [9][19] When discussing the lyrical content of the song, André 3000 explained, "I was young and wilder and some of my fashion choices people didn't accept at the time. [13] On the seventh track, "Slump", Big Boi is joined by two members of the Dungeon Family as they describe their experiences selling dope. The groove goes into overdrive during a clapping, foot-stomping breakdown funkified by a fierce harmonica as the kick drum pounds incessantly. [9], For the record, André 3000 did most of the album's production, while Big Boi crafted hooks for the songs. It brought back that whole feeling of making records.
[21] "Skew It On the Bar-B" is followed by the title track, which has been compared to the music of soul singer Isaac Hayes. [15], Lyrically, much of Aquemini features introspection about the desolation of the human condition. Four of the album's tracks had already or would later become singles, although some were limited (promotional) releases and not available commercially. [9] "Nathaniel" is an a cappella rap by the group's close friend who at the time was an inmate in a Georgia prison, and the song is a recording of an actual collect call during his time in jail. [23] Commenting on the song's lyrical content, author Mickey Hess remarks that André 3000 "manages to walk the fine line between emotionalism and masculinity by articulating this highly emotional narrative with an almost emotionless tone. [8] André 3000 adopted a more flamboyant style of dress during performances in promotion of ATLiens that included large glasses, blond wigs, and marching band uniforms. Aquemini is the third studio album by American hip hop duo Outkast. The commercial success of ATLiens allowed for more creative freedom for the group, which led to the members self-producing the majority of the tracks. [8], Due to OutKast's newfound commercial success and higher budget for the album, the group enjoyed a more relaxed schedule and "could really just live" at the studio. [46] In a column for Jazz Times, Tony Green wrote that "OutKast's Aquemini dispels any notion that hip-hop is out of sonic ideas. It was released on September 29, 1998, by LaFace Records. [59] The album's twelfth track "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" was ranked at number 16 on Pitchfork Media's list of the top 200 tracks of the 1990s.
[5][6] The single "Elevators (Me & You)" reached number 12 and spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Big Boi missed his flight to attend the album mastering session and by the time he arrived, the others had already settled on a cohesive track list for the record. "[65] According to Emma Warren from The Guardian, this album is "a high point of 90s hip-hop" and proof that "the old push and pull between the east and west coast of American hip-hop was over". [62] Steve Huey wrote: "Aquemini fulfills all its ambitions, covering more than enough territory to qualify it as a virtuosic masterpiece, and a landmark hip-hop album of the late '90s". After a long, heated discussion, Big Boi eventually agreed to opening the album with "Return of the G".
[16] Overarching themes addressed on the record include drug addiction, precarious relationships, and freedom from self-inflicted struggles.
[66][67], Track listing and samples compiled from album liner notes.
Five years after its release, it made it into Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, being ranked at number 500. [28] The record's title is a combination of the two members' zodiac signs, with André 3000 being a Gemini and Big Boi being an Aquarius. [26], The group originally planned to create a film in conjunction with Aquemini, completing a script three months before the release of the record. [21], Aquemini debuted behind Jay-Z's Vol.
and Tupac Shakur and the group's own spacier, more poetic excursions" in the album. Bolstered by the success of "Player's Ball", the record established OutKast as prominent figures in the Southern hip hop scene. [43], In a retrospective review, Tim Stelloh from PopMatters described the album as a "loud, unpretentious, eclectic kick in the ass". Braxton called Aquemini "a brilliant record" and commented that it "possesses an uncanny blend of sonic beauty, poignant lyricism and spirituality that compels without commanding". "[9] "Synthesizer" contains elements of electrofunk and features funk musician George Clinton. [9] At one point, André 3000 attempted singing and modifying his voice with pitch-correction equipment, but Big Boi warned him that this would alienate the group's urban audience. Aquemini was certified Platinum in November 1998, only two months after its release, and was certified double platinum on July 2, 1999, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
They ranked it number 35 on the "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s" and number three on the "Top 20 Albums of '98". The group recorded the majority of the album in Bobby Brown's Bosstown Recording Studios and Doppler Studios, both in Atlanta, Georgia. "[19], Aquemini has been included in several publications' best album lists. [49] Spin included it on three of their lists.
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