Aquemini
Aquemini (/əˈkwɛmɪˌnaɪ/) is the third studio album by the American hip hop duo Outkast. It was released on September 29, 1998, by LaFace Records. 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. The group recorded the majority of the album in Bobby Brown's Bosstown Recording Studios and Doppler Studios, both in Atlanta, Georgia.
Released as the follow-up to the duo's commercially successful 1996 album ATLiens, Aquemini expands on the previous record's outer space-inspired compositions by incorporating live instrumentation and drawing on 1970s funk, southern soul, gospel, country, psychedelic rock, and other influences. The album reflected a greater level of creative freedom for the group, which led to the members self-producing the majority of the tracks and employing a large number of session musicians who filtered in and out of the studio throughout its recording, exerting a major influence on the album's compositional development. Featured guest artists include Raekwon, George Clinton, and Erykah Badu. Lyrically, Aquemini explores various subjects including individuality, human nature, addiction, self-inflicted struggles, technology, and interpersonal relationships, as well as blending science fiction concepts and urban narratives.
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). It peaked at number two on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Four of the album's tracks were released as singles, although some were limited promotional releases and not available commercially. Aquemini received widespread critical acclaim from music critics, who praised the album's musicality, eclectic sound, and unique lyrical themes. Since its initial release, it has gone on to be considered one of the greatest hip hop albums ever made, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time in general. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked the album number 500 on their "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". In a 2020 updated list, it was moved up to number 49.
Background[edit]
In 1994, Outkast released their debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, which was recorded when the rappers Big Boi and André 3000 were 18. Bolstered by the success of "Player's Ball", the record established Outkast as prominent figures in the Southern hip hop scene.[6] After the album was certified platinum, LaFace Records gave Outkast more creative control and advanced money for their 1996 follow-up album ATLiens.[7] 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.[8][9] Critics praised the group's maturing musical style on the record, which debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart and sold nearly 350,000 copies in its first 2 weeks of release.[10][11] The single "Elevators (Me & You)" reached number 12 and spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[12]
After the release of ATLiens, André 3000 entered a relationship with the neo soul singer Erykah Badu, who was part of a burgeoning movement in the urban music scene described as "more bohemian than ghetto".[13] 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. Badu gave birth to his first child in November 1997, which presented new artistic inspiration for the rapper.[13]
Songs[edit]
Aquemini's opening track "Hold On, Be Strong" was written by the session guitarist Donny Mathis and originally conceived as a full song with verses, but the group preferred to only use the refrain.[14] André 3000 played a kalimba on the song after purchasing the instrument at a flea market, drawing inspiration from Earth, Wind & Fire.[14] "Return of the G" addresses concerns from fans who felt that the group's style had changed too drastically since the release of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, as well as those who make poor decisions in order to keep their street credibility.[14][27] 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. I started getting flak from some people, so they were like, 'Either he's gay or on drugs' ... 'Return of the Gangsta' was trying to give them a sense of, 'Hey, I'm still a regular person.'"[14] "Rosa Parks" contains blues-influenced guitar work and folksy harmonies that "announce OutKast's distinctive style of Southern boogie. The groove goes into overdrive during a clapping, foot-stomping breakdown funkified by a fierce harmonica as the kick drum pounds incessantly."[28]
The next track, "Skew It On the Bar-B", features the Wu-Tang Clan rapper Raekwon and discusses the disappointment of the group's debut album not achieving the coveted "five-mic" rating from The Source: "I gotta hit the Source / I need my other half mic / because that Southernplayalisticadillacmusik was a classic right?".[29] "Skew It On the Bar-B" is followed by the title track, which has been compared to the music of the soul singer Isaac Hayes.[28] Pogue experimented with delays and echos in his production to make the song "dimensional, like you could actually put your hands through the song."[14] "Synthesizer" contains elements of electrofunk and features the funk musician George Clinton.[28] Billboard called "Synthesizer" an "electronic-leaning... spasm of technological paranoia."[24] Emma Warren of The Guardian called the track "raw and woozy", dubbing it the "weirdest moment of the record".[18] On the seventh track, "Slump", Big Boi is joined by two members of the Dungeon Family as they describe their experiences selling dope. This is one of the few tracks that does not have Andre on it. On "West Savannah", Big Boi discusses his Southern roots, and references individuals who grew up outside of the South who fail to recognize different regional Southern identities by stating "You might call us country, but we's only Southern".[30]
"Da Art of Storytellin' (Part 1)" tells the story of a self-destructive childhood friend named Sasha Thumper who dies of a drug overdose.[31] 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."[31] 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. I think I was vibing on some end-of-the-world, last-recorded-song shit'".[14] Following is "Mamacita", which features Dungeon Crew rapper Masada in a meditation on male-female relationships, inspired by an ex-girlfriend of André 3000 who began pursuing women after their breakup.[14] "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.[32]
"Y'all Scared" is a collaboration with three members of Goodie Mob and contains the chant "If you scared, say you scared" accompanied by prominent organ and guitar work.[14] "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. The track is an introduction to "Liberation".[14] The eight-minute-long "Liberation" combines a variety of musical styles, including gospel, jazz, blues, and world music. The song is notable for not including rapped vocals and instead features vocal alternations between singing and spoken word styles.[33] Lyrically, the track utilizes images of slavery to symbolize artistic freedom and not being concerned with the opinions of the public and record labels.[33] The album closes with "Chonkyfire", which features a fuzzy guitar riff and snippets from OutKast's speech at the 1995 Source Awards in which the group emphasized the Southern hip-hop scene as a legitimate subgenre.[34] Billboard called "Chonkyfire" a track of "bad-trip psychedelic rock."[24]
Release[edit]
The group originally planned to create a film in conjunction with Aquemini, completing a script three months before the release of the record. OutKast met with MTV for the project, who, despite liking the idea for the film, hoped to instead buy the project and cast Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes instead, feeling they had more "star power."[35] Although the duo recalls being "heartbroken" at the time, André 3000 and Big Boi continued to work on ideas for a collaborative film, eventually resulting in the 2006 musical Idlewild starring the group.[35] David Browne of The New York Times viewed the album art as an homage to blaxploitation films of the 1970s.[36] 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.[29] The packaging featured a sticker describing Big Boi as "the playa" and André as "the poet".[24]
Aquemini debuted behind Jay-Z's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life at number two on the Billboard Hot 200, the same opening position of both ATLiens and the group's next release, Stankonia.[37][38] The record sold 227,000 copies in its first week of release, ahead of A Tribe Called Quest's The Love Movement and Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.[37] In Norway and Germany, the album peaked at numbers 39 and 66, respectively.[39]
In 1999, civil rights activist Rosa Parks filed a lawsuit against OutKast for the song "Rosa Parks", claiming that the song used her name without her permission, constituting false advertising and an infringement on her right to publicity, in addition to defamation of character.[40] The lawsuit was dismissed on first amendment grounds that year by a federal judge, but the appeals court partially reinstated the suit in 2003, stating that the group must have an artistic reason for titling the song with her name.[40] 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."[41]