Aquemini
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aquemini | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Studio album by OutKast | |||||
| Released | September 29, 1998 (US) | ||||
| Recorded | 1996-1998 | ||||
| Genre | Alternative hip hop | ||||
| Length | 74:47 | ||||
| Label | LaFace/Arista | ||||
| Producer | Organized Noize, Babyface and OutKast | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
|
|||||
| OutKast chronology | |||||
|
|||||
Aquemini is a 1998 album by hip hop duo OutKast (Big Boi, André Benjamin). The album was critically acclaimed virtually across the map for its innovative, natural rhymes and funky, characteristically Southern beats, courtesy of Organized Noize, the record producers. Guest musicians on the album include Witchdoctor, Raekwon, Cee-Lo, Goodie Mob, Angela Bloomfield and George Clinton. The album was certified platinum in November 1998, only two months after its release, and was certified double platinum in July 1999. On the Billboard music charts, Aquemini peaked at #2. Producers on the album include Babyface and Organized Noize, as well as André and Big Boi themselves on nine out of the fourteen tracks.
"Rosa Parks", "Aquemini", and "SpottieOttieDopalicious" were later included on the Big Boi And Dre Present...OutKast hits album.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Aquemini (a portmanteau of the two performers' Zodiac signs: Aquarius (Big Boi) and Gemini (André)) is a vaguely futuristic, synthesizer-drenched album punctuated with anthemic choruses and bluesy beats, as well as a memorable spoken word poem in the nine-minute soul jam "Liberation". In contrast to much of hip hop music in the late 1990s, OutKast refused to tone down the regional qualities, like the harmonica break on "Rosa Parks" and distinctive Atlanta slang and diction throughout. 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 hip-hop fans claimed was commercially watered-down both lyrically and in terms of production. OutKast's sound, while outwardly similar to some other Southern rappers like Master P or Goodie Mob, was distinct, yet hook-laden and accessible, and sounded fresh at a time of stagnation in the hip hop community.
Aquemini received critical praise then virtually unheard of for a mainstream hip hop album, who enjoyed the lack of a materialist focus on bling bling like much of mainstream hip hop of the time, and Rolling Stone even declared that the album proved "that you don't have to sell out to sell records"[1], 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'"[2]. Q magazine called Aquemini "breathtaking in its ambition... (Aquemini) makes most rappers seem drab and doltish in comparison" [3], while others have identified the album as alternative hip hop or compared it to progressive rock and bands like Pink Floyd [4]. Nude as the News called "Rosa Parks" "one of the best rap songs ever crafted." [5] The album was also ranked 21 onChris Rock's list of the Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums of all time. [6]
[edit] Track listing
| Track listing | ||||
| Id | Title | Songwriter(s) | Performers | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hold on, Be Strong" | The Four Phonics | ||
| 2 | "Return of the 'G'" | André Benjamin Giorgio Moroder Organized Noize Big Boi |
André (first 4 verses) Big Boi (last two verses) |
Giorgio Moroder's soundtrack to Midnight Express |
| 3 | "Rosa Parks" | André Benjamin Big Boi |
Big Boi (1st verse) André (2nd verse) | Curtis Mayfield's Super Fly |
| 4 | "Skew It on the Bar-B" | André (1st verse) Raekwon (2nd verse) Big Boi (3rd verse) |
||
| 5 | "Aquemini" | André Benjamin Big Boi |
Big Boi (1st and 3rd verses) André (2nd and 4th verses) |
|
| 6 | "Synthesizer" | André (1st verse lead, 4th verse) George Clinton (1st, 3rd and 5th verses) Big Boi (2nd verse) |
Sly & the Family Stone's "Rock Dirge" | |
| 7 | "Slump" | Cool Breeze Big Boi Backbone |
Backbone (1st verse) Big Boi (2nd verse) Cool Breeze (3rd verse) |
|
| 8 | "West Savannah" | Organized Noize Big Boi |
Big Boi | |
| 9 | "Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 1)" | André Benjamin Big Boi Slick Rick Mr. DJ Sheats |
Big Boi (1st verse) André (2nd verse) Slick Rick (3rd verse) |
|
| 10 | "Da Art of Storytellin' (Part 2)" | André Benjamin Big Boi Mr. DJ Sheats |
André (1st verse) Big Boi (2nd verse) |
|
| 11 | "Mamacita" | Angelic Voices of Faith André Benjamin Masada Hogans Organized Noize Big Boi |
Masada (1st verse) André (2nd verse) Witchdoctor (3rd verse) Big Boi (4th verse) |
|
| 12 | "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" | André Benjamin Pat Brown Big Boi |
Pat Brown (1st verse) André (2nd verse) Big Boi (3rd verse) |
|
| 13 | "Y'All Scared" | T-Mo (1st verse) Gipp (2nd verse) André (3rd verse) Big Boi (4th verse) Khujo (5th verse) |
||
| 14 | "Nathaniel" | |||
| 15 | "Liberation" | André (1st verse) Big Boi (2nd verse) Cee Lo (3rd verse) Erykah Badu (4th verse) Big Rube (5th verse) |
||
| 16 | "Chonkyfire" | André (1st verse) Big Boi (2nd verse) |
||
[edit] Personnel
| Contributors | |
| Producers | |
|---|---|
| Producers | OutKast, Organized Noize, Mr. DJ Sheats |
| Executive Producers | OutKast, Babyface, Organized Noize |
| Performers | |
| Lead vocals and rapping | Big Boi, André Benjamin, Raekwon, Erykah Badu, Cee-Lo, Slick Rick, Whild Peach, Witchdoctor, Khujo, Joi Gilliam, Jamahr "Backbone" Williams, Big Rube |
| Background vocals | George Clinton, Debra Killings, Jim Smith, Jermaine Smith and Pat "Sleepy" Brown |
| Guitar | Craig Love, Tomi Martin, Martin Terry (electric guitar) |
| Bass guitar | Skinny Miracles, George Grier, LaMarquis Mark Jefferson |
| Synthesizer | Kenneth Wright, Marvin "Chanz" Parkman (also piano, moog bass) |
| Scratching | Mr. DJ |
| Strings and Woodwinds | South Central Chamber Orchestra |
| Horns | Darian Emory |
| Percussion | Omar Phillips, Victor Alexander (drums) |
| Other performers | Big Gipp |
| Technicians | |
| Programming | Organized Noize |
| Concert Master and Orchestral Arrangements | Charles Veal |
| Engineers | John Frye, Bernasky Wall, Ryan Williams, Jean B. Smit |
| Assistant Engineers | Alberto Perez, Rico Lumpkins, Ralph Cacciurri, Jason Rome, Jason Stokes, Kenny Stallworth, Katy Teasdale |
| Mastering | Brian Gardner |
| Mixing | Josh Butler, Mr. DJ Sheats |
| Mixing Assistant | Claudine Pontier, Shawn Grove |
| Art Direction, Design | D.L. Warfield |
| Design Assistant, Assistant Art Director | Nigel Sawyer |
| Photography | Tom Smugala |
| Coordination | Courtney Taylor |
| Arranger | Mr. DJ Sheats |
[edit] Album singles
| Single information |
|---|
"Rosa Parks"
|
| "Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 1)" |
[edit] Album chart positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | ||
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | Top Canadian Albums | ||
| 1998 | Aquemini | #2 | #2 | #17 |
[edit] Singles chart positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Rhythmic Top 40 | ||
| 1998 | "Rosa Parks" | #55 | #19 | - | #9 |
| 1999 | "Da Art Of Storytellin' (Pt. 1)" | - | #67 | - | - |
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/cd/review.asp?aid=17527&cf=
- ^ http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/o/outkast-aquemini.shtml
- ^ http://www.q4music.com/nav?page=q4music.review.redirect&fixture_review=137750&resource=137750&fixture_artist=141702
- ^ http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/showarticle.php?articleid=27840
- ^ http://www.nudeasthenews.com/reviews/938
- ^ http://rateyourmusic.com/list/tha_flu/chris_rocks_top_25_hip_hop_albums
|
|||||||||||||||||
