Posted by4 years ago
Search and download from millions of songs and albums. All songs are in the MP3 format and can be played on any computer or on any MP3 Player. Live concert albums of your favorite band. Learn how to download music. EMD offers a premium experience that includes unlimited access to CD quality music. Download Aquemini by OutKast.
Archived
Essential Album of the Week #42: Outkast - Aquemini
Welcome to the fifth dimension of ascension!
Starting on every Wednesday we will discuss an album from our Essential Albums list. Beginning with our [classic] (http://www.reddit.com/r/hiphopheads/comments/1irgch/the_second_round_of_essentials_voting_is_now/) list, we'll be moving chronologically to [modern] (http://www.reddit.com/r/hiphopheads/comments/1imyre/the_first_round_of_essentials_voting_is_now/) times.
Last week's EAOTW: [Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill] (http://redd.it/2m41ti)
Album:Outkast - Aquemini (LaFace / RCA, 1998)
Stream
- [YouTube Playlist] (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7egcIPiStlMxkLOyKAwq5F1dKsifs-z4)
- [Spotify] (https://play.spotify.com/album/5ceB3rxgXqIRpsOvVzTG28)
- [Grooveshark] (http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Aquemini/1099190)
Videos
- [Rosa Parks] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drsQLEU0N1Y)
- [Skew It on the Bar-B (ft. Raekwon)] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XU2o8p-Ixo)
- [Da Art of Storytellin' (ft. Slick Rick)] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0tamp9XdqU) (Slick Rick version not on the album)
Background/Description: Aquemini is the third studio album by Atlanta, Georgia hip hop duo OutKast, released on September 29, 1998 through 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. 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. For Aquemini, the duo would use live instrumentation and improvisation, bringing a baby grand piano into the studio and hiring musicians who played 'everything from stoner funk to prog rock'. Much of the music on Aquemini was formulated during jam sessions , which producer Neal H. Pogue would recall, 'That was the beauty of making all those records - having musicians come in and out. It was almost like a Motown, that's what we had. Or like a Stax Records thing. That's what I loved about it. It brought back that whole feeling of making records. It was organic.'
Big Boi described the music on the album as 'very experimental' noting that it featured live instrumentation that included horns, guitar, piano, and harmonica while taking influence from reggae, soul, gospel, jazz, funk, blues, spoken word and world music. Lyrically, much of Aquemini features introspection about the desolation of the human condition while shifting between science fiction-inspired topics and the harsh realities of urban life. Overarching themes addressed on the record include drug addiction, precarious relationships, and freedom from self-inflicted struggles as well as excessive reliance on technology and the Atlanta club scene. 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'. Big Boi generally covers the more conventional hip-hop topics such as his childhood in the South and women while Andre 3000 discusses more unorthodox themes. Outkast also experimented with several delivery styles on the record, using 'relaxed, hyper, distorted, speedy and conversational presentations.”
Aquemini debuted behind Jay-Z's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life at number two on the Billboard 200, the same opening position of both ATLiens and the group's next release, Stankonia. It sold 227,000 copies in it’s first week and would later go on to be certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA. Critics hailed the album as OutKast's most fully realized up to that time and one of the best of the 90s. AllMusic's Steve Huey called it 'a stroke of brilliance' and “a virtuosic masterpiece” while Los Angeles Times writer Soren Baker commented that 'musically, the collection supplies some of the lushest tracks ever included on a hip-hop record', noting that the music will 'stimulate the mind, touch the soul and pack the dance floor.' Aquemini has since been placed on several publications' best album lists, regardless of genre. Rolling Stone ranked it number 500 on its list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and number 11 on its 100 Best Albums of the Nineties list.
Guidelines
This is an open thread for you to share your thoughts on the album. Avoid vague statements of praise or criticism. This is your chance to practice being a critic.It's fine for you to drop by just to say you love the album, but let's try and step it up a bit!!!
How has this album affected hip-hop? WHY do you like this tape? What are the best tracks? Do you think it deserves the praise it gets? Is it the first time you've listened to it? What's your first impression? Have you listened to the artist before? Explain why you like it or why you don't.
!!!! DON'T FEEL BAD ABOUT BEING LATE !!!! Discussion throughout the week is encouraged.
97% Upvoted
Biography
The band Outkast was formed in early 90’s by two friends Andre Benjamin (performing under the pseudonym Dré or André 3000) and Antwan Patton (better known as Big Boi). The initial band’s name was The OKB (The OutKast Brothers), but later the musicians decided to shorten it to the well-known nowadays Outkast. The sound of the duo was also changed during the development: the original southern hip-hop was accompanied by elements of funk, soul, jazz and even blues. Thereby such a versatile sound became the signature feature of the band.
In 1994 Outkast released their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik that already became the classics of hip-hop. That record attracted attention in no time and the musical experts gave it the very fair reviews. The main theme of album’s lyrics was the pimping and all the corresponding attributes, however in the following works Andre and Antwan preferred to share their thoughts about moral topics and lyric poetry. The band’s second studio work titled ATLiens was issued in 1996 and it demonstrated much more confident sound. Thus it predetermined the future development of Outkast creativity, and the ATLiens success was proved by peaking at number one of American hip-hop albums chart.
In 1998 Outkast issued one of their most successful albums – Aquemini. Only two months after the release Aquemini got the Platinum status and the famous musical magazine Rolling Stone added it into the list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Quality and the high level of that studio work were also proved by the composition Rosa Parks which was nominated to Grammy Award in 1999 in the category Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. In 2000 Outkast’ discography was enlarged by the album Stankonia, which was certified quadruple-platinum. That record was acclaimed by the critics and it included the well-known song Ms. Jackson. In 2001 the musicians got two Grammy Awards in a row: Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for Ms. Jackson and Best Rap Album for the record Stankonia.
In 2003 Outkast released an incredibly strong album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, consisting of solo works of André 3000 and Big Boi. The sound of that record turned out to be very versatile: The Love Below (part of André 3000) included elements of such styles as soul, pop, funk and even jazz, while Speakerboxxx (Big Boi’s project) presents compositions with southern hip-hop stylistics. The original Speakerboxxx/The Love Below became one of the most successful rap albums of all time with the sales over fifteen million copies all over the world.
The sixth studio work of Outkast titled Idlewild was released in 2006. That record was very well received both by the musical experts and fans and pretty soon it was certified Platinum. There is no doubt that Outkast music is unique and original, so it is hardly possible to mix them up with someone else. Idlewild embodied the musicians’ best ideas and it will be enjoyed by all the good music lovers.
Studio Albums
Idlewild
Idlewild is a longish record consisting of 25 tracks among which there are several light interludes. Once again OutKast has done something unpredictable and developed their singing (Andre' 3000) and rapping (Big Boi) skills
7
Singles
1
Compilation albums
1
Remixes
2