My younger daughter introduced me to a lot of the hip-hop and rap genre this past year. Blame it on my New Wave/Goth formative years, or my Lilith/Grunge/Grrrl twenties in the nineties which led into the Libertine-Indies and Alt-Country 2000s, which all possibly kept me from making my way to hip-hop and rap beyond what was “mainstream”.īut, I have really cool kids with exceptional and all over the genre map music taste, something I’m very proud of, and grateful for, and they have brought a lot more music variety into my already music-varied life. I’ve never explored a lot of the hip-hop and rap genre until recently. Before now, I’d never heard anything off of 1998’s Aquemini. Beyond that, I’ve not been all that familiar with their music, and I’d never listened to an album of theirs in entirety. My Thoughts: So, first off the only exposure to OutKast I had before now was their later hits “Hey Ya” and “Miss Jackson”, and “I Like the Way You Move” (featuring Sleepy Brown). It was ranked at number 500 in Rolling Stone ‘s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The record also received rave reviews from music critics, who praised the album’s musicality and unique lyrical themes. Aquemini peaked at number two on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop charts.įour of the album’s tracks had already or would later become singles, although some were limited (promotional) releases and not available commercially. The album 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. With organic chemistry and imaginative musicality, Big Boi and Andre 3000 blazed a trail for sounds that defied labels and for eccentric artists to follow. The group recorded the majority of the album in Bobby Brown’s Bosstown Recording Studios and Doppler Studios, both in Atlanta, Georgia. The title is a portmanteau of the two performers’ Zodiac signs: Aquarius (Big Boi – Antwan Patton) and Gemini (André 3000 – Andre Benjamin), which is indicative of the album’s recurring theme of the differing personalities of the two members. It was released on September 29, 1998, by LaFace Records. Hits like “Rosa Parks” put the duo’s hometown “Hotlanta” on the rap map.Ī Little History: Aquemini is the third studio album by OutKast. All that said, I’m looking forward to the listens, and the new motivation for some music writing.įirst up is OutKast’s 1998 release, Aquemini – number 500 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums.įrom Rolling Stone: At a time when formulaic albums by Master P and Puff Daddy topped the charts, OutKast unleashed explosive hip-hop that deployed live musicians, social commentary and a heavy dose of deep funk. I’m sure there will be a few that I don’t agree with personally, ones that don’t resonate with me. I’m sure there are albums I will feel were left out of this list. I’d love to hear what you think of each of the albums, too. I’m going to take my time with this project and I will post my thoughts, feelings, reactions, along with a little history, about each album. I’ll take the album and listen to it, a few times, more than a few times maybe. I’m going to start at the end, at 500, and go from there. I’ve been in a bit of lyriquediscorde-writer’s block lately, and have been hungry for some inspiration.
I’m trying not to cheat and look ahead, so each album will be a bit of a surprise. Though a number of the 500 will be albums I’ve heard before, or even love, I’m sure there will be quite a few that I’ve never heard in their entirety or haven’t played in a long time. I got about ten minutes into the first one and decided that I wanted to take on the music challenge, too. The 500 takes each album an episode and discussing it with a featured guest. During a search for new Podcasts to listen to I came across a music one that was focusing on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums list.
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