OutKast hushed the fuss and pushed the boundaries of hip hop with the futuristic vision and down home flavor of this iconoclastic landmark. Antwon "Big Boi" Patton and André "3000" Benjamin had established themselves with the loose and live sound of their debut 'Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik' and challenged their fans with the sci-fi funk of 'ATLiens'. 'Aquamini' shows the duo taking more control of their production from Organized Noize with the formation of Earthtone III with Mr. DJ David Sheats.
Andre 3000: "By the time 'Aquemini' came, I was stretching out as a producer. Big Boi was the family man. He had just had another kid, so he would come hang out at the studio and listen to the beats and make these big hooks. So it was a cool combination... I was a young man searching, a young black man, so I was looking into Rastafarianism, Islam, whatever. I started to notice that all the stories were similar, it was more about a mutual respect and exchange of energy. When you rap and say anything kinda conscious, all the conscious people approach you. So after 'ATLiens' I got it all - from books on sex to [metaphysics] and religion. But you also get introduced to a lot of fake phony ass people...You find some of the fakest people with dreads pouring oils on you. And it's really kind of mind-blowing when you're a young person and you start to find out some of this is bullshit, so then you're just out there searching."
Big Boi: "'Aquemini' was just the meshing of both worlds, with me being an Aquarius and him being a Gemini. It was subtle on 'ATLiens', but by the time we got to 'Aquemini' it was like we had two different visions that were [parallel]. So the thing with us was to always show the team ... Our influences are so vast that if we drop something, you better believe it's going to be groundbreaking."
The sessions featured Andre 3000 and Big Boi as MC's and executive producers; Mr. DJ on production, arrangements, mixing, and scratching; Raekwon, The Four Phonics, Erykah Badu, Ruben Bailey, Big Gipp, Pat Brown, Cee Lo Green, Cool Breeze, Delvida Flaherty, Joi Gilliam, Lil' Will, Goodie Mob, Witchdoctor, Joi, Khujo, T-Mo, Jamahr Williams, Whild Peach on vocals; Charles Veal as concert master and orchestral arranger; The South Central Chamber Orchestra on strings and woodwind; Marvin "Chanz" Parkman bass guitar, piano, and synthesizer; Victor Alexander on drums; Omar Phillips on percussion; Darian Emory on horn; LaMarquis Mark Jefferson and Skinny Miracles on bass guitar; Kenneth Wright on synthesizer; Craig Love and Tomi Martin on guitar; Martin Terry on electric guitar; Jim Sitterly on violin; George Clinton, Sleepy Brown, Jermaine Smith, Jim Smith, Debra Killings –on background vocals; Organized Noize (Rico Wade, Ray Murray, and Pat "Sleepy" Brown) as composers, executive producers, producers, and programmers; and Babyface as executive producer. Robert Barnett, Frederick Bell, André Benjamin, Patrick Brown, James Burton, Myrna Crenshaw, Masada Hogans, Eric Johnson, Willie Knighton, Giorgio Moroder, Cameron K-Oz Gipp, Antwan Patton, David Sheats, Mort Stevens, Corey Woods, and Eric Wright are credited as composers.
'Aquamini' made it no number sixty-six in Germany; seventeen in Canada; and number two on the US billboard 200 album chart, eventually going double-platinum.
http://www.outkast.com/
"Rosa Parks" became a minor sensation, going to number fifty-seven in Germany, fifty-five on the US pop chart, and number nineteen on the US R&B chart. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Performance. The real Rosa Parks sued OutKast and LaFace Records over the song's appropriation of her name. The suit was initially dismissed; but, after Parks hired Johnny Cochran to appeal the decision, the case was allowed to proceed by the Supreme Court. After several years, the case was settled out of court with a cash payment to Ms. Parks and OutKast agreed to work with the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development in creating educational programs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drsQLEU0N1Y
'Aquamini'
full album:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLazvjMpvktRuXypCvF2K4KDosvfU4eO_f
1. 0:00 "Hold On, Be Strong" (featuring The Four Phonics) Donny Mathis, OutKast 1:11
2. 1:12 "Return of the 'G'" Organized Noize 4:49
3. 6:01 "Rosa Parks" OutKast 5:24
4. 11:25 "Skew It on the Bar-B" (featuring Raekwon) Organized Noize 3:15
5. 14:40 "Aquemini" OutKast 5:19
6. 19:59 "Synthesizer" (featuring George Clinton) OutKast 5:11
7. 25:11 "Slump" (featuring Cool Breeze) OutKast 5:09
8. 30:19 "West Savannah" Organized Noize 4:03
9. 34:23 "Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 1)"
Mr. DJ 3:43
10. 38:05 "Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 2)" Mr. DJ 2:48
11. 40:53 "Mamacita" (featuring Witchdoctor) Organized Noize 5:52
12. 46:45 "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" (featuring Pat Brown) OutKast 7:07
13. 53:52 "Y'All Scared" (featuring T-Mo, Gipp and Khujo) Mr. DJ 4:50
14.58:43 "Nathaniel" OutKast 1:10
15. 59:52 "Liberation" (featuring Cee-Lo, Erykah Badu and Big Rube)
OutKast 8:46
16: 1:08:38 "Chonkyfire" OutKast 6:10
