Aquemini

Aquemini is a 1998 album by hip hop group OutKast (Big Boi, Andr? 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, Cee-Lo, Erykah Badu 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 Andr? and Big Boi themselves on nine out of the fourteen tracks.

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Aquemini (a combination of the two performers' Zodiac signs: Aquarius (Big Boi) and Gemini (Andr?)) is a vaguely futuristic, synthesizer-drenched album punctuated with anthemic choruses and bluesy beats, as well as a memorable spoken word poem in the song "Liberation". In contrast to much of hip hop 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 West Coast or East Coast, both dominated by a monolithic style of production and delivery. 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.

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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"http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/cd/review.asp?aid=17527&cf=, while Popmatters.com 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'"http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/o/outkast-aquemini.shtml. Q magazine called Aquemini "(b)reathtaking in its ambition... (Aquemini) makes most rappers seem drab and doltish in comparison" http://www.q4music.com/nav?page=q4music.review.redirect&fixture_review=137750&resource=137750&fixture_artist=141702, while others have identified the album as alternative hip hop or compared it to progressive rock and bands like Pink Floyd http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/issues/v79/n37/outkast.37a.html. Nude as the News called "Rosa Parks" "one of the best rap songs ever crafted" http://www.nudeasthenews.com/reviews/938.

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1998: 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean....

Hip hop: Hip hop is a cultural movement that originated in the working class communities of New York City, United States, in the late 1970s. Other elements include beatboxing, hip hop fashion, and slang. Since first emerging in the South Bronx, hip hop culture has spread around the world. When hip hop music ...

OutKast: OutKast is a popular and successful American hip hop duo based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Their original musical style was a mixture of Dirty South and G-Funk; since then, funk, soul, electronica, and rock elements have been added to the mix. The duo is Andr? "Andr? 3000" Benjamin (formerly known as ...