The Making of OutKast's Aquemini
Andre 3000, Big Boi and cast look back on a classic
by Rodney Carmichael
LAFACE RECORDS
GOD BLESS THE CHILD THAT’S GOT HIS OWN: Andre and Big Boi came into their own on Aquemini
With additional reporting by Jacinta Howard and Phillip Mlynar
Man, first they were some pimps. Then they were some aliens or some genies - some shit. Then they be talkin' 'bout that black righteous space. Man, fuck them. I ain't fuckin' with them no mo'.
- "Return of the G' skit, Aquemini
By the time Aquemini was due to drop in the fall of 1998, no one knew what to expect from the-soon-to-be-iconic OutKast.
They'd gone from red clay players to extraterrestrials - down-to-earth to out-of-this-world - in the span of two albums. But if the contextual leap from their Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik debut to ATLiens was fueled by an Afrofuturistic flight of fancy (and, lest we forget, their feelings of alienation from hip-hop's East Coast vanguard), then Aquemini was OutKast's return mission home.
Not only were Antwon "Big Boi" Patton and Andre "3000" Benjamin eager to prove that they were still down, they wanted to lift the 'hood a little higher.
The resulting mix was earthy and ethereal - a perfect bridge between their artistic extremes. Dre was producing more, following the blueprint inherited from mentors Ray Murray, Rico Wade and Sleepy Brown of Organized Noize. Big was penning the hooks that would help turn OutKast into celebrated pop stars. And Mr. DJ was churning out some serious beats on the drum machine. By collaborating with some of Atlanta's finest instrumentalists on record, they created one of their most experimental and musical releases to date.
Now that the Dirty South rules the world, it's easy to forget that Aquemini was the first Southern hip-hop album to earn the coveted five-mic rating from the former bible of the genre, The Source magazine.
At the time, R&B was dead, rap was on its last leg (R.I.P. Biggie and Pac), and Bill Clinton was in the Oval Office getting some head. But it mattered not. If post-soul polemics and pre-millennial angst had the world in a funk, Aquemini only made things funkier.
Before all the drama with babies' mamas' mamas, before the Grammy's got hip (replacement surgery), before Hollywood hopped on the jock, this was the album on which Big (the Aquarius) and Dre (the Gemini) truly unleashed their stanktastic genius.
On the twelfth anniversary of its release - you know, 12, as in signs of the zodiac - Creative Loafing pays track-by-track homage with an extended breakdown on the making of Aquemini, featuring interviews with Andre 3000, Big Boi, Mr. DJ, Organized Noize mentor Rico Wade, and the numerous featured artists, Atlanta musicians and studio engineers who played an integral role in the creation of one of the best albums ever.
Featuring: Andre 3000: MC/producer | Big Boi: MC/producer | Mr. DJ: Producer, one-third of Earthtone III with OutKast, and cousin to Rico Wade | Rico Wade: Organized Noize founder/producer with Ray Murray and Pat "Sleepy" Brown | Raekwon: MC/Wu-Tang Clan member | Cee-Lo: Vocalist/Goodie Mob member | Khujo: MC/vocalist and Goodie Mob member | Masada: New Jersey-based MC and former Organized Noize protégé | Joi: Vocalist/songwriter and long-time Dungeon Family collaborator | Kawan Prather: Former LaFace Records A&R for Aquemini and early Dungeon Family member | Preston Crump: Bass player | Marvin Chanz Parkman: Keyboard player and former Organized Noize staff producer/songwriter | Omar Phillips: Percussionist | Donny Mathis: Guitarist | Tomi Martin: Guitarist | Neal H. Pogue: Sound mixer/recording engineer
"Hold On, Be Strong"
Produced by Donny Mathis and OutKast for Earthtone
Barely over a minute long, the meditative intro sounds like a relic from the previous album
Donny Mathis (guitarist): I came from the church, that's how I got involved with Organized Noize [and OutKast]. I told OutKast I had a song and they allowed me to produce and put "Hold On, Be Strong" on there. It was a full song with verses, but they didn't want the words, they just wanted the hook. It was really coming from a gospel aspect by me being in the church. Dre played the kalimba on it.
Andre 3000: I bought that kalimba at some flea market or music store and I just remembered hearing it on Earth Wind & Fire records. I just thought it was cool and started playing around with it. It was definitely improv. Donny [Mathis] played guitar, Preston [Crump] played bass and I think 4.0 was singing on it. Tony Hightower was in 4.0 and we've been friends since third grade, along with Cee-Lo. We all used to breakdance with each other and we ended up meeting each other again back at [the Dungeon Family headquarters and Rico Wade's home studio] the Dungeon.
"Return of the 'G'"
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can you please fix the text formatting??? i really want to read this but can't.
This article just reminded me of being 13 and playing this album over and over. I think Outkast is one of if the biggest musical influence in my life. Not only did they show that they could make great music they also showed that there is no right or wrong formula for music. If it's good music, then that's what it is regardless of genre.
I never thought that these cats just jumped in the studio with a beat and came out with heat. Anytime i'd read the credits to their albums it was always multiple people involved but, i never knew how far their involvement went. It's almost how Dr. Dre ran sessions on the Chronic album, except these guys did it on every album. What a great read this was, i don't think many hip-hop groups will ever see these kind of studio ethics in their lives.
Favorite quote: "There was very little overdub involved. What you hear is what we were hearing. We all tracked at the same time, old-school." - Omar Phillips
Great piece of literature my friend......this type of insight is what makes you realize why you love the album. At the time it dropped it was out of this world, fresh, thought provoking, etc....it really molded my life and my peers as young adults coming up in the A. Kudos to Kast, the whole DF, and the studio session players real unsung heroes in my book.
I believe this is pretty much the best article ever written on one of the best albums ever recorded.
I didn't realize I sat in front of my laptop for hrs to read this lol. I LOVED IT. I just sat here and relived every night I stayed up late drawing and painting with a lamp on in my room playin this album over and over again knowin I had school the next morning lol. I've been doin that since the time it came it, I was only 11 then. WOW, now I understand why I loved AQUEMINI so much. I wish their other album can be broken this way. OMG I am such a HUGE fan....this was great
This is my favorite album ever, to the point that I definitely judge whoever is absent-minded enough to deny its brilliance. This article was wonderful & added so much extra depth and meaning to such a piece of art. I hope this article can serve as a jumping off point for a documentary on the making of this album or something in that same vein. I feel like people would go ape shit for something like that. I know I would.
This album is definitive of who I am as a young woman from Soutwest Atlanta. It also explains my many self-contradictions. Through OUTKAST's art, I have learned to embrace both sides of my mind (my BigBoi vs. Andre3000-LOL), and celebrate & illustrate each side equally (without fear).
I remember going to buy this on my study hall at like 10 in the morning. There were 6 of us, we piled in and went to Turtles on ponce. They only had cassettes left and we bought it anyway and spent the rest of the day in the car bumpin. Went back and bought the CD the next day. What a legendary album!
Although ATLiens is my favorite 'Kast album, this song by song breakdown gives me a new respect for Aquemini! Cool Idea!
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