Aquemini
by OutKast

From HoldenM 09/18/2025 23:52 | #310974

Everything great about ATLiens cranked up to perfection. They find the meager room for improvement and somehow fill it while raising the bar for themselves. Sharp, groovy, and unabashedly political. Andre and Big Boi have never been more united.

A great album, fusing catchy hooks with incredible production and virtuosic rapping.

The only thing holding back the album is its length. The filler is very good, but there's too much of it.

9.5/10!

Aquemini is introspective and smooth compared to the better-known (and better-made) Stankonia.

An album full of great sounds and great vibes…but somehow devoid of many good songs.

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I've probably only made it through this album a handful of times, but the 1st half is pretty cool

OutKast - Aquemini is an album that has achieved legendary status- and deservedly so. They draw inspiration from different genres and combine them to create a unique sound that doesn't sound dated at all despite more than two decades having gone by since it came out. Hold on, Be Strong is a calm intro that doesn't prepare you at all for what's about to follow. In Return of the "G" the theme from the Midnight Express adds a whole new dimension, not to mention Andre delivers one of his finest verses. Rosa Parks is a nice reference to a historical moment for human rights and the fight againist discrimination based on race, but the harmonica is what really steals the show. Skew It on the Bar-B confirms their ambition to attract a wide audience with various backgrounds ("Old school players to new school fools") and of course features Raekwon. The title track is an ode to the strong bond that has formed between Andre and Big Boi("Me and my nigga we roll together like Batman and Robin"). The next three songs, even though they contribute some always timely commentary regarding the future of society and the influence of technology (Synthesizer), or about life on the streets (Slump), or bring some tales from West Savannah, which is Big Boi's hometown, signify a small drop (nothing too bad, still way above average, maybe it has to do with the absence of Andre from two out of these three.). Da Art Of Storytellin' (Part 1) is exactly what it promises to be. Two stories, both very interesting, Andre's is stronger, the tragic ending hits really hard and contains their most iconic line (I said, "What you wanna be?" She said, "Alive"). Da Art of Storytellin’ (Pt. 2) provides another change of direction, leading us to the Apocalypse. Mamacita is the most heavily criticised track. It isn't that bad, but it pales in comparison to everything else. SpottieOttieDopaliscious sees the album take another turn, as it gives us a taste of the night life through a reggae-ish vibe. Y’All Scared features two Goodie Mob rappers as guests, but Andre is the man one more time ("At age fifteen they start smokin' Billy Clint' Now he's twenty-one and wants to know where the time went Hey, hey, hey, what's the haps? Well see your time elapsed"). Nathaniel gives an insight into life in jail and is nicely tied to the next song ("Liberation") which - as its name suggests - explores the concept of freedom. Finally, Chonkyfire is a guitar-heavy closer.

From Larcx13 11/23/2020 12:14 | #261263

Its a great record but songs like Mamasita arent for me..

From VictorVale 11/23/2020 10:48 | #261260

Fantástico as camadas e as texturas de sons! Kanye sugou bem daqui.

From planetneutral 11/04/2020 00:56 | #260162

Continuing the trend of album length being overvalued.