#outkast

On this day in 1998, Outkast dropped their 3rd acombined zodiac signs and creativity to produce not only their best collective work, but one of the most important albums in hip-hop, Aquemini.

World-wise, wary, alien and earthy, Aquemini is the quintessential OutKast album, coming at a time when fans of their 1994 debut, Southernplaylisticadillacmusic and their outstanding, space-age sophomore 1996 effort, ATLiens, were confused and concerned about Big and Dre’s standing as artists and friends.

Lyrically, Big and Dre were completely in another realm, with life-lessons and analysis that remain relevant. Just listen to the hook on the lead single, “Rosa Parks,” the outer space, tingling energy on “Aquemini,” the dystopian futuristic “Synthesizer,” or the storytelling on “The Art of Storytellin’ (Pt. 1).” After being disrespected at the ‘95 Source Awards, and struggling to prove to everyone that the South had always had “somethin’ to say,” Aquemini was birthed.

Aquemini’s release came on a momentous day in hip-hop, arriving on the same day as A Tribe Called Quest’s long-awaited The Love Movement, Jay-Z’s career-changing Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life and the arrival of Black Star via Mos Def (Yasiin Bey) and Talib Kweli. Out of those records, however, Aquemini stands as the most brilliant, lightyears ahead of its time, and impactful both musically and culturally.

On this day in 1994, Outkast dropped ”Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik”

@BigBoi and Andre 3000 were in their bag this whole album but “Players Ball”, “Ain’t No Thang”, “Hootie Hoo” would help them go platinum proving that the south had something to say

What’s your fav beat?

3 Stacks

for the last day of BLACK HISTORY MONTH:

OUTKAST AT THE 2004 GRAMMYs

Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu

Atlanta-based hip-hop duo Outkast was formed in 1991 by Andre Benjamin, aka Andre 3000 and Antwan Patton, aka Big Boi.

Outkast’s first album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was released in 1994. The album represents a much larger story of hip-hop from the south, both from the Atlanta area and expanding beyond that region. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik includes narratives around southern culture and identity that connect with themes and topics that were for the most part not being prominently discussed in hip-hop at that time. The sonic construction of the album features elements pulled from multiple genres, and the production by Organized Noize – especially the inclusion of live instrumentation – combined with the lyrics and unique flows of Big Boi and Andre created a new movement in hip-hop. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik simultaneously explored the past, present, and future of music and culture, and established Outkast’s authenticity as unapologetically Southern.

When Outkast won the award for Best New Rap Group during the 1995 Source Awards, Andre 3000’s response to boos from the already tense audience at Madison Square Garden was to proclaim that “ the South got something to say,” a moment that is now marks the arrival of Southern hip-hop to audiences outside of the South.

Outkast continued exploring and expanding their visual and sonic identity with ATLiens (1996), Aquemini (1998),  Stankonia (2000) and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003).  By addressing topics that were true to their lives and the lives of many around them, they inserted conversations about southern culture into mainstream music, always with a layer of layer of activism—calls for action and stories to create awareness of many issues present in Black communities across the country.

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Written by Timothy Anne Burnside, Museum Specialist, Office of Curatorial Affairs, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.