May 13, 2015

After listening to about 4 or 5 songs, the Kendrick influence is STRONG lol

 

May 13, 2015

i get mocked for saying the kendrick album is derivative, then people pop out of the woodwork saying they've never listened to outkast, god

 

May 13, 2015

 

May 13, 2015

The Kendrick album being derivative doesn't justify you calling it "the worst album from a great rapper"

 

May 13, 2015

it's close

 

May 13, 2015

It's not

 

May 13, 2015

i would say those albums are of comparable quality

 

May 13, 2015

and ya would be wrong

 

May 13, 2015

eh. no songs work front-to-back on the kendrick album. kingdom come at least has a couple SONGS.

 

May 13, 2015

Hadn't listened to anything from the album in probably a month..

Just listened to Alright... "no songs work front to back" lmao

 

May 13, 2015

I think TBTB, the album version of i (skits included), wesley's theory, institutionalized, u, and hood politics all work rather well.

 

May 13, 2015

1a: How old were you when Aquemini was released and did you hear it when it first came out? What was your reaction?
I was four when Aquemini came out, so naturally I didn't hear it at the time.

1b: If not, when did you first hear Aquemini? How do you think listening to it at a later date affected your view of it?
I first heard Aquemini when I was around 13, so... 2007-ish. I don't think listening to it at a later date really affected my view at all. I knew it was highly regarded, but I always try to judge things objectively.

2: Today, how does it hold up sonically? Does it still sound fresh?
Still definitely a classic. Sonically I think it holds up very well, what captain awesome said about the genre fusing working in its favour was pretty spot on.

3: What about content-wise? Does its theme or subject matter make it feel dated or is it timeless?
It feels pretty timeless to me. Its been replicated so many times that it doesn't feel like its legacy has waned even a little.

4: What are the best and worst songs on Aquemini?
Both Art Of Storytellin' parts for best. Nathaniel for worst.

5: What albums, if any, do you see it still influencing today?
To p---- A Butterfly, easily.

6: Will Aquemini still be part of the hip-hop zeitgeist 10 years from now?
Of course

 

May 13, 2015

on topic:

i probably heard aquemini for the first time in 2003. it was among the albums that i first got into when i started listening to rap, and i had minimal outside direction so i went in with relatively little baggage or context. if anything, it was more of a vacuum than those who got it the week of its release. honestly, i wish that weren't the case--the effect dre's talking about on return of the g must have been so powerful for those who had watched them from '94 on. (that is probably my pick for the best verse to open an album, ever.)

outkast's music sounds remarkably, preposterously fresh now and likely always will. it defies reason. i would love to hear someone try to argue that this isn't one of the most enduring catalogs in all of rap music, this album especially.

people have covered kendrick. i would add that the way aquemini incorporated funk is one of the only meaningful advancements of the way quik and dre were doing it in the early '90s. i think you could argue that a good deal of 2011-present hip-hop that deals with instrumental samples and isn't boom bap traces its dna back to dungeon family records, though soul food remains the most under-appreciated set of beats ever.

aquemini will always be held as a masterpiece. i think i listen to it more than atliens, speakerboxxx and idlewild, but less than southernplatalistic and stankonia. it's probably better than southern, definitely better than stankonia. it's beautiful, it's brilliant, it's better than all but, i don't know, ten albums(?) in the genre's history.

 

May 13, 2015

yikes

the maxim says classic albums have to define or shape their era. illmatic did both. what makes it the greatest rap album ever is that it is thoroughly, almost bitterly 1992-93-94 in its images, its landmarks, its syntax. but the ideas exist outside of time or region. i know i come across as short and probably pedantic on here sometimes (because i simply dont have time to engage in all these arguments the way i'd like to), but if you don't think illmatic is one of the six or eight greatest rap records ever, you're failing as a listener.

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17497-illmatic/

 

May 13, 2015

dont bother with skippy he's like 16 or something man

 

May 13, 2015

skippy doesn't strike me as that dumb. if you listen to rap even half-seriously it should be painfully obvious how great and how timeless illmatic is.

 

May 13, 2015

1a. How old were you when Aquemini was released and did you hear it when it first came out? What was your reaction?
I was not born yet lol

1b. If not, when did you first hear Aquemini? How do you think listening to it at a later date affected your view of it?
Months ago, meanwhile checking the rest of Outkast discography. With this album in particular, none.

2. Today, how does it hold up sonically? Does it still sound fresh?
This record is timeless man. Sounds fresh af yet funky and modern at the same time. I believe it was an album way ahead of it's time.

3. What about content-wise? Does its theme or subject matter make it feel dated or is it timeless?
Again, for me the people at that time couldn't expect at all something like this. The content here is amazing and I believe the messages that this record leaves on the table are ageless.

4. What are the best and worst songs on Aquemini?
SpottieOttieDopaliscious, Aquemini and Synthetizer the best tracks here imo.

The worst song is Mamacita. Really mediocre.

5. What albums, if any, do you see it still influencing today?
There are too much records that were influenced by this album man.

6. Will Aquemini still be part of the hip-hop zeitgeist 10 years from now?
Absolutely.

 

May 13, 2015

Great idea man btw

 

May 13, 2015

I wholly acknowledge that Illmatic is one of, if not the greatest rap record of all time, it just didn't strike me as hard as it has others upon first listen. I'll probably go back very soon considering many people have been on my back about it. I admit I'm probably just being a bit dismissive.

18, and I like to think my opinions are generally reasonable

a) thanks
b) im probably going to get s--- for this, and I mean it in the least disrespectful way possible, but a lot of older rap just does not appeal to my tastes. Meaning I know it's great for sure, but it's just not what I personally enjoy listening to, you know what I mean? That's why I said I might just be being dismissive, because a lot of older rap just isn't the kind of sound I enjoy. Just like how Black Flag is one of the definitive punk bands but I prefer more modern stuff like FIDLAR.

 

May 13, 2015

1a. How old were you when Aquemini was released and did you hear it when it first came out? What was your reaction?
7

1b. If not, when did you first hear Aquemini? How do you think listening to it at a later date affected your view of it?
I listened to it when I was 15-16 I think. Nah, I don't think that it matters. If anything, I could understand the album better as I kept growing up and maturing; I barely could speak english when I was 7

2. Today, how does it hold up sonically? Does it still sound fresh?
Yes, they mixed a variety of sounds that fitted together perfectly. That also makes it very accessible to non-rap fans. Fresh is the best word that you could choose, actually.

3. What about content-wise? Does its theme or subject matter make it feel dated or is it timeless?
Ofc it's not dated, the harsh realities that they describe are still here. I'm impressed by the chemistry between them and their charisma, every single time.

4. What are the best and worst songs on Aquemini?
I don't know, I never replay a track, I never skip a track.

5. What albums, if any, do you see it still influencing today?
Lamar and KRIT are the first ones that came to my mind, but you can hear their influence in many more artists (not just rappers).

6. Will Aquemini still be part of the hip-hop zeitgeist 10 years from now?
Yes