A three-dimensional aural massage … Read Full Bio ↴Produced by OutKast for Earthtone
A three-dimensional aural massage with a mystical hook that gave cause to question everything you ever thought you believed and to believe nothing you never thought to question
Mr. DJ: On the album before Aquemini, me and Dre grew dreads. We went to Jamaica one time and took our cornrows out and we swam in the ocean, and we decided we were never going to comb our hair again.
After having dreads you realize how people discriminate against you just because of the way you look. Towards the end, around the time we got ready to do this album, we just cut our dreads off. So that's what Dre was referring to when he says: 'Is every nigga with dreads for the cause?/Is every nigga with golds for the fall?" He's just explaining that you can't judge a book by its cover.
Andre 3000: I was a young man searching, a young black man, so I was looking into Rastafarianism, Islam, whatever. I started to notice that all the stories were similar, it was more about a mutual respect and exchange of energy. When you rap and say anything kinda conscious, all the conscious people approach you. So after ATLiens I got it all - from books on sex to [metaphysics] and religion. But you also get introduced to a lot of fake phony ass people, and I addressed it in the song. You find some of the fakest people with dreads pouring oils on you. And it's really kind of mind-blowing when you're a young person and you start to find out some of this is bullshit, so then you're just out there searching.
Big Boi: 'Aquemini' was just the meshing of both worlds, with me being an Aquarius and him being a Gemini. It was subtle on ATLiens, but by the time we got to Aquemini it was like we had two different visions that were [parallel]. So the thing with us was to always show the team.
Preston Crump (bass player): Dre was very experimental. He wanted you to bring in all the stuff you've got and I'd be like, "Yo, I ain't bringing all that stuff in the studio." He'd say, "You got some more effects?" But it was cool, I understand where he was trying to go.
Andre 3000: My biggest [instrument] is my mouth. I'd just lean over to Preston and say: ba-boom, ba-boom. And he'd just kinda go in on it and freak it and make it his own. There's always some improvisation [involved] 'cause I ask for it. I want them to take my idea and make it better. I can't play it [and] at the time I couldn't create it. They're accomplished musicians so you want them around. They bring good ideas.
Mr. DJ: [Me and] Dre started learning how to produce together. We would sit around and watch Rico and Ray all the time, and it was just the coolest shit to see them with the cigarette hanging out one hand and just going in on the beat machine - that was an art in itself, not to mention what came out of the machine.
More than knowing what we were doing, we were just imitating what they were doing. We got the same equipment and we were on the road traveling. We eventually learned what we were doing, but for the most part, we were just going through the motions and trying to do what they were doing and finally learned how to start producing. Dre got really into it. Dre doesn't spend a lot of money on a lot of stuff, but Dre spent a lot of money on music equipment.
Omar Phillips (percussionist): Of course, back then we had the kind of budgets where we could really just live at Doppler Studios. It was just eat, live, sleep, music. We started recording around 8 p.m. and we would come out of the studio at like 6 or 7 in the morning. We were all set up at the same time, which is another great thing about those tracks. There was very little overdub involved. What you hear is what we were hearing. We all tracked at the same time, old-school.
Neal H. Pogue: That was the beauty of making all those records - having musicians come in and out. It was almost like a Motown, that's what we had. Or like a Stax Records thing. That's what I loved about it. It brought back that whole feeling of making records. It was organic.
That was one of my favorite mixes because when Dre says, "It's him and I/ Aquemini" and there's a delay, I wanted to make sure that was a statement. So I put that delay on there just to make it bigger. I always wanted it to come across like it was dimensional, like you could actually put your hands through the song.
Aquemini
OutKast Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die
Horoscopes often lie and sometimes, "Y"
Nothin' is for sure, nothin' is for certain, nothin' lasts forever
But until they close the curtain (y'all know)
It's him and I, Aquemini
Now is the time to get on like Spike Lee said
"Get on the bus", go get your work
And keep your beeper chirpin' is a must
Is you on that dust or cornstarch?
Familiar with that smack man?
The music is like that green stuff
Provided to you by sack man
Pacman how in the fuck do you think we gon' do that, man?
Ridin' round Old National on eighteens without no gat, man
I'm strapped man, and ready to bust on any nigga like that, man
Me and my nigga we roll together like Batman and Robin
We prayed together through hard times
And swung hard when it was fittin'
But now we tappin' the brakes from all them corners
That we be bendin' in Volkswagens and Bonnevilles
Chevrolets and Coupe De Villes
If you ain't got no rims nigga don't get no wood grain
Steerin' wheel for real (real), you can go on chill out and still build
Let your paper stack instead of goin' into overkill
Pay ya fuckin' beeper bill, bitch
Yeah, yeah (yeah)
Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die
Horoscopes often lie and sometimes, "Y"
Nothin' is for sure, nothin' is for certain and nothin' lasts forever
But until they close the curtain
It's him and I, Aquemini
Twice upon a time there was a boy who died
And lived happily ever after but that's another chapter
Live from home of the brave with dirty dollars
Beauty parlors and baby bottles and bowlin' ball Impalas
And street scholars majorin' in culinary arts
You know how to work bread cheese and dough
From scratch but see the catch is you can get caught
Know what ya sellin', what ya bought, so cut that big talk
Let's walk to the bridge, meet me halfway
Now you may see some children dead off in the pathway
It's them poor babies walkin' slowly to the candy lady
It's lookin' bad, need some hope
Like the words "maybe", "if", or "probably"
More than a hobby when my turntables get wobbly they don't fall
I'm sorry y'all, I often drift I'm talkin' gift
So when it comes you never look the horse inside it's grill
Of course you know I feel like the bearer of bad news
Don't want to be it but it's needed so what have you?
Now question is every nigga with dreads for the cause?
Is every nigga with golds for the fall? Naw
So don't get caught up in appearance
It's Outkast, Aquemini another Black experience
Okay
Even the sun goes, down heroes eventually die
Horoscopes often lie and sometimes, "Y"
Nothin' is for sure, nothin' is for certain, nothin' lasts forever
But until they close the curtain
It's him and I, Aquemini
The name is Big Boi, Daddy Fat Sax
The nigga that like them Cadillacs
I stay down with these streets
'Cause these streets is where my folks at
Better know that some say we pro-black, but we professional
We missed a lot of church so the music is our confessional
Get off the testicles and the nut sacks
You bust a rhyme we bust back
G-Get back for real niggas that's out here tryin' to spit facts
You hear that can't come near that, maybe you need to quit (quit)
Because Aquemini is Aquarius and a Gemini runnin' shit like this (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
My mind warps and bends floats the wind count to ten
Meet the twin Andre Ben', welcome to the lion's den
Original skin, many men comprehend
I extend myself, so you go out and tell a friend
Sin all depends on what you believin' in
Faith is what you make it, that's the hardest shit since MC Ren
Alien can blend right on in wit' yo' kin
Look again 'cause I swear I spot one every now and then
It's happenin' again wish I could tell you when
"Andre this is Andre, y'all just gon' have to make amends"
Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die
Horoscopes often lie and sometimes, "Y"
Nothin' is for sure, nothin' is for certain and nothin' lasts forever
But until they close the curtain
It's him and I, Aquemini
Outkast's song Aquemini is an introspective track that considers the impermanence and uncertainty of life. The lyrics explore concepts like mortality, the fallibility of horoscopes, and the fluidity of identity. The opening lines set the tone for the song, as it acknowledges that even heroes, represented by the setting sun, eventually die. Later in the song, Big Boi and Andre 3000 touch on themes like drug addiction and the struggles of navigating poverty and violence in their hometown of Atlanta. They also compare themselves to the zodiac signs Aquarius and Gemini, which represent the blending of two different energies, much like the duo's music.
Additionally, the song explores the changing nature of identity, as Andre 3000 raps, "The alien can blend right in with yo' kin / Look again cause I swear I spot one every now and then." This line suggests that identity is not a fixed concept and that people can be both part of a community and distinct from it. These lyrics served as a reflection of the era in which the song was released, as the late 1990s and early 2000s represented a time of cultural fusion and hybridization.
Overall, Aquemini is a song that addresses mortality, identity, and the impermanence of life. While the lyrics may appear abstract or philosophical on the surface, they provide a thoughtful commentary on the human condition and the complexity of navigating the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die
Nothing in life is certain, everything and everyone comes to an end eventually
Horoscopes often lie and sometimes, "Y"
Predicting the future is not always accurate
Nothin' is for sure, nothin' is for certain, nothin' lasts forever
Echoing the idea that everything in life is temporary and fleeting
But until they close the curtain (y'all know)
It's him and I, Aquemini
Until the inevitable end comes, it's just the two of us together
Now is the time to get on like Spike Lee said
"Get on the bus", go get your work
And keep your beeper chirpin' is a must
The time to act is now, like Spike Lee said to just get going and keep working hard without distractions
Is you on that dust or cornstarch?
Familiar with that smack man?
Asking if the listener is abusing drugs or engaged in drug dealing
The music is like that green stuff
Provided to you by sack man
Pacman how in the fuck do you think we gon' do that, man?
Comparing the music to illegal drugs which is how they are making their money
Ridin' round Old National on eighteens without no gat, man
I'm strapped man, and ready to bust on any nigga like that, man
Being prepared for violence while living in a dangerous neighborhood
Me and my nigga we roll together like Batman and Robin
We prayed together through hard times
And swung hard when it was fittin'
Being best friends who rely on each other during difficult times and are always ready to fight when necessary
But now we tappin' the brakes from all them corners
Learning to slow down and take life easier
That we be bendin' in Volkswagens and Bonnevilles
Chevrolets and Coupe De Villes
Referring to their past experiences cruising around in different cars
If you ain't got no rims nigga don't get no wood grain
Steerin' wheel for real (real), you can go on chill out and still build
Don't worry about showing off material possessions, focus on building wealth and investing
Let your paper stack instead of goin' into overkill
Pay ya fuckin' beeper bill, bitch
Urging the listener to save their money and pay their bills
Twice upon a time there was a boy who died
And lived happily ever after but that's another chapter
Making a reference to a traditional fairy tale, suggesting that life doesn't always have a happy ending
Live from home of the brave with dirty dollars
Beauty parlors and baby bottles and bowlin' ball Impalas
Describing the setting they live in with a mixture of grit and everyday life experiences
And street scholars majorin' in culinary arts
You know how to work bread cheese and dough
From scratch but see the catch is you can get caught
Praising those who have become skilled at cooking but cautioning them about the dangers of illegal activities
Know what ya sellin', what ya bought, so cut that big talk
Encouraging honesty in dealings and speech
Let's walk to the bridge, meet me halfway
Now you may see some children dead off in the pathway
It's them poor babies walkin' slowly to the candy lady
Taking a walk to meet in the middle and recognizing the struggles and challenges faced by those on the path
It's lookin' bad, need some hope
Like the words "maybe", "if", or "probably"
Describing a hopelessness that is mitigated by clinging onto possibilities
More than a hobby when my turntables get wobbly they don't fall
I'm sorry y'all, I often drift I'm talkin' gift
Describing the importance of his music and the skill required in making it
So when it comes you never look the horse inside it's grill
Of course you know I feel like the bearer of bad news
Advising to be honest with oneself and others and be prepared for bad news
Don't want to be it but it's needed so what have you?
Accepting the role of being the bearer of bad news when necessary
Now question is every nigga with dreads for the cause?
Is every nigga with golds for the fall? Naw
Questioning whether or not people are truly committed to a cause or just trying to show off
So don't get caught up in appearance
It's Outkast, Aquemini another Black experience
Discouraging people from focusing on outward appearances and reminding that they represent Black culture
The name is Big Boi, Daddy Fat Sax
The nigga that like them Cadillacs
I stay down with these streets
'Cause these streets is where my folks at
Introducing himself as Big Boi and describing his preference for Cadillacs and loyalty to his neighborhood
Better know that some say we pro-black, but we professional
We missed a lot of church so the music is our confessional
Acknowledging their reputation as being pro-Black but emphasizing their dedication to being professionals and the music as an outlet for personal expression
Get off the testicles and the nut sacks
You bust a rhyme we bust back
Urging others not to talk trash or provoke them, but warn that they will not hesitate to respond to verbal threats
G-Get back for real niggas that's out here tryin' to spit facts
You hear that can't come near that, maybe you need to quit (quit)
Advising real rappers with legitimate claims to get out of their way and chase their dreams
Because Aquemini is Aquarius and a Gemini runnin' shit like this (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Merging astrology and personal identities to demonstrate their power and influence in the music industry
My mind warps and bends floats the wind count to ten
Meet the twin Andre Ben', welcome to the lion's den
Taking a moment to describe the abstract and unique nature of his thought process before introducing Andre Benjamin as his musical partner
Original skin, many men comprehend
I extend myself, so you go out and tell a friend
Proudly embracing his original and authentic identity and encouraging listeners to share his music with others
Sin all depends on what you believin' in
Faith is what you make it, that's the hardest shit since MC Ren
Suggesting that sin and faith are personal, individual choices, and playfully referencing the rapper MC Ren in the process
Alien can blend right on in wit' yo' kin
Look again 'cause I swear I spot one every now and then
It's happenin' again wish I could tell you when
Musing on the possibility of extraterrestrial beings living amongst us
"Andre this is Andre, y'all just gon' have to make amends"
Closing the song with a fourth-wall breaking reference to his own name, suggesting that people will just have to come to terms with who he is
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Antwan Patton, Andre Benjamin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
la Son
on Mainstream
@23 references psalm 23
A healthy portion of this song on all verses spits on spiritual