Outkast's Aquemini

This title is about a transitional album, fantastically straddling a middle road between regional sounds and mass-popular hits. "Aquemini" is in essence a tour of the people and places of Atlanta. Listening, you feel a distinct sense of place. With that in mind, this book is not simply a study of Outkast and their third album, it is also a tactile meditation on Atlanta as an historical atlas of the past ten years. When Big Boi and Dre released "Aquemini", in the wake of the East Coast/West Coast rap feud, amidst the superficial glitter of post-Biggie-Smalls Puff Daddy, few were looking to Atlanta. How things have changed. Outkast's debut and follow-up album were still homegrown hits, carried on the shoulders and dollars of other southerners. Aquemini on the other hand, is the record that brought Outkast to a national stage, earning a Grammy nomination for the single 'Rosa Parks'. Conceptually, Aquemini aims to create a document that's both a visual and written account of a time and brings to life a culturally specific experience. This is a journalistic account augmented by photographs, snippets of dialogue, artifacts, and of course the authors own musings.

"33 1/3" is a series of short books about a wide variety of albums, by artists ranging from James Brown to the Beastie Boys. Launched in September 2003, the series now contains over 50 titles and is acclaimed and loved by fans, musicians and scholars alike.