Editing Aquemini (section)

==Songs==
{{Listen|pos = right
 |filename     = SpottieOttieDopaliscious.ogg
 |title        = "SpottieOttieDopaliscious"
 |description  = The twelfth track on the album contains influence from [[reggae]] and [[spoken word]] musical styles and features a recurring horn riff throughout the song.
 |filename2    = Liberation_Outkast.ogg
 |title2       = "Liberation"
 |description2 = This song delves into a variety of musical genres including [[Gospel music|gospel]], [[jazz]], blues, and [[world music]]. "Liberation" deviates from Outkast's traditional style by not including rapped vocals and instead featuring vocal alternations between singing and spoken word styles.
}}
''Aquemini''{{'}}s opening track "Hold On, Be Strong" was written by the session guitarist Donny Mathis and originally conceived as a full song with verses, but the group preferred to only use the refrain.<ref name="Makingof"/> André 3000 played a [[kalimba]] on the song after purchasing the instrument at a flea market, drawing inspiration from [[Earth, Wind & Fire]].<ref name="Makingof"/> "Return of the G" addresses concerns from fans who felt that the group's style had changed too drastically since the release of ''Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik'', as well as those who make poor decisions in order to keep their street credibility.<ref name="Makingof"/><ref name="Slant"/> When discussing the lyrical content of the song, André 3000 explained, "I was young and wilder and some of my fashion choices people didn't accept at the time. I started getting flak from some people, so they were like, 'Either he's gay or on drugs'&nbsp;... 'Return of the Gangsta' was trying to give them a sense of, 'Hey, I'm still a regular person.'"<ref name="Makingof"/> "Rosa Parks" contains [[blues]]-influenced guitar work and folksy harmonies that "announce OutKast's distinctive style of Southern boogie. The groove goes into overdrive during a clapping, foot-stomping breakdown funkified by a fierce harmonica as the kick drum pounds incessantly."<ref name="RS"/>

The next track, "Skew It On the Bar-B", features the [[Wu-Tang Clan]] rapper [[Raekwon]] and discusses the disappointment of the group's debut album not achieving the coveted "five-mic" rating from ''[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]]'': "I gotta hit the Source / I need my other half mic / because that ''Southernplayalisticadillacmusik'' was a classic right?".<ref name=Sarig174>Sarig, 174.</ref> "Skew It On the Bar-B" is followed by the title track, which has been compared to the music of the soul singer [[Isaac Hayes]].<ref name="RS"/> Pogue experimented with [[Delay (audio effect)|delays]] and echos in his production to make the song "dimensional, like you could actually put your hands through the song."<ref name="Makingof"/> "Synthesizer" contains elements of [[electrofunk]] and features the [[funk]] musician [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]].<ref name="RS"/> ''[[Billboard Magazine|Billboard]]'' called "Synthesizer" an "[[electronic music|electronic]]-leaning... spasm of technological paranoia."<ref name="bill2018">{{cite magazine |last1=Lyons |first1=Patrick |title=OutKast's 'Aquemini' Turns 20: How They Made One of the Most Well-Rounded Rap Albums of All Time |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/outkast-aquemini-turns-20-anniversary-8477521/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=25 January 2022}}</ref> Emma Warren of ''[[The Guardian]]'' called the track "raw and woozy", dubbing it the "weirdest moment of the record".<ref name=Guardian/> On the seventh track, "Slump", Big Boi is joined by two members of the Dungeon Family as they describe their experiences selling dope. This is one of the few tracks that does not have Andre on it. On "West Savannah", Big Boi discusses his Southern roots, and references individuals who grew up outside of the South who fail to recognize different regional Southern identities by stating "You might call us country, but we's only Southern".<ref name="Miller3839">Miller, 2010. pp.&nbsp;38–39</ref>

"Da Art of Storytellin' (Part 1)" tells the story of a self-destructive childhood friend named Sasha Thumper who dies of a [[drug overdose]].<ref name="Hess462">Hess, p. 462</ref> Commenting on the song's lyrical content, author Mickey Hess remarks that André 3000 "manages to walk the fine line between emotionalism and masculinity by articulating this highly emotional narrative with an almost emotionless tone."<ref name="Hess462"/> The next track, "Da Art of Storytellin' (Part 2)", is an apocalyptic song that represents the group's vision of "the last song recorded in the world", with André 3000 commenting, "I do remember thinking, 'What if it was the end of the world and we had to get to the Dungeon on some [[X-Men]] superhero shit. I think I was vibing on some end-of-the-world, last-recorded-song shit'".<ref name="Makingof"/> Following is "Mamacita", which features Dungeon Crew rapper Masada in a meditation on male-female relationships, inspired by an ex-girlfriend of André 3000 who began pursuing women after their breakup.<ref name="Makingof"/> "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" relates a story of ill-fated romance, with André 3000 describing the infatuation during an encounter with a woman at a club and Big Boi noting the hopelessness of the relationship as the song progresses.<ref name="Wang133">Wang, 2003. p. 133</ref>

"Y'all Scared" is a collaboration with three members of [[Goodie Mob]] and contains the chant "If you scared, say you scared" accompanied by prominent organ and guitar work.<ref name="Makingof"/> "Nathaniel" is an [[a cappella]] rap by the group's close friend who at the time was an inmate in a Georgia prison, and the song is a recording of an actual collect call during his time in jail. The track is an introduction to "Liberation".<ref name="Makingof"/> The eight-minute-long "Liberation" combines a variety of musical styles, including [[Gospel music|gospel]], [[jazz]], blues, and [[world music]]. The song is notable for not including rapped vocals and instead features vocal alternations between singing and spoken word styles.<ref name="Sarig172">Sarig, p. 172</ref> Lyrically, the track utilizes images of slavery to symbolize artistic freedom and not being concerned with the opinions of the public and record labels.<ref name="Sarig172"/> The album closes with "Chonkyfire", which features a fuzzy guitar riff and snippets from OutKast's speech at the 1995 Source Awards in which the group emphasized the Southern hip-hop scene as a legitimate subgenre.<ref name="Sarig173174">Sarig, pp.&nbsp;173–174</ref> ''Billboard'' called "Chonkyfire" a track of "bad-trip [[psychedelic rock]]."<ref name="bill2018"/>