500: OutKast — Aquemini (1998, LaFace)

Overall rating: 3.5

Level of prior familiarity: 2(I’ve listened to OutKast many times, but never this album)

How I listened: on Spotify, at work, while I was working. This breaks my preference for listening in the foreground, but I’m already starting to think that was a pipe dream.

Here’s what I know about OutKast: not a lot. I mean, I’ve listened to the hits like everyone else. I had a brief moment in college where “B.O.B.” was on constant repeat on my iPod. But I’m woefully unfamiliar with the band’s deeper catalog (or pretty much anything other than Stankonia and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below). Unfortunately I’m not gonna get much deeper on the RS500 (Stankonia is the only other album here), but I’m definitely thinking I need to spend a lot more time with OutKast. Aquemini is an incredibly strong album, fun but smart, and demands repeat listens. I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface here.