Every once in a while someone makes an album that actually means something. This time around, Outkast is that someone, and Aquemini is that album. With their first album, Outkast created Southern hip-hop, and with their second album, they further defined it. Then, rap groups from the South really took off, and took the sound of the South with them, far from the boundaries set by Big Boi and Dre. However, the two innovative MCs break new ground with Aquemini, their third album, not to reclaim their reign of the dirty South, but to establish their mark in the universal scheme of hip-hop. Rap music needs Aquemini for its lyrical consciousness, its musical creativity, and its accessibility. One of the album’s most impressive qualities is its ability to keep it real without self-consciousness. Outkast takes an everyday situation and turns it into an amazing storytelling journey into outer space. Songs such as the seven-minute SpottieOttieDopaliscious that feature live instruments and poetic lyrics are Outkast at their best.