Maybe you’d fall in love, or at least lust. (The one time he made it to the parking lot, he was too drunk to get through the door.)īig Boi meditates on the ways a night at that club might change your life. He’s never actually been there, and he’s not scared to admit it. André lays out the scene: The sounds, the smells, the possibilities, the fights that might suddenly break out deep into the night. On that song, André 3000 and Big Boi reflect on the existence of an old Southwest Atlanta roller-disco, on the sorts of things that might happen there. Those horns come from “SpottieOttieDopaliscious,” a song from near the end of Aquemini, OutKast’s third and best album, which turns 20 tomorrow. But they hadn’t really done anything to prepare us for those horns, or for the song that those horns call home. They’d pushed themselves and tested their audience. When we first heard those horns, OutKast were an acclaimed and successful Southern rap group - a group that, if you were paying attention, had already released two classic albums. The riff they’re playing is long enough that you can chop it up, make tons of little riffs out of it. They will never go away.īecause it’s not just the horns. They will keep coming back to us, again and again. Those horns have floated lazily through Childish Gambino and Joey Bada$$ songs. Lil Wayne used those horns as his backing on the first Dedication mixtape, when he was explaining why he called it Dedication. Beyoncé has used those horns on two songs, “All Night” and the “Flawless” remix, and in her Coachella set. Those horns have become a signifier, a calling card. The riff they trill out is pretty complicated, but it’s also instantly memorable, a melody that seems familiar the first time you hear it.

The horns sit calmly atop the track, precise and regal.

Outkast aquemini full album