Photo: Arista Records
OutKast's most talked about album of their career turns 26 today.
On September 29, 1998, Big Boi and André 3000 delivered their third studio album Aquemini via Arista Records/LaFace. The 16-track project is named after their respective Zodiac signs, Aquarius and Gemini. Daddy Fat Sax and 3 Stacks spent two years recording the album at Bobby Brown's Bosstown Recording Studios and Doppler Studios in Atlanta. It's executively produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmunds and features contributions from Erykah Badu, George Clinton and Raekwon. It was lead by bangers like "Skew It on the Bar-B," "Rosa Parks" and "Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 1)."
The song was one of the more successful singles off their album. "Rosa Parks" was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 1999 Grammy Awards. However, it also caused controversy for the group as well. The real Rosa Parks had an issue with the record and filed a civil lawsuit against OutKast and LaFace Records.
Parks claimed OutKast used her name as the title of their song without permission and defamed her character. Her case went all the way up to the Supreme Court, which ruled Parks was able to move forward with the lawsuit. In 2005, OutKast and LaFace settled the lawsuit with Parks in order to "enlighten today's youth about the significant role Rosa Parks played in making America a better place for all races."
Watch a special edition of OutKast's "Rosa Parks" video and relive the entire album on iHeartRadio now.