- 01AqueminiOutkastWith the release of their third album, Aquemini , they not only established themselves as the heart of the southern rap scene, but solidified their personality as a group made up of two almost irreconcilable individuals.from the chapter
- 02“Hold On, Be Strong”OutkastThe opening track, “Hold On, Be Strong,” is abstract and gentle, with unconventional instrumentation and the title chanted in almost New Age style.from the chapter
- 03“Return of the ‘G’”OutkastThat’s followed by “Return of the ‘G,’ ” a declaration of purpose where first André and then Big Boi reiterate their different-but-the-same, together-but-apart connection.from the chapter
- 04Journey Through the Secret Life of PlantsStevie WonderI personally love Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants , his 1979 mostly instrumental double album.from the chapter
- 05“Outside My Window”Stevie WonderTake a song like “Outside My Window.” Inside my head, this song is perfect.from the chapter
- 06Hotter Than JulyStevie WonderEven his next record, the far more song-oriented Hotter Than July , was a moment for Black folks, because of the King holiday, because of “Master Blaster,” but it didn’t have the same mainstream potency as the five unquestioned masterpieces he made across the early and mid-’70s.from the chapter
- 07“Master Blaster (Jammin)”Stevie WonderBut there was Eddie Murphy in 1983, telling everyone in Delirious , “Stevie Wonder is a musical genius!” For those of us who were somewhere between eight and fourteen at the time, who were sneaking and listening to the Eddie Murphy record out of our parents’ earshot, what he said was law.from the chapter
- 08“Living in America”James Brown(Eddie did the same thing for James Brown—how many people from the early ’80s, the time before “Living in America,” knew James only from the Celebrity Hot Tub sketch?from the chapter
- 09“Lucifer”Jay-ZThe same is true now for Kanye West, who was anointed a genius by Jay-Z in the lyrics to “Lucifer,” a distinction that should last him another forty-one months or so at least.from the chapter