Elektra
Entertainment
has entered into a label deal with the much sought after brain
trust of multiplatinum hip hop group Outkast. Andre "3000"
Benjamin, and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton, both of Outkast
and David "Mr. DJ" Sheats, (principals in the production
team Earthtone III) have launched Atlanta based Aquemini Records
with Elektra. The first artist to debut on the new imprint will
be Dirty South rapper Slimm Calhoun. Says Michael "Blue"
Williams, Manager of Outkast and General Manager of Aquemini:
"Slimm is the dawning of the age of Aquemini. He is a hip
hop artist, rap star, and musician all rolled into one. He’s the
perfect representative to kick off the label founded by Outkast.
Let the Revolution begin."
For Slimm, whose influences
range from the entire Dungeon Family, to LL Cool J, to Sammy Sam,
his debut effort picks up where the young rap star has left off
in his previous guest stints with Outkast. Calhoun can be heard
on Outkast’s upcoming fourth album Stankonia on the song "Gangsta
S###". Calhoun has also appeared on the Light It Up soundtrack
on the song "High
Schoolin’."
Aquemini is also in
the process of signing other artists to the label. Says Andre:
"Aquemini Records is a specialty label based on quality,
as opposed to the factory approach of chasing the latest trends."
Big Boi agrees, pointing out that the main goal of the new label
is to offer a unique
platform to artists. "Our goal is to bring the freshest talent
to the world in a way nobody has ever seen before."