Though they were likely lost on casual hip-hop fans, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was full of
subtle indications that OutKast were a lot more inventive than your
average Southern playas. Their idiosyncrasies bubbled to the surface on their
sophomore effort, ATLiens, an album of spacy sci-fi funk performed
on live instruments. Largely abandoning the hard-partying playa characters of
their debut, Dre and Big Boi develop a startlingly fresh,
original sound to go along with their futuristic new personas. George Clinton's space obsessions might seem to
make P-Funk obvious musical source material,
but ATLiens ignores the hard funk in favor of a
smooth, laid-back vibe that perfectly suits the duo's sense of melody. The
album's chief musical foundation is still soul, especially the early-'70s
variety, but other influences begin to pop up as well. Some tracks have a
spiritual, almost gospel feel (though only in tone, not lyrical content), and
the Organized Noize production team frequently employs the spacious mixes and
echo effects of dub reggae in creating the album's alien soundscapes. In
addition to the striking musical leap forward, Dre and Big Boi continue to grow as rappers; their
flows are getting more tongue-twistingly complex, and their lyrics more
free-associative. Despite a couple of overly sleepy moments during the second
half, ATLiens is overall a smashing success thanks
to its highly distinctive style, and stands as probably OutKast's most focused work (though it isn't as
wildly varied as subsequent efforts). The album may have alienated (pun
recognized, but not intended) the more conservative wing of the group's fans,
but it broke new ground for Southern hip-hop and marked OutKast as one of the most creatively
restless and ambitious hip-hop groups of the '90s.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ATLiens is the second studio album by
American hip hop duo Outkast.
It was released on August 27, 1996, by LaFace Records.
From 1995 to 1996, OutKast recorded ATLiens in sessions at
several Atlanta studios—Bosstown Recording Studios, Doppler
Recording Studios, PatchWerk Recording Studio, Purple Dragon
Studios, and Studio LaCoCo—as well as Chung King Recording Studio and Sound On
Sound Recording in New York City.
The record features outer space-inspired
production sounds, with Outkast and producers Organized Noize incorporating
elements of dub, psychedelic rock,
and gospel into the compositions. Several
songs feature the duo's first attempts at producing music by themselves.
Lyrically, the group discusses a wide range of topics including urban life as
hustlers, existential introspection, and extraterrestrial life. The album's title
is a portmanteau of "ATL" (an abbreviation of Atlanta, Georgia)
and "aliens", which has been interpreted by
critics as a commentary about the feeling of being isolated from American
culture.
ATLiens debuted
at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart,
and it sold nearly 350,000 copies in its first two weeks of release. The album
was very well received by music critics upon its release, who praised the
record's lyrical content. It has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA), for shipments of two million copies in the
United States. The album spawned the singles "Elevators (Me & You)", "ATLiens",
and "Jazzy Belle". Since its release, ATLiens has
been listed by several magazines and critics as one of the greatest hip hop
albums of all time.
In 1994, Outkast released their debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,
which was recorded when members Big Boi and André 3000 were eighteen years old. Bolstered by
the success of the single "Player's Ball", the record established Outkast
as prominent figures in the Southern hip hop scene.[1] After the album was certified
platinum, LaFace Records gave Outkast more creative control and advanced money
for their 1996 follow-up album ATLiens.[2] The duo took the opportunity to
recreate their image. On a trip to Jamaica with producer Mr. DJ, the two decided to abandon their cornrow hairstyles in favor of a more natural
aesthetic, vowing to stop combing their hair.[3] Dungeon Family member Big Rube observed an increase in the duo's
confidence after returning from their first tour, remarking, "They started
understanding the power they had in their music. They started showing a swagger
that certain artists have—the ones that are stars."[4] The members also underwent changes in
their personal lives; in 1995, Big Boi's girlfriend gave birth to their first
child and André 3000 and Total's Keisha Spivey ended their two-year
relationship.[5]
Despite its success, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik had
some detractors, including hip hop tastemakers who were unaccustomed to the
album's style.[6] As the East Coast and West Coast hip
hop scenes were already well-established at the time, many did not view the South
as a legitimate and respectable scene.[7] At the 1995 Source Awards, an award
ceremony held by The Source magazine,
Outkast won in the "Best Newcomer" category,[8] but were booed upon taking the stage
and delivering their acceptance speech; Big Boi managed to deliver his shout
outs, while André 3000 was nervous and said, "The South got somethin' to
say."[9] The latter recalled how the album was
received by some listeners, "People thought that the South basically only
had bass music. At first people were looking at us like
'Um, I don't know.'"[6] Taken aback by the backlash, André
3000 and Big Boi channelled their frustration in the studio to improve upon
their debut.[7]
After acquiring their own recording studio, the duo immediately
started working on new material and assimilated themselves with music recording
and studio equipment, as they sought to become more ambitious artists and less
dependent on other producers.[10] The
two also became more accustomed to playing live, particularly Big Boi, and
André 3000 significantly changed his lifestyle, as he adopted a more eccentric
fashion sense, became a vegetarian (he has since resumed eating meat), and
stopped smoking marijuana.[11] Having
dropped out months before graduation, André 3000 also returned to high school
to earn his diploma during the recording of ATLiens.[12]
Before beginning work on ATLiens, André 3000
purchased an SP1200 drum machine, an MPC3000 sampler, a TASCAM mixing
board, and turntables with stacks of classic records.[5] Although
he had never produced a song before, he used techniques learned from observing
the Dungeon Crew at work. "Elevators (Me & You)" was the
first song the duo created together for the album.[5] The
duo refrained from sampling on the album, with Big Boi
explaining "I feel like you cheat the listener when you sample. If it's an
old school jam, leave it to the old. We wanna have our own school of
music."[12]
Outkast recorded the album in sessions at several Atlanta
studios—Bosstown Recording Studios, Doppler
Recording Studios, PatchWerk Recording Studio, Purple Dragon
Studios, and Studio LaCoCo—as well as Chung King Recording Studio and Sound On
Sound Recording in New York City.[13] For ATLiens,
the band aimed for a consistent set of songs in which a listener would not need
to skip tracks; Outkast wrote around 35 songs for the album and reduced them to
fourteen.[14] The
duo's songwriting style for the album had no solid structure and was mostly
spontaneous; Big Boi noted, "Stuff'll just come to you. I'll be sittin' in
the truck, and I'll start rhymin'. People look at me like I'm crazy, but that's
how it starts."[14]
Two-thirds of the album is produced by Organized Noize, Outkast's primary production team.
The rest is produced by Earthtone III, a production team that includes Outkast
themselves and Mr. DJ. André
3000 and Big Boi produced the songs "Jazzy Belle" and "Elevators
(Me & You)".[15] It also has a notably more laid-back,
spacey production sound, which they expanded upon on their follow-up
album Aquemini.[16] Although the group drew from George
Clinton's outer-space inspired compositions, the band utilizes a
more laid-back style as opposed to Clinton's hard funk leanings.[17] Many tracks feature strong echo and
reverb, taking influence from dub and reggae.[17] Andrea Comer of the Hartford Courant perceives an
"extraterrestrial feel" in the record's production.[18]
MTV wrote that the album's production
"built giddy, chaotic hooks around throbbing bass grooves, neck-snapping
drums and bits of backwoods country and psychedelic rock for good measure."[19] Outkast also incorporated elements
of gospel into
the music; being from the South, the group felt obligated to "stay close
to [their] slave roots".[12] The album's introduction track
"You May Die" has been described as "churchy".[20] "Elevators (Me & You)"
contains atmospheric elements including echoes, dub-influenced bass, organ
riffs, and telephone tones.[21] "13th Floor/Growing Old"
contains a spoken word introduction
from Big Rube, somber soul vocals from Debra Killings, and a "Prince-ish" piano riff,[15][22] while "Wheelz of Steel"
features "furious" turntable scratching by Mr. DJ.[22] "Extraterrestrial" offers a
break in the continuity of the record as it features no drum beat.[23]
Lyrically, André 3000 and Big Boi abandon the
"hard-partying playa characters" of their debut album in favor of
more spacey, funky, and futuristic personas on ATLiens.[17] With their lyrics, the duo hoped to
reflect on maturity in the wake of the birth of Big Boi's daughter.[24] André 3000 explained, "It's like
everybody's talking about sipping champagne and being big time, so we just took
it upon ourselves to do something new ... I want my children to say,
'Daddy really said something, he wasn't just trying to brag on himself.'"[24] Many songs on ATLiens feature
more unconventional subject matter for hip hop. The lyrical content ranges from
addressing urban life as hustlers and pimps to extraterrestrial life and space
travel.[23] The title track's chorus expresses
Southern pride, while its verses feature André 3000 explaining his newly
adopted drug-free lifestyle.[25]
"Elevators (Me & You)" illustrates Outkast's rise
to fame, and was inspired by a show the band played at Howard University with P. Diddy in the audience.[14] The song also discusses the unlikely
partnership of André 3000 and Big Boi, and uses the metaphor of an elevator for
the ups and downs of fame.[26] The final verse illustrates André
3000 dealing with a fan who pretends to have been childhood friends with him.[26] It also references Southern culture,
including mentions of Cadillacs and
extended family gatherings.[27] "Babylon" reflects on religious attitudes towards
sex and illustrates André 3000's upbringing and his forbidden
attractions throughout childhood.[23] "Jazzy Belle" discusses the
group's "increasingly enlightened" view regarding women: "Went
from yellin' ... bitches and hoes to queen thangs".[22] The album's closer "13th
Floor/Growing Old" is a meditation on aging and emphasizes Southern hip
hop's legitimacy.[22]
ATLiens was released on August 27, 1996,
by LaFace Records.
In September, LaFace created a promotion for the record in conjunction
with Blockbuster in
which customers could enter to win a 1970s Cadillac car, emphasizing Outkast
and Cadillac's connection with the Southern lifestyle.[24] The record's inner booklet features a
24-page comic strip foldout starring the members, who must defend
"positive music" against the villain Nosamulli.[24] The strip continues in the artwork
for each single released from ATLiens except for
"Elevators (Me & You)".[24]
The album's title is a portmanteau of "ATL" (an abbreviation of Atlanta, Georgia) and "aliens". In
his book Icons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and
Culture, author T. Hasan Johnson interprets the album's title as
"partly a statement about being from Atlanta, while also signifying on the
theme of the group's name (by using the term aliens) framing
themselves as societal outcasts."[28] Mark Bould, author of The
Routledge Companion to Science Fiction, observes that the title symbolizes
Outkast's "estrangement from American society", suggesting that
"the inner city of their formative years is out of this world and its
hostile conditions."[29]
The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart,[30] and it sold nearly 350,000 copies in
its first two weeks of release.[31] It ultimately spent 33 weeks on
the Billboard 200 chart.[32] Three singles were released for the
album—"Elevators (Me & You)"
on July 5, 1996,[33] "ATLiens" in November 1996, and "Jazzy Belle" in April 1997.[34] "Elevators (Me & You)"
reached number 12 and spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[35] It was certified Gold by
the Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 13, 1996,
for shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States.[33] "ATLiens" reached number 35
and spent 17 weeks on the Hot 100, and "Jazzy Belle" spent 14 weeks
and peaked at number 52 on the Hot 100.[35] The album was certified Platinum by
the RIAA on November 6, 1996, for shipments of one million copies in the US.[33] By 1998, it had sold over 1.2 million
copies.[36] On June 24, 2003, the RIAA
certified ATLiens double platinum, having shipped two million
copies in the US.[33]
ATLiens received critical acclaim. Andrea
Comer of the Hartford Courant felt
that Outkast's "lyrical acumen shines through" despite
"Heltah-Skeltah mumbling and Southern slang", and stated, "after
a few rotations, the alien feeling wears away, and [the album is] just out of
this world."[18] Sonia Murray of The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution called the album "more
thoughtful" than its predecessor, noting, "What the second album
lacks in adventurous arrangements it more than makes up for in lyrical
dominance."[37] The Source observed "growth" from
Outkast and Organized Noize, and stated, "Big Boi and Dre have gone out of
this world into a new dimension of sight, sound and mind".[44]
Kevin Powell of Rolling Stone felt that, like Outkast's
debut album, ATLiens is "a gritty document of what's
happening here and now, an up-to-the-minute briefing on Southern black ghetto
life on which Outkast members Andre and Big Boi cast their feelings of
alienation in familiar, realistic characterizations". Powell asserted that
unlike East Coast hip hop's "hedonistic materialism" or "the
gunplay and pimpism" of West Coast hip hop, "Andre and Big Boi
display a unique ability to describe ghetto life while offering up
life-affirming possibilities, something all too rare in today's hip-hop nation."[42] Richard Harrington of The Washington Post enjoyed
the record's "more serious and focused lyrical sensibility",
explaining, "The raps are generally inventive, clever without being
cloying, more proof (if any were needed) that hip-hop innovation isn't just an
East-West thang."[20]
In a retrospective review, AllMusic editor Steve Huey viewed the album as
Outkast's "most focused work" and commented that "In addition to
the striking musical leap forward, Dre and Big Boi continue to grow as rappers;
their flows are getting more tongue-twistingly complex, and their lyrics more free-associative".[17] RapReviews critic Steve Juon
recommended it to listeners who "want to be challenged by [their]
hip-hop" and wrote of the album's aesthetic:
It's
deep. So deep that listening to ATLiens you might feel like
drowning, but the smooth vo-cals of Big Boi and the earthy flows of Andre
always push you back up to the surface. They are players in the truest sense of
the word; not just playing for ends but playing to win in the ultimate battle
of life over death, good over bad, and righteousness over evil. Yet, it's not
that heavy either. This album is nod your head music, shake your ass music. It
makes you think and groove at the same time.[45]
In The
Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Roni Sarig felt that,
strong rapping notwithstanding, the album's music "suffers as the duo make
their first attempt at self-producing" and stated, "Although ATLiens promised
expanded vistas with its interstellar motif, the record delivered something of
a sophomore slump ... At best, ATLiens is the sound of an
ambitious group searching for its voice."[43]
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's "100 Best Rap Albums".[46] In 2000, Exclaim! listed the album on their "100
Records That Rocked 100 Issues of Exclaim!" list.[47] Hip Hop Connection ranked
it number six on their list of "The 100 Greatest Rap Albums
1995–2005".[48] Complex ranked
the album fifth on their list of "The 50 Greatest Sophomore Albums in
Hip-Hop History",[49] its title 15th on "The 50 Best
Rap Album Titles Ever",[50] and the title track's beat 91st on
"The 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Beats of All Time".[51] Rappers Isaiah Rashad,[52] Wiz Khalifa and Dom Kennedy,[53][54] and DJ Jesse Marco have named ATLiens as
one of their favorite albums.[55]
Track listing and samples compiled from album liner notes.[13] All tracks produced by Organized
Noize Productions, except where noted.
|
No. |
Title |
Writer(s) |
Producer(s) |
Length |
|
1. |
"You May Die (Intro)" |
|
1:05 |
|
|
2. |
"Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac)" |
·
Organized Noize |
|
2:46 |
|
3. |
"ATLiens" |
·
Benjamin ·
Patton |
3:50 |
|
|
4. |
"Wheelz of Steel" |
·
Benjamin ·
Patton |
Outkast |
4:03 |
|
5. |
·
Organized Noize ·
Benjamin ·
Patton |
|
4:12 |
|
|
6. |
·
Benjamin ·
Patton |
Outkast |
4:25 |
|
|
7. |
"Ova da Wudz" (featuring Witchdoctor) |
·
Benjamin ·
Patton |
Outkast |
3:48 |
|
8. |
"Babylon" |
·
Organized Noize ·
Benjamin ·
Patton |
|
4:24 |
|
9. |
"Wailin'" |
·
Organized Noize ·
Benjamin ·
Patton |
|
2:00 |
|
10. |
·
Organized Noize ·
Benjamin ·
Patton |
|
5:18 |
|
|
11. |
"Decatur
Psalm" (featuring Big Gipp and Cool Breeze) |
·
Organized Noize ·
Benjamin ·
Patton |
|
3:58 |
|
12. |
"Millennium" |
·
Organized Noize ·
Benjamin ·
Patton |
|
3:09 |
|
13. |
"E.T.
(Extraterrestrial)" (featuring Witchdoctor) |
·
Benjamin ·
Patton ·
Johnson |
Outkast |
3:07 |
|
14. |
"13th Floor / Growing Old" |
·
Organized Noize ·
Marqueze Ethridge ·
Benjamin ·
Patton |
|
6:50 |
|
15. |
"Elevators" (ONP 86 Mix) |
·
Benjamin ·
Patton |
|
4:37 |
Notes
·
"You May Die (Intro)" features additional vocals
by Joi, Screechy Peach and Trina
·
"Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac)" features additional
vocals by Screechy Peach
·
"Ova Du Wudz" and "E.T. (Extra-Terrestrial)
feature additional vocals by EJ Tha Witch Doctor
·
"Babylon" features additional vocals by Andrea Martin
·
"Wailin'" features additional vocals by Cee-Lo of Goodie Mob
·
"Mainstream" features additional vocals by Khujo and T-Mo of
Goodie Mob
·
"Decatur Palm" features additional vocals by Big Gipp of Goodie Mob and Cool Breeze
·
"Millennium" features additional vocals by ShaJuanna
Edghill
·
"13th Floor / Growing Old" features additional vocals
by Big Rube and Debra Killings
Sample credits
·
"You May Die (Intro)" is an interpolation of
"Summer in the City" performed by Quincy Jones.
·
"Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac)" contains a sample of
"D.E.E.P." performed by Outkast, and "Danger, She's a
Stranger" performed by The Five Stairsteps.
·
"ATLiens" contains a sample of "Around the
World" performed by Attilio Mineo, and "So Tired" performed
by The Chambers Brothers.
·
"Wheelz of Steel" contains a sample of "Focus
III" performed by Focus,
"Saturday Night Style" performed by Mikey Dread.
·
"Jazzy Belle" contains a sample of "It's
Yours" performed by T La Rock and Jazzy Jay, and "Prelude" performed
by Lamont Dozier.
·
"Elevators" contains a sample of "Blue Suede
Shoes" performed by Carl Perkins.
·
"Elevators (Me & You) [ONP 86 Mix]" contains a
sample of "Come in Out of the Rain" performed by Parliament; the original contains SFX from the
video game Super Mario Bros.
·
"Ova Da Wudz" contain a sample of "Judas"
performed by Society of Soul.
·
"Babylon" contains a sample of "12 O'Clock"
performed by Vangelis.
·
"Wailin'" contains a sample of "To the
Establishment" performed by Lou Bond.
·
"Mainstream" contains a sample of "Sesame
Street" performed by Goodie Mob and "Soldier In Our
Town" by Iron Butterfly.
·
"Decatur Psalm" contains a sample of "Cebu"
performed by The Commodores.
Compiled from album liner notes.[13]
Musicians
OutKast
·
Andre 3000 –
vocals
·
Big Boi –
vocals
·
Guests
·
Andrea Martin – vocals
·
Big Gipp –
vocals
·
Big Rube –
vocals
·
Carlos Glover –
acoustic guitar
·
Cee-Lo –
vocals
·
Cool Breeze – vocals
·
Craig Love – guitar
·
Debra Killings –
vocals
·
Dee Simmons – drums
·
Ed Stroud – guitar
·
James "Jay"
Nicholas – bass
·
Jazzyfatnastees –
vocals
·
Joi –
vocals
·
Kenny Wright –
keyboard
·
Kerren Berz – violin
·
Khujo – vocals
·
Marq Jefferson – bass
guitar
·
Martin Terry – guitar
·
Marvin
"Chanz" Parkman – keyboard, organ
·
Mr. DJ –
scratches
·
Preston Crump – bass
guitar
·
ShaJuanna Edghill –
vocals
·
Skinny Miracles –
piano
·
Sleepy Brown –
vocals
·
T-Mo – Vocals
·
Tamara Powell – vocals
·
Tommy Martin –
acoustic guitar
·
Trina Powell – vocals
·
Screechy Peach –
vocals
·
Witchdoctor – vocals
Production
·
Alvin Speights –
mixing
·
Bernasky Wall –
engineering
·
Blake Eiseman –
engineering
·
Brian Frye –
engineering
·
Carlton Batts –
mastering
·
Derrick Williams –
engineering
·
Dexter Simmons –
engineering, mixing
·
Jarvis Blackshear –
engineering
·
John Frye –
engineering
·
John Wydrycs –
engineering
·
Leslie Brathwaite –
mixing
·
Mike Wilson –
engineering
·
Neal Pogue –
mixing
·
Organized Noize –
drum programming, keyboard programming, mixing, production
·
Outkast –
drum programming, keyboard programming, mixing, production