“Outkast pushed the lines of creativity on ATLiens. At the time, a lot of artists were not speaking their heart due to fear of being dropped from their labels or being scorned in the hood.” - David Banner
“ATLIENS” If you like fish & grits and all the pimp shit, this one’s a classic. “JAZZY BELLE” The popularity of this song is evidenced by the fact that the term “Jazzy Belle” is still used today as slang for girls that go both ways. “ME & YOU (TWO DOPE BOYZ)” Redefining the term “dope,” this might as well have been Outkast’s theme song.
20
ESSENTIAL SOUTHERN ALBUMS
“BABYLON” While the eerie intro, coupled with Dre’s vivid lyrics, reminds you of your first time “hunchin’ with all our clothes on, until we felt excited,” and the melodic hook puts it all in perspective.
OUTKAST ATLIENS LaFace - 1996
by Julia Beverly
A
lthough Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik introduced the unique sounds being crafted in The Dungeon, it wasn’t until their second album ATLiens that Outkast’s Big Boi and Andre (now Andre 3000) truly mastered their lyrical capabilities and used their talents to really say something. The significance of this album was not only its remarkable consistency, but its refreshing honesty. Outkast is arguably one of the greatest, if not the greatest, hip-hop groups of all time, and ATLiens provided a front-row seat to their growth during the critical sophomore stage. In today’s microwavable music society, where one-hit wonders are the norm and the line between hip-hop and pop is becoming more and more blurred, it is rare to find such an exclusive look at the process of reaching the top, rather than just life at the top. And they articulated it so well. It was too early for them to be celebrating. “Tricks be lookin’ at me like I’m their way up out the projects / Can’t put you on my payroll, and no I ain’t got no Rolex,” Dre rhymed on “Two Dope Boyz.” Although they’d “come a long way like them slim-ass cigarettes,” they were still “neck and neck” with the average working man. Drawn in by the extraterrestrial soundtrack which provided a pleasant escape from the routine, the bored 9-to-5er could still relate to the things Dre and Big were going through. “It’s a decision to be successful. It doesn’t just happen,” says Outkast protege Killer Mike. “You have to plan, plot, strategies, and be driven to do this shit. It seems to me that during the making of ATLiens, that’s what they’d become determined to do: make their mark in the game. This album set them up for history. It’s a testament to artist development.” For any aspiring rapper, hearing Dre reminisce of “riding the Marta through the hood” and “doing the hole-in-the-wall clubs” just a few years earlier was inspiration enough to work harder and perfect their craft, as these two had obviously done. ATLiens highlighted the musical abilities of not only Big Boi and Dre, but of the entire Organized Noize camp. Everything was in-house, no radio-friendly guest appearances or $100,000 tracks from big-name producers.
87
OZONE
“ELEVATORS” If you don’t believe that Andre 3000 is one of the greatest emcees of all time, listen to this twenty more times.
ATLiens is one of those albums you can play all the way through; no filler. Each track merges perfectly with the next but still has its own unique sound and concept. Utilizing common noises like a helicopter flying overhead, someone diving into a pool, or the neighborhood ice cream truck, Organized Noize provided a perfect backdrop for Dre and Big. Other notable Dungeon Family contributions included Big Rube’s Biblical spoken word on “13th Floor/Growing Old” and Cool Breeze’s masterful storytelling on “Decatur Psalm.” The nearly indecipherable female vocals on the intro “You May Die” set the tone for the album without Big and Dre even spitting a single lyric. But next up is an Outkast classic, “Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac),” where Big Boi assured listeners that “the ATLiens ain’t changed.” At a time when hip-hop was dominated by the East vs. West, Outkast introduced the world to Southern slang. Big name-dropped places like Bankhead, Decatur, and SWATS, while Dre blended philosophy, reality, and theology so beautifully in his rhymes that you had to listen repeatedly to catch the meaning. “God works in mysterious ways, so when he starts the job while speaking through us we be so sincere with this here / No drugs or alcohol so I can get signal clear, as day / Put my glock away, I got a stronger weapon that never runs out of ammunition so I’m ready for war,” Dre spit on the title track, summarizing the group’s mission. Indeed, ATLiens managed to give plenty of props to the man upstairs without coming across as preachy. Big and Dre blended spirituality and accountability flawlessly with real-life, weaving tales of drug deals gone sour (“Decatur Psalm”) and good girls gone bad (“Jazze Belle”). Other album highlights included the hypnotic beat of “Mainstream,” the vivid imagery of “Babylon,” and the introspective vocals of “13th Floor/Growing Old.” “We makin’ the crowd move, but we not makin’ no G’s,” Dre lamented on “Elevators.” But thanks to the success of ATLiens, and the following albums which solidified their spot as one of the greatest hip-hop duos of all time, making G’s is no longer a problem. OZONE
87