ATLiens 20 Year Anniversary Thread

[PlayerNinety_Nine]

Seriously though...every track on hwre is amazing.
"Growing Old" makes me tear up listening to it now..

powerful track.



dungeon family forever.

This is the one right here

 

[Deltron]

11 Things You Might Not Know About Outkast's 'ATLiens'

Outkast’s ATLiens was more than just an album, it was an invasion.

Since its release on Aug. 27, 1996, the set has become one of the hip-hop's most celebrated opuses. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and featured three Hot 100 charting singles ("ATLiens," "Elevators (Me & You)" and "Jazzy Belle"), but perhaps more importantly, it embodied Andre 3000’s famous mission statement: “The South got somethin’ to say.”

Straight out of the Peach State, these Two Dope Boyz were a breath of fresh air. Their 1994 debut, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, was a powerful introduction but 1996's sophomore effort, ATLiens, proved they were here to stay. Two decades later, it’s an otherworldly encounter worth revisiting.

Here are some facts about the album that some earthlings might not know.

1. Andre was sober, vegan and celibate: ATLiens was a turning point for Dre, who found sobriety and veganism while crafting the album. “That’s when he went through the transition of really trying to find himself,” CeeLo Green said in VH1's Driven special on Outkast. “He grew his hair. He got into books and spiritualism. Even went as far as to practice celibacy.”

Dre addressed these changes during an interview with the Los Angeles Times in '96. "When you're 17 and 18, you think you can smoke and drink all day and sleep around. You feel invincible," he explained. "Then there comes a time where you have to raise up and do something else with yourself. On our first album, we were determined to smoke herb until the world ended. Now, I've stopped smoking and drinking, and I'm trying to live up to my abilities, and take life much more seriously."

2. Dre earned his GED: Among the changes, Dre also refocused on school. After dropping out his senior year, he went to night school between ATLiens sessions and eventually earned his GED. "If the music were to ever end,” he told Spin at the time, “I don't want to be useless." Big didn’t join Dre in this quest because he’d finished high school with a 3.68 GPA.

3. Big Boi also changed: On March 31, 1995, Big Boi welcomed his first child, Jordan, into the world. Fatherhood shifted his focus. “It made me more responsible,” he told Spin. “My daughter became my number-one priority.” Dre encouraged Big’s new role. “I love how you just buckled down,” he’d tell him. “You’re serious about that daddy shyt.” Today, Jordan’s in her senior year at Auburn University where she’s majoring in psychology.

4. Tragedy struck: Big Boi suffered a major loss going into the album when his aunt Renee died of pneumonia. “His aunt was almost like his mom,” Shanti Das, a former VP of marketing at La Face, shared on Driven. “Dre absolutely stood by him.” Big rhymes about this tragedy on the reflective “Babylon.” “People don't know the stress I'm dealing with day to day,” he rapped. “Speaking about the feelings I'm possessing for Renee.”

5. The title has different meanings: ATLiens was a powerful title because it represented the duo so well. “The ATL for Atlanta,” Dre told the Los Angeles Times that year. “The aliens for our status in the hip-hop game.” Alien was also much more. "Being an alien is just being yourself when people don't understand you,” Dre told saidthat same year. “We just trying to let everybody know there's a place for everybody in this world. You just gotta find yourself, and be true to yourself.”

But in 2010, 3 Stacks had a different answer. “We were for real. I wasn't talking about myself,” he told Creative Loafing. “We knew somebody had to be out here in the universe other than just us. So when I talked about IFOs ‘landing in Decatur,’ I knew some folks had already seen that shyt: identified flying objects.”

6. 20 Songs were scrapped: In 1995, Big and Dre started working on ATLiens. Teaming with the Dungeon Family, the twosome recorded 35 songs for the album, according to Daddy Fat Sax. “We picked the best ones,” he told VIBE at the time. Dre agreed, saying that it featured only their “tightest rhymes and beats” out of the bunch, leaving 20 on the cutting room floor.

7. Outkast started producing: Andre and Big are mostly known for rhymes, but ATLiens allowed them to shine on the boards too. “We learned from being under [Organized Noize] for so long,” Big told Spin. “What better way to paint a picture than being able to create the soundscape for your words? We were maturing and coming of age then.” The duo produced five of the 15 cuts, including “ATLiens” and “Elevators (Me & You).”

8. La Face Records didn’t like “Elevators (Me & You)”: Dre and Big weren’t “worried” about perception, but “the label was,” Big told Spin. “They didn’t even like ‘Elevators.’ They were like, ‘Y’all crazy!’ We said, ‘F--k that shyt,’ and took it to the radio station against everybody’s wishes and it blew up. From that point on, L.A. Reid let us pick all our singles.” The track became their highest-charting song at the time, peaking at No. 12 on the Hot 100.

9. The “Elevators” video was symbolic: Outkast is known for elaborate videos and “Elevators (Me & You)” was an early standout. Directed by Michael Martin, it was more than just a visual marvel. “It was all about symbolism,” Dre told Yo! MTV Raps. “The scenes where we’re going through the jungle, that represents that we’re on a journey. The scenes where we’re meditating, that’s like we’re trying to get our inner spirit right.” Given the song’s title, Big added that the video also symbolized their growth into “a higher level.”

10. The iconic cover was almost nixed: It’s hard to imagine ATLiens’ cover being anything other than the comic book-inspired artwork but it almost had an entirely different look. First, legendary artist Todd McFarlane turned it down. Next, Frank Gomez (then at DC, now at Marvel) turned in a draft that featured an unrecognizable Big Boi.

Thankfully, a solution came in the form of an Atlanta Braves cap, which was added to cover Big’s face. “That was a whim,” illustrator Vince Robinson told The Undefeated. “It was like, ‘Hey, let me add something, let’s cover his face a little bit … He always wears his hat like that anyways.’” Problem solved.

11. The Source Awards impacted ATLiens: Outkast won the trophy for new artist of the year for a group at the 1995 Source Awards, but it was bittersweet. Boiling tension from the Death Row/Bad Boy feud filled the room and Outkast was in the crossfire, booed by the New York crowd while trying to accept their award. His voice nearly trembling with passion, Dre took the mic. “The South got somethin’ to say,” he commanded. “That’s all I got to say.”

Working on ATLiens, Big and Dre remembered that night. "They ain't really give a f--k about what we was doing," Big said in '96. "If you wasn't from New York, they was like, 'F--k it.' But we put all our goddamn time and effort in doing our albums and it really don't make no sense for them acting like that there."

Andre offered another perspective, highlighting what made ATLiens so refreshing. "It's just from another part of the globe,” he said. “Everybody's going through the same thing, just about. Only thing that'll really change is just where you from. Because [hip-hop] music is all the same; ours just reflects the southern lifestyle."

 

[Redwood]

I would love to hear all those songs they've scrapped,

 

[Robbie3000]

I still remember skipping class parking outside of Blockbuater music waiting for the doors to open at 10am. There were about 10 other cars doing the same. We were looking at each other like

I miss music pre Internet.

 

[avon barksdale]

good album but music was change because this album

 

[Sound (∀√a) Maths]

My favourite OutKast album and that's saying something. You May Die may be the best non-rapped intros ever!!!. I play that beauty at least 3 times before continuing on to the rest of the album. A classic record. The feeling is too good.

 

[Robbie3000]

I just got my tickets for the DF show at One Music Fest.

Cube's going to be there too.

 

[Rapmastermind]

I love "Southernplayalistic", I really do. But I think "ATLiens" was THE album. It was the moment I was like, "Aiight These ATL negros ain't playing now". Don't get me wrong, their debut was dope but I feel they were still growing. Once they took Hip Hop outerspace with it I just felt they elevated (See what I did there) their styles. Andre defintely became "3 Stacks, Andre 3000" on this album. Big Boi also held his own. I don't have a fav track, there are too many. I just remember playing B-Ball in High School and "Elevators" dropped, everything changed then for sure. Instant Classic for sure.

And though yes I felt they brought it all together on "Aquemini" their 3rd LP. You can't get to that album without the growing pains of "Southernplayalistic" and the evolving they did on "ATLiens". Classic Top to Bottom. The intro was so hauntingly true, esepcially being a young black male in America. "Two Dope Boys" was fire, "ATLiens" and "Elevators" were Timeless. Even the album cuts like "Wheels of Steels, Ova Da Woodz, Jazze Belle and Mainstream" not only deliever but have powerful messages as well. The album was not only lyrical but again had consious themes.

Love the comic book cover as well. This was when Hip Hop was still showing it's power as an artform and still creative. Not this cookie cutter mess out now. LOL @ 20 years later "ATLiens" sitll shytting on albums being released today. Love the actual disc too with that fine a$$ Nubian Queen. Thank You Andre and Antwan for given this Hip Hop Head something to listen to for the last two decades and not get tied of it. And No Andre, you didn't "Work too Hard", You honored Hip Hop by perfecting your craft as an emce. This album is why negros like me are as NaS said, "Trapped in the 90's". Why would you want to leave artistic genius like this? You can't deny music that touches your soul and that's what ATLiens did. I had it on CD and Cassette folks. My boy who was a DJ had the vinly as well.

 

[Headcase]

My all-time favorite Hip-Hop album.

I kinda trip when people assume I like it just cause I'm southern. But my favorite rappers growing up were guys like Canibus, Eminem, Chino XL, while I didn't hear this till I was in High School. Whoever referred to it as the "southern Illmatic" is right on point, cause I've always felt that it's every bit as good and legendary as "Illmatic."

 

[Robbie3000]

I love "Southernplayalistic", I really do. But I think "ATLiens" was THE album. It as like the moment I was like, "Aiight These ATL negros ain't playing now". Don't get me wrong, their debut was dope but I feel they were still growing. Once they took Hip Hop outerspace with it I just felt they elevated (See what I did there) their styles. Andre defintely became "3 Stacks, Andre 3000" on this album. Big Boi also held his own. I don't have a fav track, there are too many. I just remember playing B-Ball in High School and "Elevators" dropped, everything changed then for sure.

Instant Classic for sure. And though yes I felt they brought it all together on "Aquemini" their 3rd LP. You can't get to that album without the growing pains of "Southernplayalistic" and the evolving they did on "ATLiens". Classic Top to Boom. Love the comic book cover as well. This was when Hip Hop was still an artform and still creative. No this cookie cutter mess out now. LOL @ 20 years later "ATLiens" sitll shytting on albums being released today. Love the actual disc too with that fine a$$ Nubian Queen. Thank You Andre and Antwan for given this Hip Hop Head something to listen to for the last two decades and not get tied of it. This album is why negros like me are as NaS said, "Trapped in the 90's". Why would you want to leave artistic genius like this? You can't deny music that touches your soul and that's what ATLiens did. I had it on CD and Cassette folks. My boy who was a DJ had the vinly as well.

I'm proudly a trapped in the 90s nikka. Just look at that thread about all the classic albums from 96. How can I go from that to listening to these mumbling ass new nikkas.

 

[Rev]

Think about it, man. These dudes were 21 years old when they created this.

 

[GeeEffKay]

bout to give it another spin

 

[Rapmastermind]

"We won't be able to ride out till two thousand fo'" - 3 Stacks (Wheelz of Steel)


*Outkast last album "Speakerboxxx/The Love below" was released in September 2003. They won the Grammy for Album of the Year in February of 2004.

3000 the Prophet.

 

[mobbinfms]

No rap group has ever progressed so much from their first to second

Mobb Deep

 

[Danie84]

Just 2 Dope Boys in a Cadillac Cooler than a Polar Bear toenails In the Zone like Kyser Soze Won't be over til that Big Girl from Decatur sing Elevators: Me & You Iconic BARZ If you don't move your Feet then I won't Eat Egyptian theme videos Organized Noise PIFF production Jazzy Bells/Wheelz of Steel scratchin Millenium/E.T. otherwordliness Hoes Clothes Cars It's who you Are Mainstream/13th Floor Dualities GOATkast made a Hip-Hop treasure composed of Afrofuturism gems 20 yrs later, ATLiens still lightyears ahead of the gameGreetings, Earthlings