ATLiens is the second album by hip-hop duo OutKast. It was released on August 27, 1996. The title is a portmanteau of "ATL" (an abbreviation of Atlanta, Georgia) and "aliens". [edit] Overview Unlike their debut, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, in which the two portrayed themselves as Southern pimps, many songs on ATLiens feature more unconventional subject matter for hip hop. It also has a notably more laid-back, spacey production sound, which they would continue to a certain extent on their follow-up album Aquemini. 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. Initially, ATLiens received positive reviews from music publications, including The Hartford Courant, Rolling Stone, and The Washington Post.[4][6][8] In a retrospective review of the album, RapReviews music critic Steve Juon wrote: 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. If you don't want to be challenged by your hip-hop, 'ATLiens' is not the album for you; matter of fact OutKast is not the group for you. They refuse to be conventional in a world of formulaic mediocrity, which may make them harder to grasp but ultimately makes them that much better to listen to. [5]—Steve Juon While critically acclaimed, it would not be until they released Aquemini (1998) and most notably Stankonia (2000) that OutKast would receive significant mainstream popularity. The hit single "Elevators (Me & You)" was later included on the "Big Boi & Dre Present... OutKast" greatest hits album in 2001. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. [edit] Track listing | # | Title | Length | Producer(s) | Performer (s) | | 1 | "You May Die (Intro)" | 1:05 | Organized Noize | Trina Broussard, Joi & Whild Peach | | 2 | "Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac)" | 2:46 | Organized Noize | Andre 3000, Big Boi & Peaches | | 3 | "ATLiens" | 3:50 | OutKast/Earthtone Ideas | Andre 3000 & Big Boi | | 4 | "Wheelz of Steel" | 4:03 | OutKast/Earthtone Ideas | Andre 3000 & Big Boi | | 5 | "Jazzy Belle" | 4:12 | Organized Noize | Andre 3000, Big Boi & Jazzyfatnastees | | 6 | "Elevators (Me & You)" | 4:25 | OutKast/Earthtone Ideas | Andre 3000, Big Boi & Sleepy Brown | | 7 | "Ova Da Wudz" | 3:48 | OutKast/Earthtone Ideas | Andre 3000, Big Boi & Witchdoctor | | 8 | "Babylon" | 4:24 | Organized Noize | Andre 3000, Big Boi & Andrea Martin | | 9 | "Wailin'" | 2:00 | Organized Noize | Andre 3000, Big Boi & Cee-Lo | | 10 | "Mainstream" | 5:18 | Organized Noize | Andre 3000, Big Boi, Khujo & T-Mo | | 11 | "Decatur Psalm" | 3:58 | Organized Noize | Andre 3000, Big Boi, Big Gipp, Trina Broussard, Cool Breeze, Joi, Tamara & Whild Peach | | 12 | "Millennium" | 3:09 | Organized Noize | Andre 3000, Big Boi & ShaJuanna Edghill | | 13 | "E.T. (Extraterrestrial)" | 3:07 | OutKast/Earthtone Ideas | Andre 3000, Big Boi & Witchdoctor | | 14 | "13th Floor/Growing Old" | 6:51 | Organized Noize | Andre 3000, Big Boi & Big Rube | | 15 | "Elevators (Me & You) [ONP 86 Mix]" | 4:36 | Organized Noize | Andre 3000 & Big Boi | [edit] Samples used - "Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac)" contains a sample of "Danger, She's A Stranger" by The Five Stairsteps.
- "Wheelz of Steel" contains a sample of "Focus III" by Focus (from the 1972 album Focus III).
- "Jazzy Belle" contains a sample of "Prelude" by Lamont Dozier (from the 1974 album Black Bach).
- "Elevators (Me & You)" contains a sample of "Come In Out of the Rain" by Parliament (from the album First Thangs) and SFX from the video game Super Mario Bros.
- "Wailin" contains a sample of "To The Establishment" by Lou Bond.
- "Mainstream" contains a sample of "Sesame Street" by Goodie Mob.
[edit] Album singles [edit] Album chart positions | Year | Album | Chart positions | | Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | | 1996 | ATLiens | #2 | #1 | [edit] Singles chart positions [edit] Trivia The song "You May Die (Intro)" borrows some lyrics from "Summer in the City" by The Lovin' Spoonful. [edit] Personnel - Alvin Speights - Mixing
- Andre 3000 - Vocals
- Andrea Martin - Vocals
- Bernasky Wall - Engineering
- Big Boi - Vocals
- Big Gipp - Vocals
- Blake Eiseman - Engineering
- Brian Frye - Engineering
- Carlos Glover - Acoustic Guitar
- Carlton Batts - Mastering
- Cee-Lo - Vocals
- Cool Breeze - Vocals
- Craig Love - Guitar
- Debra Killings - Vocals
- Dee Simmons - Drum
- Derrick Williams - Engineering
- Dexter Simmons - Engineering, Mixing
- Ed Stroud - Guitar
- James "Jay" Nicholas - Bass
- Jarvis Blackshear - Engineering
- Jazzyfatnastees - Vocals
- John Frye - Engineering
- John Wydrycs - Engineering
- Joi - Vocals
- Kenny Wright - Keyboard
- Kerren Berz - Violin
- Khujo - Vocals
- Leslie Brathwaite - Mixing
- Marq Jefferson - Bass Guitar
- Martin Terry - Guitar
- Marvin "Chanz" Parkman - Keyboard, Organ
- Mike Wilson - Engineering
- Mr. DJ - Scratches
- Neal Pogue - Mixing
- Organized Noize - Drum Programming, Keyboard Programming, Mixing & Production
- Outkast - Drum Programming, Keyboard Programming, Mixing & Production
- Peaches - Vocals
- Preston Crump - Bass Guitar
- ShaJuanna Edghill - Vocals
- Skinny Miracles - Piano
- Sleepy Brown - Vocals
- T-Mo - Vocals
- Tamara - Vocals
- Tommy Martin - Acoustic Guitar
- Trina Broussard - Vocals
- Whild Peach - Vocals
- Witchdoctor - Vocals
[edit] References [edit] External links |
