OutKast’s early work placed the American South squarely and inextricably on the hip-hop map, proving that the genre was not destined to be exclusively bi-coastal forever. Beyond their music, the group’s bravado and pride played no small part in convincing people to redefine the geographic boundaries of hip-hop.
Some may recall the infamous events of August 3, 1995, the day that The Source held its annual awards ceremony in New York City. The tension-filled event represented a tipping point in hip-hop’s East Coast versus West Coast feud of the mid-90s. One moment from that evening that you may not remember as vividly is what happened to OutKast when they were named Best New Artist. Upon ascending to the podium to accept their award, André and Big Boi were welcomed with a chorus of boos to which André confidently replied “the south got something to say” and exited stage left. As history has proven since, OutKast have definitely had the last laugh.
Unveiled in the waning days of August 1996, the pair’s sophomore album ATLiens was—and still is—a revelation. "It's not your average, everyday album," Big Boi explained to The Source in August 1996. "Listening to it, it's very phenomenal. It's gonna take the whole hip-hop thing to a whole 'nother level. Don't expect the same ol'. Just put it like this: it's something different."
ATLiens debuted at number two on the billboard top 100, and sold nearly 350,000 copies in its first two weeks of release. The album has been certified double platinum by the RIAA, for shipments of two million copies in the US. 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.
To celebrate the anniversary, Iconic by Collectionzz is releasing an officially licensed ATLiens 25th
Available Wednesday at 2pm in the Iconic By Collectionzz Store !!
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