Their idiosyncrasies bubbled to the surface on their sophomore effort, ATLiens, an album of spacy sci-fi funk performed on live instruments.
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.
ATLiens was OutKast's second album, released in 1996.
"ATLiens" was the group's first Top 40 single, and reflected the beginning of Benjamin's increasingly sober lifestyle: "No drugs or alcohol/so I can get the signal clear", he rhymes about himself.
The reason for his change of lifestyle is debated, but it is rumoured that once, during Post -'Southernplaya' days, he was carjacking, and saw a man who told him to not do it.
Their idiosyncrasies bubbled to the surface on their sophomore effort, ATLiens [+], an album of spacy sci-fi funk performed on live instruments.
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.
www.music.com /release/atliens/1 (395 words)
Amazon.com: Atliens: Music: Outkast(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-18)
The first song to stand up and recognize on ATliens is "Millenium." When Big Boi culminates his turn at the microphone by announcing the immanent threat to hip hop sanctity from shady dealers, and up-and-crummy rap stars, his fatalism is disheartening, but still one feels that all hope is not lost:
But ATLiens is not all truth in philosophy, there is also that storytelling and wheel-spinning urban flavor for which Outkast made themselves know on "Southernplayalistic." And then there is "Growing Old," which is by far the finest treatment in hip-hop history of aging and mortality :
Outkast's second album, ATLiens, may be one of the coolest rap CD's out of all those (good) rappers I mentioned.
OutKast Is On The Inside Track(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-18)
Subjects such as spiritualism, the state of the fl community, racism, partying and your everyday pimp playa-type stuff are still the group's focal points, but everything has been taken to a higher level.
While at times ATLiens may seem to be coming at you from outer space, after a few repeated listens, you'll find that members Dre and Big Boi are about as well-grounded as you can get.
While ATLiens is one of the best albums out right now, it is one of the darkest records I've heard in a while.
The chilled-out space-funk of ATLiens had already thrown some fans for a loop, and Aquemini made it clear that its predecessor was no detour, but a stepping stone for even greater ambitions.
Some of ATLiens' ethereal futurism is still present, but more often Aquemini plants its feet on the ground for a surprisingly down-home flavor.
The music draws from a vastly eclectic palette of sources, and the live instrumentation is fuller-sounding than ATLiens.
ATLiens(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-18)
Outkast is one of the most innovative and intelligent rap groups out there and the album ATLiens proves it.
It was the second album release of the duo and firmly established their place in the hip hop world.
This album steps out of the boundaries of the norm and dares to shed some new light on hip hop, while managing to keep our heads bouncing to the original beats.
They could sound like Marvin Gaye one minute, Dr. Dre the next, shift effortlessly between the two, and still sound unmistakably like themselves.
On their second release, ATLiens, the beats were slower and jazzier and occasionally dropped out entirely while the rappers' voices soared over the gap.
Nor were the group's lyrics typical: They tend to shy away from the misogyny and violence rap is so often (and not always unjustly) condemned for.
In turn the hit led to the album "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik," on which OutKast expanded their fan base with a creative album mixing Southern pimplogy with the concrete street smarts and intelligence of KRS-One and Ice Cube.
By this time, "ATLiens" has already served four more dope songs than you might have heard on any other album that came out in '96, and is only just reaching the lead single "Elevators (Me and You)" - just as dope as any of the rest in it's own right.
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.
You May Die (Intro) ; Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac) ; Atliens ; Wheelz of Steel ; Jazzy Bells ; Elevators (Me and You) ; Ova da Wudz ; Babylon ; Wailin' ; Mainstream ; Decatur Psalm ; Millennium ;...
Known as innovators in the hip-hop world, it isn't just Outkast's music that has raised their profile to the global stage.
Some innovative videos have helped propel their off-beat visions into the...
It could be that they just want to experiment and come back twice as strong and tight on another album, or as I think it could be one's tiredness of 2D Hip Hop and the other's helpless drowning in the endless masquerade.
OutKast - ATLiens is the complete opposite of what is happening now.
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What distinguishes this record from the materialistic hedonism of much East Coast rap, and the gunplay and pimpism of its West Coast counterpart, is more than OutKast's Southern roots.
On ATLiens150; produced by the duo and Organized Noize (the crew responsible for TLC's chart-topping "Waterfalls") 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.
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