Hip-Hop Lives Here
Hip-Hop Lives Here
On August 26, 1996, Andre 3000 and Big Boi, known collectively as Outkast, released the album that would not only shift their musical careers but the sound of southern hip-hop thereafter. ATLiens helped bring the duo’s creative prowess mainstream and is heralded as one of the greatest albums of all time. Now, as the LP celebrates a 25-year legacy, the Georgia natives have issued a video for one of the throwback tracks and an intergalactic new video game.
The group premiered the official animated music video for “Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac)” on Thursday (Aug. 26). Directed by Rafatoon, the visual features cartoon versions of Andre 3000 and Big Boi taking their Cadillac through alternate settings, from rapping their verses on a stoop with a blaring boombox and dancing women to an imagined outer space with seductive aliens.
Legacy Recordings has also revealed the 25th anniversary of ATLiens comes with a reissue of the album both digitally and on vinyl. On Friday (Aug. 27), both versions of the 25th-anniversary deluxe edition will be released and feature 14 previously unreleased instrumental tracks, mixed in Hi-Res 24bit sound.
The album’s producers, Organized Noize, will also host a live stream event with all members of the group (Sleepy Brown, Rico Wade, and Ray Murray) as well as Brandon Butler of Butter.ATL and Dr. Joycelyn Wilson (Ph. D in Hip Hop and Urban studies) to discuss ATLiens’ creation and impact. The broadcast, set for Monday, Aug. 30, will be hosted on Instagram and Volume.com
Outkast fans can continue counting wins as the release also comes with newly uprezzed HD videos of key singles from the album as well, limited edition 25th anniversary merchandise, and more. There is also a new video game, created in a similar fashion to the “Two Dope Boyz” animated video. Produced by London-based digital agency F That, the ATLiens video game gives players the opportunity to operate as André 3000 and Big Boi in a battle against aliens in Atlanta.
Upon its initial drop, ATLiens Outkast’s second studio album debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at #2 and sold nearly 350,000 copies within two weeks of release. It has been certified double platinum by the RIAA, for shipments of two million copies in the United States, and is the home of the hit singles, “Elevators (Me & You)”, “ATLiens”, and “Jazzy Belle.”
The limited-edition 25th anniversary of ATLiens merchandise and music can be purchased here. Beyond vinyl records pressed by Legacy Recordings, Get on Down, or Vinyl Me, Please, the official store offers branded galaxy socks, ATLiens t-shirts, slide-on sandals, posters, tank-tops, and more. Prices range from $15 to $69.98, with the latter price listed for the album’s limited-edition four-LP vinyl set.
In June, Big Boi partnered with Airbnb and opened The Dungeon Family home as a vacation rental. The landmark was made available in celebration of Black Music Month and the ATLiens album anniversary.
“Atlanta is my home, and I grew up with The Dungeon Family in this house,” said Big Boi. “We would spend hours hanging out in the basement, writing rhymes and putting together beats at all hours of the night. Since purchasing the home, I’ve been excited to open its doors and welcome the next generation of artists to the space that inspired countless songs.”
Watch the “Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac)” video above:
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Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon: The End of Day, as many fans know, revolves around his dream of becoming a success. The album is also remembered as a moody, reflective, and emotional listening experience. Its hit lead single, “Day ’n’ Nite,” sets that tone with themes of isolation and addiction.
What some people may not know, however, is the personal story behind this defining track in Kid Cudi’s career. In an interview with Complex, the Cleveland native shared that the song was connected to a falling out with his uncle.
“We were actually beefing because he forced me out the house when I didn’t have another situation set up, so I was bitter. I never apologized for it, and that kills me,” he admitted. But it was not just the conflict that shaped the record.
“[He] passed in 2006,” Cudi said. That loss became fuel for him, both as a way to prove himself and as a tribute to the uncle who helped him in his early days. “That’s why I wrote ‘Day ’n’ Nite.’ If he weren’t there to let me stay with him those first few months, there would be no Kid Cudi. It fcked me up watching him go, but it was like, ‘I have to fulfill this destiny now for sure.’ Things were moving, but they weren’t solidified yet. I had ‘Day ’n’ Nite,’ we were just getting started, and I was like, ‘This sht has got to pop off.’ I wasn’t taking no for an answer.”
The rest, of course, is history. Kid Cudi went on to become one of the most influential figures in hip-hop, with “Day ’n’ Nite” standing as the spark that started it all.
Quotable Lyrics:
'Cause day and night
The lonely stoner seems to free his mind at night
He's all alone through the day and night
The lonely loner seems to free his mind at night, at, at, at night
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