Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the song, see Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (song).

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
Studio album by
Outkast
ReleasedApril 26, 1994 (1994-04-26)
Studio
  • Bosstown
  • D.A.R.P.
  • Doppler
  • The Dungeon
  • Purple Dragon (Atlanta)
Genre
Length64:33
Label
ProducerOrganized Noize
Outkast chronology
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
(1994) 		ATLiens
(1996)
Singles from Southernplaya
listicadillacmuzik
  1. "Player's Ball"
    Released: November 19, 1993
  2. "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik"
    Released: July 1994
  3. "Git Up, Git Out"
    Released: October 1994

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik is the debut studio album by the American hip hop duo Outkast, released on April 26, 1994, by Arista Records and LaFace Records. Having befriended each other two years prior, rappers André 3000 and Big Boi pursued recording music as a duo and worked with production team Organized Noize, leading to a record contract with LaFace. With the team producing, Outkast recorded the album at the Dungeon, D.A.R.P. Studios, Purple Dragon, Bosstown, and Doppler Studios, all in Atlanta.

A

African American in the South, Outkast wrote and recorded the album as teenagers and addressed coming of age themes with the album's songs. They also incorporated repetitive hooks and Southern slang
in their lyrics.

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik charted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified Platinum in the United States, denoting one million copies sold. A critical and commercial success, the album helped distinguish Southern hip hop as a credible hip hop scene during East Coast and West Coast hip hop's market dominance at the time. It has since been viewed by music journalists as an important release in both hip hop and Atlanta's music scene.

Background

GED at a night school following the release of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.[3] They briefly dabbled in street-hustling to save up for recording money.[4]

The duo also spent time at their friend Rico Wade's basement recording studio, known as the Dungeon,

TLC's 1992 album Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip.[6] The team had André 3000 and Big Boi rap over them, which led to a record deal from LaFace for both Organized Noize and OutKast.[6] The commercial success of Arrested Development's 1992 alternative hip hop single "Tennessee" also encouraged LaFace to sign Outkast,[7] the label's first hip hop act.[8]

Recording and production

Organized Noize used a Roland TR-808 for the album's production.[9]

After receiving a $15,000 advance from LaFace in 1993, Outkast started recording the album at the Dungeon.[10] The studio featured mostly secondhand recording equipment.[5] Recording sessions also took place at Bosstown, Dallas Austin's D.A.R.P. Studios,[11] Doppler Studios, and Purple Dragon in Atlanta.[12] Located in midtown Atlanta, Bosstown developed a sentimental value for Outkast, who later bought the studio in 1999 and renamed it "Stankonia" after their fourth studio album.[11] Throughout the album's recording, the duo refined their artistry and drew on ideas from funk, contemporary R&B, and soul music.[13] André 3000 also smoked marijuana during the sessions.[14] They recorded over 30 songs for the album.[13]

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was produced entirely by Organized Noize, which was made up of Rico Wade, Ray Murray, and

DJing and sampling.[17] They viewed that the feel of live instruments made the music sound more authentic and immediate.[15] With their production, the team sought an organic, celebratory, "down-home" vibe, as Brown later recalled, "We wanted Atlanta brothers to be proud of where they were from".[18] Brown also sung vocals for several tracks.[12]

Along with Organized Noize, other members of the Dungeon Family worked on the album,[18] including Goodie Mob, Mr. DJ, Debra Killings, and Society of Soul.[12] The album was mixed at Sound on Sound in New York City, Bosstown, D.A.R.P. Studios, Tree Sound, and Studio LaCoCo in Atlanta.[12]

Music and lyrics

"Myintrotoletuknow"
The opening song discusses street-hustling and incorporates guitar.[12][19]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

A

old school hip hop elements, including E-mu SP-1200-styled drums and turntable scratches.[22] Music writers characterize the album's music and beats as "clanky" and "mechanical".[20][23] Roni Sarig of Rolling Stone comments that the music shows "clear debts to East Coast bohos like the Native Tongues and a West Coast level of attention to live instruments and smooth, irresistible melodies".[17] In Oliver Wang's Classic Material, music writer Tony Green delineates the album's release "at the tail end of a second hip-hop 'golden age,' a two-year period (1993–94) that spawned Wu-Tang's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, De La Soul's Buhloone Mindstate, Nas's Illmatic, and A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders", and comments that "like many albums released during that period, Southernplayalistic alluded to its roots ... while clearing the way for a new direction that used the peach cobbler soul funk of the Organized Noize production crew as a starting point."[22]

With the album, Outkast wanted to make a statement about

flow is frenetic and has a rapid delivery, while André 3000 raps in a more relaxed cadence, with staccato rhymes,[28] and occasionally sings on the album.[26] Writer Martin C. Strong views that both rappers' "lyrical panache" on the album has an "ebb and flow" similar to Kool Keith and Del the Funky Homosapien.[29]

The song "Call of da Wild" discusses the temptation to drop out of school, while "Git Up, Git Out" encourages teenagers to follow their passions, be productive,

Cee Lo Green exploring perspectives of both man child and maternal figure.[23] "Funky Ride" has no rappers and is instead sung by R&B group Society of Soul,[12] a side project of Organized Noize.[31] It has an extended guitar solo and musical similarities to Funkadelic and Bootsy Collins.[16][32] "Crumblin' Erb" explores themes of hedonism and addresses black-on-black violence and the negative effect it has on African-American culture: "There's only so much time left in this crazy world / I'm just crumblin' erb / Niggas killin' niggas, they don't understand (it's the master plan), I'm just crumblin' erb"[23]

Marketing and sales

"Player's Ball"
The single has lyrics depicting a "black man's heaven" and features a Curtis Mayfield-styled falsetto chorus.[9]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The album's

Hot Rap Singles, topping the chart for six weeks.[27] Its popularity among young black college students during Freaknik increased its sales and helped it break into the Top 40, a rare achievement for a hip hop song at the time.[35] "Player's Ball" spent 20 weeks and peaked at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100.[36] On May 12, 1994, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States.[33] The single helped create buzz for the album.[37]

LaFace released Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik on April 26, 1994.

Nielsen SoundScan.[41] The album was reissued by LaFace in September 1998.[29]

Neither of the album's next two singles performed as well.

Hot R&B Singles, peaking at number 59.[44]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
[25]
Entertainment WeeklyA[30]
Los Angeles Times[21]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[17]
The Source4.5/5[23]
Sputnikmusic4.5/5[47]

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was met with generally positive reviews. James Bernard of

P-Funk influence and praised their lyrics' honesty, commenting that "while their rhyme style may swing a little too close to Hiero for my comfort, what really makes this album so listenable is that ... truthfulness reigns."[23] However, Robert Christgau dismissed the album as a "dud" in his consumer guide for The Village Voice.[48]

Despite the album's success, some reacted negatively to the musical style, particularly hip-hop tastemakers.

Sucker MCs' a decade earlier, I didn't understand that instead of operating outside of hip-hop, OutKast was actually expanding hip-hop. They were offering one of the most honest expressions, and expression so honest that it went completely over my head at first."[49]

In retrospect, Christgau remarked, "If Dre and Big Boi were addressing real 'real life situations' on Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik or ATLiens, they were drawling too unreconstructedly for any Yankee to tell."[50] Steve Juon of RapReviews was more receptive, calling it "a stellar debut album", albeit with some musical flaws, including the "monotonous bassline and chorus" of "D.E.E.P.", the "out of place" "Funky Ride", and the album's segue tracks.[51] Music journalist Peter Shapiro found its production "rich, deep and detailed, but never as seductive or crowd-pleasing as Dr. Dre's" and commended the album as "a melancholy depiction of the game that never shied away from its consequences".[9] Although he found "occasional dull and mediocre spots", AllMusic editor Stanton Swihart called the album "an extremely strong showing" and praised the duo's "inventive sense of rhyme flow" and "mixture of lyrical acuity, goofball humor, Southern drawl, funky timing, and legitimate offbeat personalities."[20]

Legacy and influence

The album reflected on urban life in Atlanta and was a part of the city's music scene at the time (Atlanta skyline pictured in 1982).

After the album was certified platinum, LaFace Records gave Outkast more creative control and advanced money for their 1996 follow-up album ATLiens.

crossover into R&B production, including work on Curtis Mayfield's 1997 album New World Order.[31]

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was a seminal album for

misogynistic and inferior to other scenes, particularly East Coast and West Coast hip hop.[23] Those scenes dominated the hip-hop market, and acts from other regional scenes were often produced by either East Coast or West Coast producers.[8] The album offered an artistically credible alternative, both musically and lyrically, to those regional scenes and was produced by an Atlanta-based production team.[8][26] Music journalist T. Hasan Johnson notes "Outkast's first submission to the music industry" as significant for how they "broke from the binary production options split by California and New York artists", viewing that their decision to boast their region and a native production team "signaled a break from the conventional split between East and West hip hop aesthetics and openly demonstrated that the South could produce street-certified, quality music."[8] Nicole Hodges Persley cites its release as a critical moment in hip hop and writes that it "marked a break in bicoastal hip hop sound".[57]

The album presaged hip hop's "Dirty South" aesthetic, which later achieved mainstream recognition.[32] Its smooth musical style, drawing on soul and funk musical traditions,[8] and the duo's clever lyrics helped define Southern hip hop's sound,[25][58] which influenced acts like Goodie Mob, Joi, and Bubba Sparxxx.[57] In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, Rolling Stone journalist Roni Sarig writes that the album "marked a coming out for a region that would dominate hip-hop by the decade's end", commenting that, with it, Outkast "helped define a new stream of hip-hop that would rejuvenate the music in the late '90s and early 2000s."[17] AllMusic's Stanton Swihart comments that "no one sounded like OutKast in 1994" and that the album showcased Organized Noize as it "began forging one of the most distinctive production sounds in popular music in the '90s".[20]

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was also a significant release in the burgeoning "

Ego trip's list of "Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980–98",[61] while Vibe included it as one of the "150 Essential Albums of the Vibe Era (1992–2007)".[62] Vibe later included the album on a 2004 list of "51 Essential Albums" that represent "a generation, a sound, and in many cases, a movement", writing that "[OutKast] determined the South had something to say, and after emerging from the Dungeon production lab, they said it all, sometimes sang it all—pointedly, funkdafied, and putting on absolutely no East Coast pretense. Classic."[63]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Organized Noize.

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik track listing
David Sheats
0:25
10."Funky Ride"
  • Brown
  • Murray
  • Wade
6:31
11."Flim Flam (Interlude)" 1:15
12."Git Up, Git Out" (featuring Goodie Mob)
  • Patton
    		• 7:27
    13."True Dat (Interlude)" 1:16
    14."Crumblin' Erb"
    • Benjamin
    • Brown
    • Murray
    • Patton
    • Wade
    		5:10
    15."Hootie Hoo"
    • Benjamin
    • Brown
    • Murray
    • Patton
    • Wade
    		3:59
    16."D.E.E.P."
    • Benjamin
    • Brown
    • Murray
    • Patton
    • Wade
    		5:31
    17."Player's Ball (Reprise)"
    • Benjamin
    • Brown
    • Murray
    • Patton
    • Wade
    		2:20
    Total length:64:33

    Notes

    Personnel

    Information is taken from the album credits.[12]

    • André – composer, rapper
    • Brandon Bennett – background vocals
    • Big Boi – composer, rapper
    • Big Gipp – composer, rapper
    • Leslie Brathwaite – mixing assistant
    • Sleepy Brown – background vocals, organ, piano
    • Cee-Lo
      – background vocals, composer, rapper
    • Preston Crump – bass
    • Jonnie "Most" Davis – mixing
    • Sean "Shy Boy" Davis – engineer
    • Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds – executive producer
    • John Frye – mixing assistant
    • Goodie Mob – performer
    • Mark Hawley – assistant engineer
    • Tony "T-Bone" Hightower – background vocals
    • Marq Jefferson – bass
    • Debra Killings – background vocals
    • Craig Love – guitar
    • Jon Marett – engineer
    • Mr. DJ – scratches
    • NHP Sound, Inc. – engineer, mixing
    • Organized Noize – composer, drum programming, keyboards, mixing, producer
    • Kevin Parker – mixing assistant
    • Peaches – vocals
    • Antonio "L.A." Reid – executive producer
    • Society of Soul – performer
    • Jeff Sparks – saxophone
    • Alvin Speights – mixing
    • Christopher Stern – artwork
    • Edward Stroud – guitar
    • T-Mo – composer, rapper
    • Rico Wade – organ, piano
    • John "Bernasky" Wall – mixing assistant
    • Timothy White – photography
    • Colin Wolfe – bass
    • Kenneth Wright – organ, piano

    Charts

    Weekly charts

    Chart performance for Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
    Chart (1994) Peak
    position
    US Billboard 200[64] 20
    US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[65] 3

    Year-end charts

    1994 year-end chart performance for Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
    Chart (1994) Position
    US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[66] 18

    Certifications

    Region Certification Certified units/sales
    United States (RIAA)[67] Platinum 1,000,000^

    ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

    See also

    References

    1. ^ a b c d Guzman, Isaac (October 22, 2000). "Melody Makers of Hip-Hop". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    2. ^ Lester, Paul (May 18, 2001). "PARTNERS IN RHYME: One of them is a blonde-wigged, teetotal vegetarian who reads Pushkin. The other breeds pitbulls in his spare time. Together they have been called the 'greatest living hip-hop act'. Paul Lester hits the road with OutKast". The Guardian. London.
    3. ^ a b Nickson (2004), p. 23.
    4. ^ Norris, Chris (December 2000). "Funk Soul Brothers". Spin. 16 (12). Vibe/Spin Ventures: 146. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    5. ^ a b Nickson (2004), p. 21.
    6. ^ a b c d Nickson (2004), pp. 24–25.
    7. ^ Nickson (2004), p. 26.
    8. ^ a b c d e f g Johnson et al. Hess (2007), pp. 460–461.
    9. ^ a b c d Shapiro et al. Buckley (2003), p. 762.
    10. ^ Nickson (2004), pp. 29–30.
    11. ^ a b Bry, David (December 2000). "Scentimental Journey". Vibe. 8 (10). Vibe/Spin Ventures: 144. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (CD liner). OutKast. LaFace Records. 1994. 73008-26010-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
    13. ^ a b Nickson (2004), p. 32.
    14. ^ Westhoff (2011), p. 110.
    15. ^ a b c Nickson (2004), p. 31.
    16. ^ a b Nickson (2004), p. 40.
    17. ^ a b c d e f Sarig et al. Brackett & Hoard (2004), p. 610.
    18. ^ a b c Westhoff (2011), p. 103.
    19. ^ Dersch (2010), p. 4.
    20. ^
      Rovi Corporation
      . Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    21. ^ a b c d Hunt, Dennis (June 26, 1994). "OutKast, 'Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,' LaFace". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    22. ^ a b c Green et al. Wang (2003), p. 132.
    23. ^ a b c d e f g h i Marriott, Rob (July 1994). "Outkast: Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik". The Source (58). New York: 83. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    24. ^ Baker, Soren (October 25, 1998). "OutKast Aquemini (LaFace-Arista) As one of the ..." Chicago Tribune. Chicago: Tribune Company. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    25. ^ a b c Larkin (2006), p. 357.
    26. ^ a b c Nickson (2004), p. 39.
    27. ^ a b Nickson (2004), p. 34.
    28. ^ Westhoff (2011), p. 102.
    29. ^ a b c d e Strong (2004), p. 1134.
    30. ^ a b c Bernard, James (May 27, 1994). "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik". Entertainment Weekly. No. 224. p. 88. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    31. ^ a b c Nickson (2004), p. 41.
    32. ^ a b c d e Green et al. Wang (2003), p. 133.
    33. ^ a b c d "Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    34. ^ a b c d e Nickson (2004), pp. 32–33.
    35. ^ a b c Nickson (2004), p. 35.
    36. ^ "Player's Ball [Original Version] – OutKast". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    37. ^ Bush, John. "Outkast – Biography". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    38. ^ a b c d "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik – OutKast". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    39. ^ Nickson (2004), p. 36.
    40. ^ Nickson (2004), p. 43.
    41. ^ Reynolds, J. R. (August 5, 1995). "Production Group Makes Positive Noize; Get Those Grammy Nominations Mailed". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 31. BPI Communications. p. 19. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    42. ^ Nickson (2004), p. 37.
    43. ^ Itzkoff, David (February 2005). "Exposure". Spin. 21 (2). Vibe/Spin Ventures: 34. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    44. ^ "Git Up, Git Out – OutKast". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    45. ^ Murray, Sonia (May 7, 1994). "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik: OutKast". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
    46. ISBN 0312245602
      . Retrieved August 23, 2019.
    47. ^ "Outkast – Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik User Opinions". Sputnikmusic. Scroll down to Louis Arp. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    48. ^ Christgau, Robert (July 11, 1995). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    49. ^ Simmons (2008), p. 54.
    50. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Albums: OutKast: Aquemini". Robert Christgau. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    51. ^ a b Juon, Steve (April 21, 2002). "OutKast :: Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik :: LaFace/Arista Records". RapReviews. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    52. ^ Black Diaspora. 18. Black Diaspora Communications: 25. 1997. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
    53. ^ Nickson (2004), p. 42.
    54. ^ Nickson (2004), p. 46.
    55. ^ Westhoff (2011), p. 104.
    56. ^ Joyner (2008), p. 292.
    57. ^ a b Persley et al. Hess (2007), p. xxviii.
    58. ^ Mack (2009), p. 21.
    59. ^ Nickson (2004), pp. 19–20.
    60. Cleveland.com
      . Retrieved July 14, 2021.
    61. ^ Jenkins (1999), p. 335.
    62. ^ "Revolutions". Vibe. 15 (3). Vibe Media Group: 212. March 2007. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    63. ^ "51 Essential Albums". Vibe. 12 (9): 210. September 2004. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
    64. ^ "OutKast Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
    65. ^ "OutKast Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
    66. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
    67. ^ "American album certifications – Outkast – Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik". Recording Industry Association of America.

    Bibliography

    External links
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik&oldid=1193910942"