Review
Outkast's second studio album "ATLiens" dropped on August 27, 1996, and carved a new chapter in Southern hip hop. With newfound access to creative freedom and financial backing, courtesy of their successful debut "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik," André 3000 and Big Boi took experimentation to a whole new level. They whisked in flavors like dub, gospel, and psychedelic rock into their hip-hop stew. The grooves laid down in "Elevators (Me & You)" and "Wheelz of Steel" easily display their advanced sound engineering acumen.
Diving deeper into the narrative, the lyrics in "ATLiens" span themes from their enigmatic Southern world, introspective mind wanderings, to nods to otherworldly beings. Songs such as "13th Floor/Growing Old" and "Babylon" merge soulful luminescence with profound rap scenarios. Outkast brilliantly encapsulates a sense of alienation—they’re domiciled southern storytellers in an industry that seemed outta this world to them, or as they put it, they felt like true "ATLiens" in the music biz.
Uniting innovation with success, "ATLiens" captivated ears everywhere and shook things up commercially. Scoring almost 350,000 sales within its first fortnight, it'd hang around the Billboard 200 like an old friend for 33 weeks. It ushered several stellar singles and unforgettable vibes into the culture, with "Elevators (Me & You)" cruising up to number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and racking up a Gold status from the RIAA. To this day, its legacy is stamped with fresh eccentricity and linked with Outkast’s rejuvenating shift toward sonic exploration. - Tatiana
