Today prolific down south rap icon Big Boi shared a little about artistry from his native state and its overall contribution to Hip-hop. He makes an irrefutable point.
The Forming of Outkast
Big Boi is the second counterpart of the ultra-successful fresh and clean rap duo Outkast. In 1992, two of the most creative artists to rise from Atlanta, Georgia, came together to combine their unique talents. A year later, they were signed to Laface Records. By 1994, the entire world was rocking with the duo from ATL. And no one could get enough. Their initial album, “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,” was an apt representation of the down south flavor, and just like elevators, they kept rising. That album went certified platinum, selling over a million units and winning the 1995 Source Award for Best New Rap of the Year.
Big Boi and Andre 3,000 Dish Southern Hospitality
Andre 3000 and Big Boi had something special. Their eclectic style and impressive lyrical cadence couldn’t be duplicated. And they killed the game. Their subsequent album “ATliens,” which featured hit singles “Elevators” and “Rosa Parks,” was so well-received in 1999 that it was nominated for a Grammy.
“ATliens” was followed by “Stankonia,” which included hit songs “So Fresh, So Clean” and “Ms. Jackson.”
This time they took home two Grammys for their work. And it was well-earned, given that “Stankonia” went quadruple platinum. Impressively, their fourth album “Speakerboxx/The Love Below,” was just as successful as the first three releases. It won three Grammys and went certified diamond. After their fourth success, it was no denying that the masses loved the way they moved.
So, with such record success, if anyone is qualified to speak on artistry in Atlanta, it’s Big Boi.
Big Boi on Atlanta and Hip Hop
Big Boi attributes his love for hip-hop to Run DMC. According to Big Boi in his interview with Hip Hop Made, a drive with his father with the radio-pumping Run DMC served as the spark that lit his creative fire. And when speaking of how the overall artistry that stems from his proving grounds has impacted Hip-hop, he contends it boils down to diversity. In his interview, he named a list of artists who have sprung from the rich soil of Atlanta. As a point of reference, he points out the diverse styles between artists such as Killer Mike and T.I. In the words of the artist,
“A range of different artists hail from Atlanta like Killer Mike and T.I. and it’s those artists like so many others who help Atlanta ,”[keep] it fresh and new. And it’s always been evolving.”
Such is a point wherein no one will deny.
Outkast: First Class
Undoubtedly Atlanta has been resource rich when it has come to hip-hop artists who have broadened the creative scope of lyricism. While Big Boi gives vibrant examples, no one exemplifies his argument more than he and his former collaborator, Andre 3000. What they did for Southern lyricists and hip-hop is remarkable and immeasurable. As Crave the Sound notes,
“Outkast was able to shift the game of what we understood to be Hip-Hop and elevated Southern Hip-Hop to mainstream status.”
For that we salute them.
A Melting Pot
When it comes to hip-hop, representation stems from the four corners of the Earth. And the collective can be best defined as a melting pot of diversification in style and creativity. Undoubtedly, each and every contribution has been essential to the propulsion of the culture and fifty-years of sustainability as an art form. And, with hope, as time passes, the richness that has defined the immersive culture will only continue to expand as more artists come from every part of the world with their own unique flow in style and verse.
