Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik: The South Takes Over

“They got the nerve to ask me why I do the things I do

I got the nerve to serve you up just like a waiter do

But naw (naw, naw), I take that back, that's my problem

Turnin' and walkin' away just ain't gon' work when they be robbin'

As long as Big Boi's still livin', never standin' by my lonesome

Step up nigga if you want some” - OutKast (Ain’t No Thang).

That there is the ending of the first verse of the song “Ain’t no Thang” from the Hip Hop duo known as Outkast off their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. This week marks the 30 year anniversary of the album’s release which not only marks the beginning of Outkast, but the beginning of the south’s reign in Hip Hop.

30 years ago Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was crafted by Antwan “Big Boi” Patton and Andre “Andre 3000” Benjamin. The two young men grew up together in the streets of Atlanta, Georgia in the early 90’s. They started off as rapping emcees who were know rivals against each other in the halls of their high school, but banded together and became friends and partners in Hip Hop who sought to make an impact with the story of where they came from.

The crafting of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik started in the legendary recording studio known as “The Dungeon” which was owned by the Atlanta Hip Hop veteran DJ and producer Rico Wade. Many of the artist in addition to Outkast who would come to record at the Dungeon became known as the Dungeon Family which would also include fellow future Atlanta superstars The Goodie Mob, who would be featured heavily on Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.

“Well it's the M-I crooked letter coming around the South

Rolling straight Hammers and Vogues in that old Southern slouch

Please, ain't nothing but incense in my atmosphere

I'm bending corners in my 'Lac, boi

'Cause that's how we be rolling here

Deep, the slang is in effect because it's Georgia

Kicking the khakis and Adidas

Packing yo' heaters cause you 'sposed to, cousin

Catfish and grits is how my flow flow

Rolling steady in that Caddy but them 50 bottles got to go

See juice and gin used to be my friend from the begin

And now I'm just a player sipping sauce every now and then

To catch a buzz like a bumble bee

Niggas who tried to fuck with me

Get sprayed like Raid cause it ain't nothing seed” - Outkast (Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik).

With Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik Outkast takes us on a journey through the dungeon of Atlanta, Georgia, educating every region about life in the south. The first single off the album “Player’s Ball” talks about the yearly event of the same name and all the big name players from Black side of America’s tracks who attend the event from all over the country. The southern accent that flowed through the record was unlike anything Hip Hop had ever before. The single’s country twang made it apparent that the south was coming to play.

“It's beginnin' to look a lot like what?

Follow my every step

Take notes on how I crept, I's bout to go in depth

This is the way I creep my season, here's my ghetto rep

I kept, to say the least, no, no it can't cease

So I begin to piece my two and two together

Gots no snowy weather, have to find somethin' to do better bet

I said subtract so shut up that nonsense about some silent

I gots it crunk, if it ain't real, ain't right

I'm like no matter what the season

Forever chill with Smith

I sip my fifth, I chill with Wesson, got my reasons

So tell me what did you expect?

You thought I'd break my neck, to help y'all deck, the, the

Oh naw, I got other means of celebratin'

I'm gettin' blizzard at HoJo, I gots a hoochie waitin'

I made it through another year can't ask for nothin' much more

It's OutKast for the boots I thought you knew so now you know

Let's go” - Outkast (Player’s Ball).

The album further digs into the day to day life and struggles of Atlanta’s inner city with songs like “Hooty Hoo” “Crumbling Erb” and “Git Up Git Out”. Big Boi and Andre both did a great job at showcasing the various dimensions of a young Black male in the south by detailing how he hustles in the streets, tries to live a legitimate life, all the while juggling family struggles and enjoying what many in the south would consider the little things.

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was released on April 26, 1994. The album would be both a critical and commercial hit, eventually going platinum and garnering many accolades. What made this album so monumental was it opened the door for the south to dominate in Hip Hop. Before Outkast you had a number of several southern acts in Hip Hop with a dominating presence over many, such as the iconic Geto Boys, but at the time no one thought the southern region as a whole had anything credible or even likeable to offer. With the odds stacked against them as well as many haters, Outkast not only built a legacy for themselves with Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, but also opened the doors for every other southern artist that came after them. Hip Hop and the south celebrates Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.

“I should've listened when my mama told me

That, if you play now, you gonna suffer later

Figured she was talking yang yang, so I payed her no attention

And kept missing the point she tried to poke me with

The doper that I get, the more I'm feeling broke and shit

Huh, but that don't matter though, I am an O-UT-KAST

So get up off your ass” - Outkast (Git Up, Git Out).