Hear OutKast Perform Songs From ATLiens, Released 23 Years Ago Today
Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Music Features Outkast
OutKast are Atlanta hip-hop’s greatest export. Their six albums helped fly the flag for Southern hip-hop, and now André 3000 and Big Boi are a crucial part of the fabric of America’s rich hip-hop history. They also helped popularize trap music alongside fellow Atlanta acts Goodie Mob and Lil Jon. The duo released their second album, ATLiens, 23 years ago today (Aug. 27), which featured an intergalactic production style and a blend of rap, psychedelia, funk and electronic music.
Two years after the album’s release, OutKast performed in New York City, bringing out ATLiens highlights like the title track, “Elevators (Me & You)” and “Jazzy Belle.” Their version of “ATLiens” is gripping, forceful and crystal clear as their Southern-indebted lyrics come to the fore: “And if you like fish and grits and all that pimp shit / Everybody let me hear you say oh-yeah-yer.”
André 3000 introduces “Elevators (Me & You)” as “I’m gonna tell y’all a story about how me and my homeboy came up,” and they break into the chill hip-hop tune with fans singing along to the song’s refrain: “Me and you / Your momma and your cousin too / Rolling down the strip on Vogues / Coming up, slamming Cadillac doors.”
Read: The Five Best Atlanta Hip-Hop Albums of All Time
Listen to OutKast perform songs from ATLiens live in 1998 via the Paste vault below.