ATLiens

ATLiens
Studio album by OutKast
Released	27 August 1996
Recorded	May 1995 - April 1996
Studio	Bosstown Recording Studio, Doppler Recording Studio, PatchWerk Recording Studio, Purple Dragon Studios, Studio LaCoCo (Atlanta, Georgia) Chung King Recording Studio and Sound On Sound Recording (New York City)
Genre	Southern hip hop
Length	57:23
Label	LaFace
Producer	Earthtone Ideas, Organized Noize

OutKast chronology
Previous	Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994)
Next	Aquemini (1998)

ATLiens is the second studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast, released in August 27, 1996 on LaFace Records. The duo wanted to improve on their 1994 debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik and gain respect for their growing Southern hip hop scene. OutKast recorded ATLiens in sessions at Bosstown Studios, Doppler Studios, Patchwerk Recording, Purple Dragon and LaCoCo Studio in Atlanta and at Chung King Studios and Sound On Sound Recording in New York City from May 1995 to April 1996. The production was handled by Organized Noize and Earthtone Ideas. Features guest appearances by Goodie Mob, Witchdoctor and Cool Breeze.

The record features outer space-inspired production sounds, with OutKast and producers Organized Noize incorporating elements of dub, reggae and gospel into the compositions. Several songs feature the duo's first attempts at producing music themselves (credited as Earthtone Ideas). Lyrically, the group discusses a wide range of topics, including the familiar urban life as hustlers from their debut, and to existential introspection and extraterrestial life. The album's title is a portmanteau of "ATL" (an abbreviation of their native Atlanta, Georgia) and "aliens", which was been interpreted by critics as a commentary about the feeling of being isolated from American culture.

ATLiens debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, and sold nearly 350,000 copies in its first two weeks of release. The album was very well received by critics upon its release, who praised it's lyrical content. It has been certified double platinum by the RIAA for shipments of two million copies in the United States. The album spawned the singles "Elevators (Me & You)", "ATLiens" and "Jazzy Belle". Since its release, ATLiens has been listed by several magazines and critics as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.

Track listing

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Time
1.	"You May Die (Intro)"	-	Crewnshaw, Gilliam, Organized Noize	Organized Noize	1:05
2.	"Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac)"	Big Boi, André 3000	Benjamin, Organized Noize, Patton	Organized Noize	2:46
3.	"ATLiens"	Big Boi, André 3000	Benjamin, Patton	Earthtone Ideas	3:50
4.	"Wheelz of Steel"	Big Boi, André 3000	Benjamin, Patton	Earthtone Ideas	4:03
5.	"Jazzy Belle"	André 3000, Big Boi	Benjamin, Organized Noize, Patton	Organized Noize	4:12
6.	"Elevators (Me & You)"	André 3000, Big Boi	Benjamin, Patton	Earthtone Ideas	4:25
7.	"Ova da Wudz"	Big Boi, André 3000	Benjamin, Johnson, Patton	Earthtone Ideas	3:48
8.	"Babylon"	André 3000, Big Boi	Benjamin, Doroschuk, Martin, Patton	Organized Noize	4:24
9.	"Wailin'"	Big Boi, André 3000	Benjamin, Organized Noize, Patton	Organized Noize	2:00
10.	"Mainstream"	T-Mo, André 3000, Khujo, Big Boi	Barnett, Benjamin, Knighton, Patton	Earthtone Ideas	5:18
11.	"Decatur Psalm"	Cool Breeze, Big Boi, Big Gipp	Bell, Benjamin, Gipp, Organized Noize, Patton	Organized Noize	3:58
12.	"Millennium"	André 3000, Big Boi	Benjamin, Organized Noize, Patton	Organized Noize	3:09
13.	"E.T. (Extraterrestial)"	Big Boi, André 3000	Benjamin, Johnson, Patton	Earthtone Ideas	3:07
14.	"13th Floor/Growing Old"	André 3000, Big Boi	Benjamin, Ethridge, Organized Noize, Patton	Organized Noize	6:50

Samples

You May Die (Intro)

• "Summer in the City" by Quincy Jones

Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac)

• "Danger, She's a Stranger" by The Five Stairsteps

ATLiens

• "Around the World" by Attilio Mineo
• "So Tired" by The Chambers Brothers

Wheelz of Steel

• "Focus III" by Focus
• "Saturday Night Style" by Mikey Dread

Jazzy Belle

• "CB#5" by Ralph Vargas and Carlos Bess
• "Prelude" by Lamont Dozier
• "It's Yours" by T La Rock and DJ Jazzy Jay

Elevators (Me & You)

• "Please Let Me Stay" by The Joneses
• "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins

Ova Da Wudz

• "Judas" by Society of Soul

Babylon

• "12 0'Clock" by Vangelis

Wailin'

• "To the Establishment" by Lou Bond

Mainstream

• "Soldier in Our Town" by Iron Butterfly
• "Sesame Street" by Goodie Mob

Decatur Psalm

• "Superfine From Behind Lady" by Cleveland Wrecking Co.
• "Cebu" by The Commodores

Elevators (ONP 86 Mix)

• "Come in Out of the Rain" by Parliament
• "Check the Rhime" by A Tribe Called Quest