ATLiens
The second album: more space, more echo, and the first songs the duo produced themselves.
OutKast, 1996
- Released
- 27 August 1996
- Studio
- Bosstown, Doppler, PatchWerk, Purple Dragon and Studio LaCoCo, Atlanta; Chung King and Sound On Sound, New York
- Label
- LaFace, Arista
- Producer
- Organized Noize, Outkast
- Length
- 57:23
Two thirds of the album was produced by Organized Noize, and the rest by Earthtone III, the team of Outkast and Mr. DJ. André 3000 and Big Boi produced Jazzy Belle and Elevators (Me & You) themselves. They wrote about 35 songs and cut them to fourteen, and Elevators (Me & You) was the first song they made together for the record. The production leans on echo and reverb with influences from dub and reggae, and the lyrics move from urban life to extraterrestrial life and space travel.
ATLiens debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, sold nearly 350,000 copies in two weeks, and was certified double platinum in June 2003. It produced the singles Elevators (Me & You), ATLiens with Wheelz of Steel, and Jazzy Belle. Pitchfork's Paul A. Thompson wrote in 2026 that it was suffused with dread and bathed in reverb, capturing two virtuosos at their most vulnerable.
Track listing
- You May Die (Intro)1:05
- Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac)2:46
- ATLiens3:50
- Wheelz of Steel4:03
- Jazzy Belle4:12
- Elevators (Me & You)4:25
- Ova da Wudz3:48
- Babylon4:24
- Wailin'2:00
- Mainstream5:18
- Decatur Psalm3:58
- Millennium3:09
- E.T. (Extraterrestrial)3:07
- 13th Floor / Growing Old6:50
- Elevators (ONP 86 Mix)4:37
Personnel
- Big Boi vocals
- André 3000 vocals
- Mr. DJ scratches
- Organized Noize production, drum and keyboard programming
- Preston Crump bass guitar
- Debra Killings vocals
More from OutKast
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994), Aquemini (1998), Stankonia (2000), Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
Sources
- ATLiens, Wikipedia
- ATLiens (Sunday Review), Pitchfork (2026-01-23)