“It was all about symbolism,” Dre told Yo! MTV Raps. “The scenes where we’re going through the jungle, that represents that we’re on a journey. Directed by Michael Martin, it was more than just a visual marvel. The “Elevators” video was symbolic: Outkast is known for elaborate videos and “Elevators (Me & You)” was an early standout. Reid let us pick all our singles.” The track became their highest-charting song at the time, peaking at No. “They didn’t even like ‘Elevators.’ They were like, ‘Y’all crazy!’ We said, ‘F–k that shit,’ and took it to the radio station against everybody’s wishes and it blew up. La Face Records didn’t like “Elevators (Me & You)”: Dre and Big weren’t “worried” about perception, but “the label was,” Big told Spin. “What better way to paint a picture than being able to create the soundscape for your words? We were maturing and coming of age then.” The duo produced five of the 15 cuts, including “ATLiens” and “Elevators (Me & You).”Ĩ. “We learned from being under for so long,” Big told Spin. Outkast started producing: Andre and Big are mostly known for rhymes, but ATLiens allowed them to shine on the boards too. Dre agreed, saying that it featured only their “tightest rhymes and beats” out of the bunch, leaving 20 on the cutting room floor.ħ. “We picked the best ones,” he told VIBE at the time. Teaming with the Dungeon Family, the twosome recorded 35 songs for the album, according to Daddy Fat Sax. 20 Songs were scrapped: In 1995, Big and Dre started working on ATLiens. Reid’s Interview, Shouts Out Kid Cudi, Young Thug & FutureĦ. So when I talked about IFOs ‘landing in Decatur,’ I knew some folks had already seen that shit: identified flying objects.”Īndre 3000 Makes Surprise Cameo in L.A. “We knew somebody had to be out here in the universe other than just us. I wasn’t talking about myself,” he told Creative Loafing. You just gotta find yourself, and be true to yourself.”īut in 2010, 3 Stacks had a different answer. “We just trying to let everybody know there’s a place for everybody in this world. “Being an alien is just being yourself when people don’t understand you,” Dre told said that same year. “The aliens for our status in the hip-hop game.” Alien was also much more. “The ATL for Atlanta,” Dre told the Los Angeles Times that year.
The title has different meanings: ATLiens was a powerful title because it represented the duo so well. “Speaking about the feelings I’m possessing for Renee.”ĥ. “His aunt was almost like his mom,” Shanti Das, a former VP of marketing at La Face, shared on Driven. “Dre absolutely stood by him.” Big rhymes about this tragedy on the reflective “Babylon.” “People don’t know the stress I’m dealing with day to day,” he rapped. Tragedy struck: Big Boi suffered a major loss going into the album when his aunt Renee died of pneumonia. “You’re serious about that daddy shit.” Today, Jordan’s in her senior year at Auburn University where she’s majoring in psychology.Ĥ. “I love how you just buckled down,” he’d tell him. “My daughter became my number-one priority.” Dre encouraged Big’s new role. “It made me more responsible,” he told Spin. Big Boi also changed: On March 31, 1995, Big Boi welcomed his first child, Jordan, into the world. Outkast Turned Down Super Bowl Halftime Show, Big Boi Saysģ. “If the music were to ever end,” he told Spin at the time, “I don’t want to be useless.” Big didn’t join Dre in this quest because he’d finished high school with a 3.68 GPA. After dropping out his senior year, he went to night school between ATLiens sessions and eventually earned his GED. Dre earned his GED: Among the changes, Dre also refocused on school. Now, I’ve stopped smoking and drinking, and I’m trying to live up to my abilities, and take life much more seriously.”Ģ.
On our first album, we were determined to smoke herb until the world ended. “Then there comes a time where you have to raise up and do something else with yourself. “When you’re 17 and 18, you think you can smoke and drink all day and sleep around.
Even went as far as to practice celibacy.”ĭre addressed these changes during an interview with the Los Angeles Times in ’96. “That’s when he went through the transition of really trying to find himself,” CeeLo Green said in VH1’s Driven special on Outkast. “He grew his hair. Andre was sober, vegan and celibate: ATLiens was a turning point for Dre, who found sobriety and veganism while crafting the album. Here are some facts about the album that some earthlings might not know.ġ.