The Time Machine
Travel through time
Golden Age
18 active
Artists active in 1996
OutKast
East Point, Atlanta · Hip-Hop · Southern
Duo of André "3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton, developed with Organized Noize in the Dungeon. Their 1994 debut on LaFace helped put Atlanta on the national hip-hop map.
Goodie Mob
College Park, Atlanta · Hip-Hop · Southern
Group of CeeLo Green, Khujo, T-Mo and Big Gipp; founding members of the Dungeon Family. Their debut Soul Food (1995) brought socially conscious Southern rap to a national audience.
Organized Noize
East Point, Atlanta · Hip-Hop / R&B · Southern
Producers Rico Wade, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown. Working from the basement studio known as the Dungeon, they shaped early OutKast and Goodie Mob records and produced TLC's "Waterfalls" (1995).
Cool Breeze
East Point, Atlanta · Hip-Hop · Southern
Dungeon Family MC from East Point. His single "Watch for the Hook" featured OutKast and Goodie Mob, and his album was released through Organized Noize's label.
Arrested Development
Southwest Atlanta, Atlanta · Hip-Hop · Conscious
Afrocentric, socially conscious collective led by Speech. Their 1992 debut won them the Grammy for Best New Artist — an early national breakthrough for Atlanta hip-hop.
Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz
East Atlanta, Atlanta · Hip-Hop · Crunk
Lil Jon, then a club DJ and So So Def A&R, formed the group with Big Sam and Lil Bo. Their independently released 1997 debut helped spread crunk from Atlanta clubs.
Queens Lyricist
Queensbridge, New York · Hip-Hop · Boom Bap
Fictional demo MC focused on intricate internal rhyme.
Harlem Velvet
Harlem, New York · Hip-Hop / Jazz · Jazz Rap
Fictional demo group fusing jazz samples with laid-back flows.
Crenshaw Workshop
Leimert Park, Los Angeles · Hip-Hop · Conscious
Fictional demo open-mic collective known for freestyle workshops.
Long Beach Lowrider
Long Beach, Los Angeles · Hip-Hop / Funk · G-Funk
Fictional demo artist with synth-heavy funk productions.
Third Ward Slab
Third Ward, Houston · Hip-Hop · Chopped & Screwed
Fictional demo MC whose slowed tapes were traded on the south side.
Orange Mound Phantom
Orange Mound, Memphis · Hip-Hop · Horrorcore
Fictional demo producer of dark, distorted cassette releases.
Magnolia Bounce Queen
Magnolia, New Orleans · Hip-Hop · Bounce
Fictional demo bounce performer known for block-party chants.
Eastside Beatsmith
Eastside, Detroit · Hip-Hop / Electronic · Lo-fi
Fictional demo beat-maker with loose, swung drum programming.
Trunk Money Collective
East Oakland, Oakland · Hip-Hop · Hyphy
Fictional demo collective selling self-pressed records from car trunks.
Vallejo Vortex
Vallejo, Bay Area · Hip-Hop · Hyphy
Fictional demo MC with elastic flows and slang-heavy hooks.
Liberty City Bass
Liberty City, Miami · Hip-Hop / Electronic · Southern
Fictional demo bass crew built for car-audio competitions.
North Philly Cuts
North Philly, Philadelphia · Hip-Hop · Boom Bap
Fictional demo turntablist known for battle routines.
Events · 1994–1998
Goodie Mob releases Soul Food
Debut album on LaFace, produced largely by Organized Noize.
OutKast at the Source Awards (New York)
Best New Rap Group win and André 3000's "The South got something to say" speech.
OutKast releases ATLiens
Second album, on LaFace.
Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz release Get Crunk, Who U Wit
Independent debut on Mirror Image.
Swap Meet Tape Trade (Demo)
Collectors swapping slowed tapes.
Block Party Roll Call (Demo)
Ward-by-ward chants over live drums.
Stories
The Dungeon: A Basement in East Point
Organized Noize worked out of a basement studio in Rico Wade's family home in East Point, nicknamed the Dungeon. OutKast, Goodie Mob and others developed there, and the circle became known as the Dungeon Family.
"The South Got Something to Say"
At the 1995 Source Awards in New York, OutKast won Best New Rap Group to boos from the crowd. André 3000 answered: "The South got something to say." The moment became a symbol of Southern hip-hop's arrival.
Crunk Comes Out of the Clubs
Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz's independent debut carried Atlanta club chants onto record, helping define the sound later called crunk.
The Gray Tapes
DEMO CONTENT. Collectors catalog unlabeled slowed tapes traded on the south side.
Tape Hiss & Fog
DEMO CONTENT. A producer remembers dubbing tapes overnight on a double-deck stereo.