�We just wanted to be a part of somethin�.� ~Rico Wade

Credit: NPR
I first heard about NPR Hip Hop show Microphone Check�s interview with Organized Noize at Terminal West this past Monday on Twitter.  If OutKast introduced hip hop to why the South was dirty, then Organized Noize (Ray Murray, Rico Wade, and Sleepy Brown) was the sonic tapestry weaver that sonically brought the hip hop South. I buzzed my bestest friend and ATL born and bred hip hop guru Toni and looked forward to the conversation.

I was not disappointed.

Aside from meeting up with the fam (shoutout to Bettina Love, Natina Adams, Rodney Carmichael, Cedric Shine, nem) Microphone Checkbrought serious sit-on-your-skin and in your mind heat!  The conversation was organic, uplifting, and indicative of what Organized Noize and their creativity meant to ATL hip hop.

I just wanted to share my top five moments from the conversation.




5. The Confessional
The first two pews rows on the left of the stage were reserved for the Dungeon Family. And what a helluva reunion. DF members Big Boi, Mr. DJ, Backbone, and Big Rube interjected their own stories with Organized Noize and brought even more life to the spirited conversation. Them folks was pouring out stories like sinners sitting on the front pew in church on first Sunday.

4. We don�t DO mediocre
I loved their stories about crate digging and buying records reserved for New York artists from House of Oldies on Bleeker Street (Ali Shaheed�s side-eye was priceless). Shaheed points out how their acknowledgement and respect of New York�s significance to hip hop is in the sound of scratching records throughout their catalog.

 
Even though Ray Murray had to dip out a bit early he dropped some serious gems while he was there, including a story about working with Rawkus Records in New York after his beat machine lost his work. He shared that being a producer meant being an innovator even if it meant producing something new and on the spot with Najee (I swear. Dude said NAJEE, smooth jazz NAJEE ).  The mic dropper for me was a casual and shoulder-shrugging Murray saying �[today] we accept mediocrity as great shit.� Indeed, this makes me think about not only the consumption of hip hop music but our listening practices. Murray�s comments made me think about if we have become less expectant of hip hop and are therefore lazy in how we listen to rap, especially in the South where the beat catches us first.

3. The Art of Soul
I really dug their definition of soul, especially from Sleepy Brown: �the South has a sound that is touching [and] from the heart. . .Soul music is us.� TRUUUUUE. Wade brought it home with the complexity of who/what soul is: �[Soul is] church but might be a sinner [too].� The [Black] South and its soul is a gray space. We seldom live in oppositional polarity. The spirituality of Organized Noize�s music is simultaneously introspective and reflective of their experiences as young southern black folks. It illustrates how sound can be used to address the formalities and expectations pressed upon us while making room for us to use our flaws and let our creativity breathe.

2. �They Like Pits�
I know some of ya�ll are shocked this isn�t my favorite moment but their discussion of how OutKast got put on had me wide-eyed and hot-cheeked. Wade�s comparison of their lyrical aggression to pit bulls after hearing them freestyle for seven minutes indicated their hunger and focus on emceeing. Wade stated that indicating their southernness was not top priority would make that apparent and acknowledgeable.

1. Busta Rhymes� Beholding a White Horse = Country Fried Soul (Re)Awakening
Getting Outkasted/Organized with the Fam
Busta Rhymes urged members of the Dungeon Family to read Bill Cooper�s Behold a Pale Horse while in the studio session for �D.E.E.P.� The bonus was hearing them imitate Busta Buss� heavy New York accent.  Cooper�s book and their own understanding of Atlanta�s history in political and civil rights struggles for black folks heavily influenced Organized Noize�s (and their artists) musical influences. The intentional use of sound to reach folks and make them think is brilliant and indicates an awareness of sound as an additional layer of complicating hip hop culture using region and cultural touchstones from the past, present, and future.

Additionally, during the question-and-answer session Rico Wade (for real, get that man his own show NPR) stated that women needed to be behind the scenes in addition to being emcees. I agreed and would add that women need to document and write their stories and experiences in hip hop.


If I didn�t say it before, this interview was all the thangs. Salute to Microphone Check and NPR for recognizing the South [STILL] got something to say!