ORGANIZED NOIZE

Formed: Atlanta, Georgia

Members: Rico Wade (born Atlanta, Georgia, 26 February 1972); Pat "Sleepy" Brown; Raymon Murray

Genre: Hip-Hop

Hit songs since 1990: "Waterfalls"

Organized Noize is a hip-hop production outfit with a Southern niche. Their music blends elements of Parliament-Funkadelic with a soulful and sometimes futuristic sound. Their eccentric and intricate soundscapes helped catapult groups like OutKast and TLC, and Southern hip-hop in general, to the national forefront.

Organized Noize established Atlanta, Georgia, as a rap music hub distinct from the Northeast and West Coast. Whereas most rap producers utilize sampled bits of previously recorded songs in their tracks, Organized Noize crafts entirely original songs. Their producers, including Rico Wade, discovered the rap duo OutKast, whose debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994), displayed a laid-back, funky, and grounded sound. The album went platinum and announced OutKast as a formidable hip-hop act.

Always difficult to pigeonhole, Organized Noize provided a different sound to a growing roster of clients. With "Waterfalls," they gave TLC a huge hit; and their work on OutKast 's follow-up album, Atliens (1996), is as otherworldly and digital as Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik is regional and visceral. Organized Noize tracks remain steeped in soul. They furthered their work in rhythm and blues by producing a hit for En Vogue: "Don't Let Go (Love)" for the Set It Off soundtrack (1996).

The production team expanded into an umbrella of Atlanta-based artists they call the Dungeon family, which includes OutKast, Goodie Mob, and rappers Cool Breeze and Backbone, producing in their studio, the Dungeon. In 1996, they secured a record label production deal with Interscope. After failing to release a hit album under that label, Interscope and Organized Noize parted ways in 1999.

Having learned well from Organized Noize, OutKast began producing most of their own songs. The production trio had nominal credit on OutKast albums Aquemini (1998) and Stankonia (2000), and the influence of Organized Noize on these efforts is evident. Stankonia was nominated for a 2002 Best Album Grammy and won the Best Rap Album Award. In 2002 Organized Noize added "Saturday (Oooh!)," a hit song for another Atlanta native, Ludacris, to its list of accomplishments.

Spot Light: TLC's "Waterfalls"

TLC's "Waterfalls" brought Organized Noize to national attention, and it remains their most popular production. It was released as the third single from the female trio's runaway triumph, Crazysexycool (La Face, 1994). "Waterfalls" is a metaphor for foolish pursuits, and in it, the ladies of TLC caution young people against irresponsible actions that might result in tragedies like gun violence and AIDS. Its lyrical content was starkly different for the fun-loving TLC, and Organized Noize responded with an entirely unique sound. Although TLC was best known for youthful rhythms steeped in R&B and rap, Organized Noize fashioned a sophisticated track that crisscrosses generations and genres. "Waterfalls" is built on a funky guitar that borrows as much from country music traditions as it does from blaxploitation films of the 1970s. The melody is calm and soothing. The entire effect imparts an older, sophisticated sound, which underscores TLC's role as social educators. Organized Noize's deft production also sets off a rap verse by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, which has become one of her best-loved performances. "Waterfalls" is both TLC and Organized Noize's most critically acclaimed work. It garnered 1996 Grammy Award nominations for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and one of the Recording Academy's biggest honors, Record of the Year. "Waterfalls" helped TLC win the Best R&B Album statue that same year.

Although Organized Noize is not as prolific as hip-hop producers the Neptunes or Timbaland, they are as influential. Organized Noize's groundbreaking work with OutKast helped to broaden the sound spectrum of hip-hop to include styles typically ignored in the Northeast and West Coast scenes.

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