Organized Noize and the Dungeon Family were in the news this weekend after news broke that Rico Wade had passed away at the age of 52. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and rapper Killer Mike both responded to Wade’s death.
Here’s some information about Atlanta’s music production team.
Organized Noize was formed in the early 1990s by Ray Murray and Patrick “Sleepy” Brown. The production team has produced hits for “OutKast,” “Goodie Mob,” “TLC” and more. The band’s style of funk and soul became the backbone of Atlanta’s hip-hop future. Wade was also instrumental in bringing Dungeon Family to LaFace Records, where Outkast and Goodie Mob signed original recording contracts and released several commercially successful and critically acclaimed albums.
exploreRico Wade is the subject of the 2023 AJC Hip Hop Film.This is what he said
Writer Jewel Wicker wrote in a 2023 article for the AJC that the Dungeon Family group, named after the temporary studio space, was integral to Atlanta’s emergence as a hip-hop hub in the 1990s and had its own unique rap sound. Hip-hop scholar Charlie Braxton told her it was due to the rise of bands like Outkast and Goodie Mob, and built on the soulful music-making of trio Organized Noize.Braxton says this production style is characterized by “booming rhythms with extra [electronic drum machine] Our favorite 808 bass, mixed with soulful melodies. ” Learn more: The unique sound of Atlanta hip-hop.
The AJC wrote in a 2023 historical article that Outkast’s debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, was produced by Organized Noize, which drew on funk and church influences while infusing live instrumentation with samples of 1990s hip-hop , the AJC writes in a historical piece about Atlanta’s role in the creation of modern hip-hop.
The Dungeon family also includes artists such as Killer Mike and Big Rube. When Big Boi purchased the home in 2019, he announced on Instagram: “The Dungeon family now owns the Dungeon.”
Organized noise was the subject of the 2016 documentary The Art of Organized Noise. The group was also featured in the AJC documentary “The South Has Something to Say.”
Rico Wade is the future cousin of the Atlanta rapper.
