An all-star tribute to pioneering hip-hop duo OutKast is set to hit New Orleans for a late-night throwdown coinciding with the first Sunday of Jazz Fest 2021. The show, billed as So Fresh, So Clean: The Music of OutKast, is set to take place on Sunday, October 10th at 2:00 a.m. CT (technically early a.m. October 11th) at The Maison on Frenchmen St. [Tickets on sale now].
For this special tribute to OutKast, Live For Live Music has assembled a mix of celebrated musicians from the worlds of funk, hip-hop, and beyond. In addition to New Orleans staples like trombonist/vocalist Big Sam Williams (Big Sam’s Funky Nation), and multi-instrumentalist Khris Royal (Dark Matter, Rebelution), the lineup for So Fresh, So Clean: The Music of OutKast will feature drummer/vocalist Isaac Teel (TAUK), trumpeter Parris Fleming, bassist Nate Edgar (The Nth Power), guitarist Craig Brodhead (Turkuaz), keyboardist Steve “Swatty” Swatkins (Allen Stone, The Positive Agenda), vocalists Shira Elias (Turkuaz) and Erin Boyd (Phantom Vanity), and rappers Mr. At and Lex Gonzalez. Rounding out the show will be musical director Joel “Mega” Fuentes (Big Daddy Kane) on the MPC/percussion.
Tickets for So Fresh, So Clean: The Music of OutKast at The Maison in New Orleans on Sunday, October 10th (technically early a.m. October 11th) are now on sale here. For more information and updates, RSVP to the Facebook Event page. Scroll down for full show info.
While this never-before-seen tribute will tackle a catalog outside of the usual stylistic realm found in New Orleans during Jazz Fest, the importance and influence of OutKast on the evolution of hip-hop—and popular music as a whole—can not be overstated.
In the early ’90s, Atlanta was just beginning to cement itself as a hip-hop hotbed, with Jermaine Dupri-produced crossover acts like Kriss Kross and TLC blazing up the charts. However, as Goodie Mob member Cee Lo Green notes in “The Dirty South” episode of Netflix docu-series, Hip-Hop Evolution (Season 3), the pop-oriented releases that were gaining recognition for the Atlanta scene didn’t reflect the true nature of everyday life and culture in the southern city. “Kris Kross, we didn’t really consider it hip-hop. There was a void that was there,” he explains. Adds fellow ATL native and rapper Killer Mike, “Jermaine gave us a group out of the stratosphere, but that was still a group based on a sound that was outside of Atlanta.”
In the early ’90s, however, a trio of producers—Rico Wade, Sleepy Brown, and Ray Murray, better known as Organized Noize—was cooking up some new sounds in a basement in southeast Atlanta, affectionately known as “The Dungeon”, that would help define the city’s hip-hop character for decades to come. All they needed were the right voices to bring it to life.
In 1992, Organized Noize was introduced a pair of unusual local high school kids with an even more unusual approach to rapping. Their names were André Benjamin and Antwan Patton, but the world would come to know them as André 3000 and Big Boi—the two sides of the enigmatic musical coin called OutKast.
In OutKast, Organized Noize found its mouthpiece for the new Atlanta sound. The entire Dungeon Family threw its support behind Big Boi and André 3000 and in 1993, they had their big break. Inspired by a Kurtis Blow Christmas record, OutKast decided to write a song about what they really do on Christmas in the Dirty South for their debut album, 1994’s Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. The resulting track, “Player’s Ball”, shot to #1 on the Billboard “Hot Rap Tracks” chart, officially putting OutKast, the Dungeon Family, and all of ATL hip-hop on the map.
OutKast – “Player’s Ball” (Official Video)
[Video: Outkast]
OutKast – “SpottieOttieDopalicious”
[Audio: OutKast]
Their smash-hit double-album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) produced a number of timeless singles (“Hey Ya!”, “The Way You Move“, “Roses”), went on to be certified Diamond by the RIAA, and took home “Album of the Year” honors at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards. While OutKast has now been dormant for several years, the group’s work remains a vital part of hip-hop’s DNA to this day.
OutKast – “Roses” (Official Video)
[Video: OutKast]
The announcement of the Sunday, October 10th late-night OutKast tribute at The Maison continues the rollout of Live For Live Music‘s 2021 Fest By Nite series. Other announced events include The Funk Sessions (10/12 at The Maison); John Medeski, Stanton Moore, Skerik w/s/g MonoNeon (10/9 at The Maison); Keller Williams’ Grateful Gospel (10/10 at The Howlin’ Wolf); White Denim with Karina Rykman (10/10 at The Maison); Andy Frasco & The U.N. with Karina Rykman (10/14 at House of Blues New Orleans); and an all-star tribute to the music of Steely Dan featuring members of Turkuaz, The Motet, Ghost-Note, The Nth Power, and more (10/14 at The Howlin’ Wolf).
Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming weeks.
**SHOW INFO**
Date: Sunday, October 10th, 2021 (technically early a.m. October 11th)
Time: Doors: 1:00 a.m. CT / Show: 2:00 a.m. CT
Show: Live For Live Music Presents: So Fresh, So Clean: The Music of OutKast – Fest By Nite 2021
Band: Big Sam Williams (Big Sam’s Funky Nation), Khris Royal (Dark Matter, Ellis Marsalis, Rebelution), Parris Fleming, Nate Edgar (The Nth Power), Craig Brodhead (Turkuaz), Isaac Teel (TAUK), Steve “Swatty” Swatkins (Allen Stone), Erin Boyd (Phantom Vanity), Shira Elias (Turkuaz), Mr. At, Lex Gonzalez, Joel “Mega” Fuentes
Venue: The Maison – 508 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA, 70116
Tickets (on sale now): Advance GA: $25 / Day of Show GA: $30 / Advance VIP: $60 / Day of Show VIP: $70