Sony Legacy Recordings will be dropping a 25th anniversary version of OutKast's 1996 breakthrough second album, ATLiens, on 8/27. The set will be loaded with extras, including 14 unreleased instrumental tracks. All the material is newly mixed in hi-res 24bit sound. Several deluxe vinyl versions will also be available.
With ATLiens, Outkast became one of the preeminent duos in hip-hop history. The album married the nimble rapping of Andre 3000 and Big Boi (often delivered at breakneck speed) with otherworldly sounds ranging from mellow soul to tripped-out, atmospheric dub. ATLiens—which sold 350k copies its first week (there were these things called record stores, y'see, and... oh, never mind) and has since gone double platinum—helped catapult Atlanta to newfound prominence as a hub of hip-hop. The ATL's influence, it need hardly be said, has only grown since then.