Cooked up in вЂњthe DungeonвЂќ вЂ“ the basement studio of the production trio Organized Noize, who had helmed вЂњSouthernplayalisticadillacmuzikвЂќ a year earlier вЂ“ Goodie MobвЂ™s debut offered a heady mixture of g-funk, gospel, blues and street-corner sermons, featuring four MCs whose styles were as different from one anotherвЂ™s as the groupвЂ™s overall vibe was from the sound of contemporary rap radio. If OutKastвЂ™s first four albums were the Matthew-Mark-Luke-and-John of Atlanta rap, вЂњSoul FoodвЂќ was both its Leviticus and its Book of Revelations: simultaneously defining, refining, and expanding the parameters of what the South had to offer. They were the Goodie Mob вЂ“ Khujo, Cee-Lo, Big Gipp and T-Mo вЂ“ and their debut album, вЂњ Soul Food,вЂќ would be released just a few months later. But equally important was the group of men who accompanied Andre and Big Boi to the stage, a foursome who not only hailed from OutKastвЂ™s hometown, but also worked out of the same unusual studio, relied on the same producers, were signed to the same record label, and were co-authors of the Atlanta aesthetic that would take over the world in the coming years. A lot of that transformation had to do with OutKast, who would become one of the biggest-selling and most respected artists on the planet within half a decade.

Over the next quarter century the South would indeed have its say, and Atlanta in particular would gradually eclipse both New York and Los Angeles in overall influence, to the point where it now stands as the unofficial world capital of hip-hop. Next up was Andre, visibly frustrated, who ended his short speech with a simple declaration that would quickly develop into a regional mantra: вЂњItвЂ™s like this though - the South got something to say.вЂќ With boos still ringing out, Big Boi tried to diffuse some of the tension from the podium. This response had little to do with who OutKast was, but rather where they were from: Southern hip-hop was still largely dismissed by the genreвЂ™s coastal elites, and Atlanta was hardly even on the map. The audience revolted, openly booing as Andre 3000, Big Boi, and a group of their associates took the stage. West narrative, when the young Atlanta duo OutKast won the best new artist award. Yet one of the nightвЂ™s most significant moments came from an unexpected break in the overarching East v. Combs responded with slightly more subtlety later on. In an acceptance speech, Death RowвЂ™s pugilistic capo Suge Knight took some barely concealed potshots at Bad BoyвЂ™s Sean Combs from the stage. The two labels split most of the nightвЂ™s awards, and all of their biggest stars performed. Held in New York City on August 3, the event was a tense one, bringing artists from New YorkвЂ™s Bad Boy Records and Los AngelesвЂ™ Death Row together in the same room just as the simmering East Coast-West Coast rivalry was about to spin out of control. Even at the time, it was obvious that the 1995 Source Hip-Hop Music Awards were going to go down as a seismic pivot point for hip-hop.

Goodie mob my mama