Issue #1399 (2024 Black Music Month / Rico Wade)
In this year’s edition, HITS focuses on Atlanta. Far away from the glitz, glamour and grime of the coastal culture factories sits a sprawling musical metropolis. A thriving source of jazz, country, gospel, blues, soul, classical, R&B and hip-hop, the Georgia capital has produced an astounding array of vibrantly original artists, including Outkast, TLC, Gladys Knight and Jermaine Dupri. (Who can forget Dupri's "Welcome to Atlanta" f/Ludacris, the city's unofficial anthem?)
We'll tell you all about William Bell and his short-lived but memorable label, Peachtree Records. We'll go underground to explore the Dungeon Family's trailblazing contributions to hip-hop and chat with other Atlanta music pioneers like Speech of Arrested Development, LaFace Records co-founders L.A. Reid and Babyface, and Ludacris' longtime manager, Chaka Zulu. And much more.
The sudden passing of Rico Wade in April was devastating for the music world as a whole—and particularly for the Atlanta community of which he was an absolutely integral part. As a founding member of The Dungeon Family and one third of the production team Organized Noize, Wade helped take Atlanta hip-hop and R&B to new heights of commercial success and acclaim. Indeed, Organized Noize defined the ATL sound on hugely influential recordings by Outkast, Goodie Mob, TLC, Ludacris and more. Wade’s passionate imagination is a light that shines through many of the stories in HITS’ 2024 Black Music Month issue—and continues to illuminate the lives he touched.
Photo by Raymond Boyd/Getty ImagesIn this year’s edition, HITS focuses on Atlanta. Far away from the glitz, glamour and grime of the coastal culture factories sits a sprawling musical metropolis. A thriving source of jazz, country, gospel, blues, soul, classical, R&B and hip-hop, the Georgia capital has produced an astounding array of vibrantly original artists, including Outkast, TLC, Gladys Knight and Jermaine Dupri. (Who can forget Dupri's "Welcome to Atlanta" f/Ludacris, the city's unofficial anthem?)
We'll tell you all about William Bell and his short-lived but memorable label, Peachtree Records. We'll go underground to explore the Dungeon Family's trailblazing contributions to hip-hop and chat with other Atlanta music pioneers like Speech of Arrested Development, LaFace Records co-founders L.A. Reid and Babyface, and Ludacris' longtime manager, Chaka Zulu. And much more.
The sudden passing of Rico Wade in April was devastating for the music world as a whole—and particularly for the Atlanta community of which he was an absolutely integral part. As a founding member of The Dungeon Family and one third of the production team Organized Noize, Wade helped take Atlanta hip-hop and R&B to new heights of commercial success and acclaim. Indeed, Organized Noize defined the ATL sound on hugely influential recordings by Outkast, Goodie Mob, TLC, Ludacris and more. Wade’s passionate imagination is a light that shines through many of the stories in HITS’ 2024 Black Music Month issue—and continues to illuminate the lives he touched.
Photo by Raymond Boyd/Getty Images
In this year’s edition, HITS focuses on Atlanta. Far away from the glitz, glamour and grime of the coastal culture factories sits a sprawling musical metropolis. A thriving source of jazz, country, gospel, blues, soul, classical, R&B and hip-hop, the Georgia capital has produced an astounding array of vibrantly original artists, including Outkast, TLC, Gladys Knight and Jermaine Dupri. (Who can forget Dupri's "Welcome to Atlanta" f/Ludacris, the city's unofficial anthem?)
We'll tell you all about William Bell and his short-lived but memorable label, Peachtree Records. We'll go underground to explore the Dungeon Family's trailblazing contributions to hip-hop and chat with other Atlanta music pioneers like Speech of Arrested Development, LaFace Records co-founders L.A. Reid and Babyface, and Ludacris' longtime manager, Chaka Zulu. And much more.
The sudden passing of Rico Wade in April was devastating for the music world as a whole—and particularly for the Atlanta community of which he was an absolutely integral part. As a founding member of The Dungeon Family and one third of the production team Organized Noize, Wade helped take Atlanta hip-hop and R&B to new heights of commercial success and acclaim. Indeed, Organized Noize defined the ATL sound on hugely influential recordings by Outkast, Goodie Mob, TLC, Ludacris and more. Wade’s passionate imagination is a light that shines through many of the stories in HITS’ 2024 Black Music Month issue—and continues to illuminate the lives he touched.
Photo by Raymond Boyd/Getty Images