‘The Art of Organized Noize’ Premieres This Week: 4 Things We Loved About the Doc

Rico’s always been known as the mouthpiece of Organized Noize:  the guy who ran the business side of things and acted as the voice for the threesome. But those who haven’t had an opportunity to see Rico up close may not realize how hilarious he is. A quick-talker, Wade’s one-liners, and quips about business lessons learned and observations on other DF members are hilarious, even when the film dips into some of the more serious struggles Organized Noize faced. Meanwhile, Sleepy, who Rico and Ray call “The Funk” (with just cause) keeps it completely honest when talking about why the group fell from the limelight and his whereabouts during the fall. And while Ray is the quiet one they call “Yoda” because of his musical skill and general countenance, audiences get a chance to get a more intimate peek into his introverted personality. He always remained the most focused of three—grounded, insightful and incredibly humble.

It’s not exactly a secret that Organized Noize’s hook was that they sounded like nothing else out there when they emerged in 1994 with OutKast’s debut, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. But what folks may not know is that the majority of their productions featured live musicians. By incorporating session musicians into their creations, they not only made their sound richer and signified that they were cut from an entirely different cloth. Plus, the documentary gives an inside glimpse to the creation of some classic Organized tracks, including TLC's mega-hit, "Waterfalls," En Vogue's "Don't Let Go" and Goodie Mob's "Cell Therapy."

The film spends a good amount of time talking about the early days of the Dungeon Family; time spent in "The Dungeon,” a crawl space at Rico Wade’s house in East Point. The raw story of chicken wings, weed, and Mrs. Wade allowing a bunch of music-hungry boys to camp out in her home is not just entertaining, but signifies what’s probably the most important overall theme of the documentary and Organized Noize—love. They were truly a family, and 20 years later, even through drama and fall-outs, that love remains. And it’s inspiring.

When OutKast’s Speakerboxx/The Love Below went diamond and won Album of the Year at the Grammys, L.A. Reid received a shot out. But the music mogul didn’t even want to sign the duo when Organized first brought them to him. In fact, it took an offer from Mercury Records to kick Reid into gear and sign them, giving them their first break on LaFace’s Christmas album, which spawned the hit, “Playas Ball.”  But even back when they were laboring in the Dungeon, they knew they were on to something special, and that kept them focused and ready for the success that awaited them.