(AllHipHop News) The production team of Organized Noize played a huge role in shaping the sound of southern Hip Hop. The trio of Rico Wade, Ray Murray, and Sleepy Brown worked on projects by OutKast, Goodie Mob, Ludacris, TLC, and others.

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Murray joined NPR’s Microphone Check hosts Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Frannie Kelley as guests for a segment of On Second Thought Radio. The Atlanta-based producer was asked about creating a distinctive sound for the South and his hometown in particular.

“In the beginning it was just about fitting in more so than standing out,” explained Murray. “Eventually, we came to the realization from studying New York Hip Hop and West Coast Hip Hop that what really personify [that sound] was its sense of self and the way that it brought across its identity.”

Murray added it was through the study of different individual cities and neighborhoods on both coasts that Organized Noize began to focus on the slang and nuances of Atlanta. That awareness would lead to the production on ATL albums like OuKast’s Aquemini and Ludacris’ Word Of Mouf.