Rico Wade’s Shower Inspiration and More Tales of How Outkast’s ‘So Fresh, So Clean’ Came To Be

Sleepy Brown, Rico Wade, and Ray Murray—collectively known as Atlanta hip-hop production team Organized Noize—were getting a little nervous. 

More from Spin:

Neil Young Won’t Play ‘Corporate’ Glastonbury Fest In 2025

Dear Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Induct Tracy Chapman Already!

Are We On the Cusp of a Planet-Saving Vinyl Revolution? Experts Think So

It was 2000, and OutKast (Big Boi and André 3000), regular collaborators and fellow members of the Dungeon Family, had delivered three classic albums back to back: Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994), ATLiens (1996), and Aquemini (1998). Although Organized Noize produced the entirety of the duo’s debut, they were becoming less and less involved with each subsequent release. 

So when they were asked to produce a record on OutKast’s fourth album, Stankonia (2000), it kept them in the game. Of course, nobody could predict it would peak at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 or sell more than a million copies—but it did. 

More than two decades later, “So Fresh, So Clean” has become a part of our pop culture lexicon. And, as Sleepy Brown recalls, the hook came to Wade while he was taking a shower (imagine that). 

However, the song didn’t initially inspire André 3000 to rap—until he heard the bass line. From there, he started singing “the coolest motherfunkers on the planet” and his verse followed. Big Boi, on the other hand, immediately loved it. The ensuing video became a family affair, with Ludacris, TLC’s Chilli, Goodie Mob, and Slimm Calhoun all making cameos. It was also the first time people learned Brown was the voice behind the infectious hook. 

Speaking to SPIN, Brown walks us through the songwriting process, what it was like making the video, and the lasting impact the song has had on his career. 

So Fresh & So Clean, Clean 

I was working and playing at the same time. I actually came up with the idea and went to the Dungeon, played a little piano line for Rico. He was really slick with words and stuff, so instead of me writing it, I asked him to write it. And I was like, “I’m just going to put down a melody of it.” Once I did that and gave it to him, he listened to it. The next morning, he told me he was in the shower listening to it and started singing the words “so fresh and so clean, clean.”

It sounded like a commercial, but I knew it was something special because of just him. He kept saying “so fresh and so clean, clean.” I always liked that melody. But just him saying “so fresh and so clean, clean” was kind of slick to me. I knew that it was going to be some kind of dope. 

Wamp Wamp

The funny thing is André didn’t really like it at first. André didn’t like that record.It wasn’t like he didn’t think it was good—it just wasn’t matching where he was. We really just did it for Big. We knew André was moving to something else, but we knew on that album it needed that hood theme. When Big heard it, he loved it. We thought Dre was going to be happy with it at first, but he really wasn’t.

He was cool, but he didn’t really like it until Preston, our bass player, played a cold line on that song. When Dre heard that, he got excited and came up with “the coolest motherfunkers on the planet” part. He was following that line he heard. Thanks to Preston, that’s the reason why Dre even got on that record.

Meanwhile, Big Boi wrote his own verse. But the song started with me because I heard the melody, and when I went over to Rico’s house, I started playing it for him on the Rhodes. Then he threw a beat on it. So I played that little part, went in and just hummed the melody, and then put all the strings on it. It’s a very simple record. It’s not cluttered [and doesn’t have] a lot of sounds. It’s just basically bass, drums, keys, and a little lead on it. I wanted Rico to write it because I love the way he flipped words and did wordplay. Once Big Boi heard the hook, he just came with it. 

Welcome to Atlanta, Where the Players PlayAt that time, we felt like we were really representing the A, so it was just kind of whatever we felt. And OutKast was so into their production at the time. They were doing crazy records. To tell you the truth, we were just trying to stay afloat because they were getting so good with the production that we were like, “Man, we got to get a record on this goddamn album.”

That’s kind of what the feeling was. We knew Big would love it because that’s kind of who I did it for. It was kind of like his record and his chance to come out and step forward, you know what I mean? But by Dre liking it, it just boosted it up even more.

Time to ShineEverybody found out who I was [after that video]. Before then, I was just singing hooks, so it was funny. It was like a coming-out party for me, but at the same time, I remember people coming up to me before they really knew who I was, and I remember a dude saying, “Man, I thought you were just like maybe Big’s friend or his uncle or something he was looking out for and let him get on the song.” So that was the first record that I really got a chance for everybody to see who I was. 

It completely changed my career. “So Fresh, So Clean” gave everybody a chance to put the face with that voice. And you know, for a lot of people, it was just like, “OK, that’s who that is.” So that opened the door to “The Way You Move” and all these other records that I’ve done with them. And the true, true fans knew who I was.But the regular consumer, they finally got a chance to see who was actually singing those records. So it helped my career a lot. It opened the door. Everybody wanted to know, “Was I going to do an album?” or “Where was I going?” That song opened a lot of doors as far as being an artist.

Ballin’ on a Budget

The video was not low-budget at all. It was big time. It was dope. It was a really fly video. Our boy Dave Myers did it. Dave Myers did it so fly: The video is basically showing a day in the life of OutKast and how they say they goin’ to “The Spot” later, which was church. So it had a positive message and a cool message. It was on some pimp playa shit. We tried to make sure we got cold as hell. There’s a scene of Big Boi and André walking in the church, and then Big pull his pants up to show his socks, so that whole video was kind of showing another way to party. None of us really went to church. [Laughs].Family Affair 

We always try to be in each other’s videos because by that time we were with LaFace Records, and that’s the way we were. That’s why I miss LaFace. I know exactly how it was to be on Motown with LaFace because that’s how they treated us. It was a friendly competition. It was all family. If I was hungry and didn’t have no money on me, I could go right up to their office and tell them, and they’ll buy me something to eat. They would just straight take care of their artists, love us, and show us how to do it. That’s what is missing in the industry these days. I’m just very happy that I came up in the time when we had a chance to do that because it’ll never happen again.

23 Years Later I thank God just for the opportunity. When you do music, you hope you do those records that are timeless, but you never know what they’re gonna do. I just thank God that people loved it and it caught on. And it was funny because when we did the record and when OutKast’s album came out, it was all about “Bombs Over Baghdad [B.O.B.].” I remember watching Entertainment Tonight and this young actor, who was really popular with the girls or whatever, was asked what he was listening to. He looked right at the camera and said “So fresh and so clean, clean.” Rico and I were staring at the T.V. like, “Oh my god! Did he just say that?” 

Impact 

That record helped Organized Noize stay where we were. We didn’t really do anything on Aquemini. I was on “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” and was singing background stuff, so they kind of kept us in the loop, but we really didn’t do any production on that album. So the fact that we got a record on Stankonia, we were excited about that. To be honest, we had started worrying a little bit that they don’t need us no more. We were never stingy producers, so we didn’t say, “Y’all get out the room while we produce.” We wanted them to see how to do it so they could learn. It was something that we wanted to share with them.

Billboard DreamsThat was really just beautiful. You just never know what a record gonna do, man. I thought the record was hip, but I didn’t think it was going to do all that. “The Way You Move” was a different story. I knew that song was going to be insane. As soon as I put that hook down, I knew it. But “So Fresh, So Clean,” I just didn’t know. I was like, “I hope it does well,” but I didn’t know.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

Source link