Legendary hip-hop producer Rico Wade to be honored with monument in East Point
The monument to Rico Wade will be located near where he grew up in East Point. (FOX 5)
EAST POINT, Ga. - The city of East Point is honoring legendary metro Atlanta producer and songwriter Rico Wade with a permanent monument where he grew up.
Wade, a foundational figure in Southern hip-hop, passed away in 2024 at the age of 52 from heart failure.
Now a lasting tribute to his cultural legacy will be placed at the intersection of Delowe and Headland, near where Wade's childhood apartment complex once stood.
MORE: Rico Wade, OutKast producer, Dungeon Family co-founder dies at 52
The backstory:
As a member of the renowned Organized Noize production team and a leader of the Dungeon Family, Wade played a pivotal role in shaping the "Dirty South" sound.
He co-wrote TLC’s smash hit "Waterfalls" and helped launch the careers of artists like CeeLo Green, Outkast, Ludacris, and Goodie Mob.
Producer Rico Wade of Organized Noize at The Dungeon II Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 3, 2002. (Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images)
Many of those early songs were produced in the "Dungeon," the basement recording studio of Wade's home in East Point near Cascade Road after the group grew out of Wade's mother's basement in Lakewood Heights.
What they're saying:
Hip-hop producer Rico Wade honored in East Point
A lasting tribute to one of Atlanta’s most influential hip-hop pioneers will soon permanently stand in East Point, where community leaders, artists, and loved ones gathered on Thursday evening in honor legendary producer Rico Wade.
In a release announcing the event, city officials said that the monument "will stand as a powerful symbol of the lasting connection between East Point and Rico Wade's profound impact on hip-hop culture."
"Where we are is where they were, in the basement, birthing music that actually inspired the world," East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham told FOX 5's Rob Dirienzo at a ceremony last year revealing the renderings for the monument.
Dig deeper:
Green announced last year that he had bought the home where Wade recorded many of his hits, saying he planned to turn the property into a museum "archiving our rich musical history."
What you can do:
The unveiling ceremony for the moment's permanent location will be held on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Headland Shopping Center.
City officials say that Wade's friends and family and Atlanta music icons will take part in the ceremonies.
Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend. Public parking will be available in the open lot on Delowe Drive near the shopping center.
The Source: Information for this story came from a release by the city of East Point and previous FOX 5 reporting.