But now, the group is in a new era, admits Organized Noize’s Ray Murray. Last April, founding member and megaproducer Rico Wade died of heart failure. A few months later, his mom, Beatrice Wade, died. She was 72. Today, Feb. 26, Rico would’ve turned 53.

“We’re looking to our children because a time period has come to an end,” Murray said via Zoom about the recent deaths. “(The Wades) were actually our heart.”

Indeed, the next generation of the Dungeon Family is forging a path forward to follow in their parents’ footsteps. Part of that journey centers on the firm foundation that raised them.

Leading the pact is Malia Hibbler Murray, who, at 33, is among the oldest of the group. The daughter of Ray and Dee Dee Murray vividly remembers the day Rico Wade died.

And all roads led back to Stankonia Studios.

“It’s not like nobody sent a text. Everybody just knew where to go. The day that we found out, everybody gravitated to Stankonia because we didn’t know what else to do. We just knew we needed to be together. We played Dungeon Family music all day, ate food and drank. Stankonia operated as healing for us.”

That intimate level of community defined Hibbler Murray’s childhood. As a kid, she didn’t view her aunts and uncles as superstars. To her, they were simply family. In fact, it wasn’t until middle school that she truly felt the weight of her family’s status: when her mom brought Goodie Mob’s Khujo (“Uncle Khujo”) for career day. Her classmates erupted with praise.

Moments like those inspired her to pursue a career in the arts. Hibbler-Murray, known professionally as malia dishon, has directed music videos for Latto, Summer Walker and Kelly Rowland.

“I don’t feel like the dreams that I have are so out of reach or unattainable because all of it has been so normal in my life.”

She recently decided to step in front of the camera. Last year, she dropped her first single, “King of Lies.” The up-tempo dance track weaves singing and rapping while telling the story of a woman’s scorned heart.

Since the song’s debut, she’s performed a string of shows and even had her song played during one of Usher’s Atlanta stops last year.

But all of that took a lot of soul-searching.

“I’ve just been going deep within myself so that I can reveal and create what I need to put out there into the world. Inner child healing was a part of that. I went through a process of discovering but also remembering parts of myself that I forgot, and I forgot that I like to perform.”

This year, she plans to release remixes to “King of Lies” and more new music. But she wants to remain herself while navigating the industry — something she learned from the original Dungeon Family members.

“Being authentic to what you want to make and not trying to make what people think that you should be making is something that I took from them. When they came out, it was at a time where New York music was popular, and West Coast stuff was popular. What they came out with was totally different.”

‘A battery in my back’

For Keypsiia Gipp, the daughter of soul singer Joi and Goodie Mob’s Big Gipp, the Dungeon Family’s significance came full circle during Rico Wade’s funeral. He’s the reason her parents met.

“His passing definitely put a battery in my back to become even more clear about what I want out of this and how I want it to be presented, the 28-year-old said. “I ain’t nothing to play with.”

The singer has dropped two songs in two years: “Crush” and “No More.” The former is a groovy pop jam that interpolates Ciara’s “Get Up” while sounding unique. The latter is a diaristic track about unrequited love. For Gipp, the song is autobiographical.

Before fully stepping into the limelight, Gipp encompassed nearly every facet in the entertainment industry as a model and professional dancer (whose credits include the 2023 movie musical adaptation of “The Color Purple” and Beyoncé‘s 2022 Oscars performance). But starting this new journey required a “full stripping of everything.” Ending relationships that no longer served her. Trusting her instincts.

“As a woman, you tend to give and spend a lot of time on things that you have hope and faith will work and you’ll just keep trying to give energy to it. Stop trying to bring old pieces into new situations.”

Later this year, Keypsiia will drop her first full-length project, which she reveals will be inspired by a range of sounds.

But, more importantly, she’s focused on the lessons her parents taught her. Her dad inspired her to double down on her voice. Her mom enriched her with the beauty of collaboration.

“My house was the house everybody was in. My mom rehearsed in the house. So, as far as how they would work with people, it wasn’t a whole lot of outsiders in their personal projects. It was like, if I gotta knock out this song, I’m gonna call my folks first. I’m gonna call the people that know me best so we can get the best picture.”

Makari Brown, the son of Organized Noize producer Sleepy Brown, leads with that same sense of camaraderie.

The 27-year-old began his career in music engineering before film production, which he says he landed on a whim. He was on the film crew for T.I.’s 2023 movie “Da ‘Partments.” Although, he, like others, recognizes the privilege of having a famous parent, that doesn’t negate the hard work that comes with it. He grew up seeing just how hard his dad and uncles worked to be recognized in hip-hop.

And he’s applying that same grit to his career.

“I always knew their significance growing up mainly because of, how rappers in the South were looked at before,” Brown said. “Rappers from the South were just looked down upon from people up North. So I always knew that Outkast was one of them ones. They were really one of the few artists from down South that would get respect.”

Brown said the death of his uncle made him focus more on sustaining the bonds with his family.

“I’m seeing a lot of my cousins that I hadn’t seen in years. I wouldn’t say it necessarily got tighter. We finally reconnected more. Death brings people together, unfortunately.”

Resilience

Ryder Wade thinks about the impact of his dad, Rico, every day. His death hits him more and more, he notes, referencing a recent tribute at this year’s Grammys. Although his dad wasn’t his primary parent, the pair got closer during his high school years. They’d watch Hawks games, play basketball and eat a copious number of wings.

But the latter years of their relationship were focused on nurturing Ryder’s rap dreams.

“He loved it,” the 19-year-old said of his dad’s thoughts on his music. “He was embracing it, too. He was excited for me. That’s why I’m so committed. He’s the reason I’m an artist. At first, I had to show him this is what I really wanted to do. Then, when I started showing my work, he was like, ‘Yeah, I’m with it 100%.’”

Last summer, Wade graduated from the Rico Wade Music Executive Training Program. Presented by the City of Atlanta, the five-week course taught youth the business of entertainment. Wade is applying part of his experiences there to his debut project, “Pre-eminent,” which drops today in honor of his dad’s birthday.

His most memorable lesson from his dad?

“Never stop. Regardless of what happens, keep going.”

ABOUT THIS SERIES

This year’s AJC Black History Month series, marking its 10th year, focuses on the role African Americans played in building Atlanta and the overwhelming influence that has had on American culture. These daily offerings appear throughout February in the paper and on AJC.com and AJC.com/news/atlanta-black-history.

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