These 10 massive hit songs and albums were all recorded at the same Atlanta studio

by: Allie Goolrick Updated: May 19, 2017 - 2:41 PM

The Billboard Music Awards air live Sunday night at 8 on Channel 2!

Tree Sound studios looks inauspicious enough on the outside. The Norcross recording studio is tucked away in a former printing factory in a mostly commercial part of north Atlanta. 

But inside is a different world, one many Atlantans might not know is right under their noses. Inside the walls of Tree, magic is happening every day, and at all hours of the night. 

Ahead of Sunday night's Billboard Music Awards on Channel 2, we got a rare, inside look at the 16,000-square-foot facility that makes so much magic happen - and where many Billboard nominees have recorded.

The studio has become a top draw for chart-topping artists and is a place where a tremendous amount of mega radio hits have been recorded.

In addition to a who's who of the rap/hip hop scene (T.I., Future, Drake, DJ Khaled, Outkast,The Weeknd, B.o.B., Jermaine Dupris...you get the idea) -- the likes of Whitney Houston, Elton John, Justin Bieber, Dave Matthews Band, Katy Perry, Matchbox 20 and many, many more artists have recorded tracks there. 

Check out some of the biggest hits to come out of Tree Sound and watch our behind-the-scenes tour, above:

1. Whitney Houston's "I Look to You"

Houston recorded parts of her final solo album at Tree Sound in 2009. According to Mali Hunter, Tree Sound's general manager and producer, Houston often warmed up in the hallway outside of studio A because she liked the acoustics.

2. Beyonce "I Am... Sasha Fierce"

Tree Sound is one of many studios Beyonce recorded in over an eight-month period while working on "I Am Sasha Fierce," her third studio album. The fifth song off of the 2008 album, "Ego" was recorded at Tree.

Beyonce is up for six awards at the BBMAs, including Top Artist.

3. Andre 3000's "Hey Ya!" off of Outkast'sSpeakerboxxx/The Love Below.

Andre 3000 first started to work on the 2003 mega-hit in Studio M, one of Tree's more intimate studios. According to Billboard.com, Andre was known for running from room to room to record vocals and keys for the song. 

4. Drake and Future's "What a Time to Be Alive"

Drake and Future rented out the entire studio and recorded their 2015 mixtape in under a week.  Drake primarily used studio A, while Future worked upstairs in Tree Sound producer James "Groove" Chamber's personal studio.

Fun fact: Studios tend to avoid decorating the walls with pictures of artists to avoid offending their clients (like, if an artist walks in and hates Jimi Hendrix, a poster of him might sour them to the producer.) At Tree, Chamber's personal studio is the only one with wall art in the building. According to Music and Booking director Ben Didelot, Drake joked that Future must be more important than him because he got the "pretty" studio.

Drake is up for Top Artist in the Billboard Music Awards. Both Drake and Future are up for Top Male Artist, among other Billboard Award nominations.

5. Rae Sremmurd's "Black Beatles," otherwise known as "The Mannequin Challenge song"

Brothers Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi made themselves a household name - literally - after they recorded "Black Beatles" with Gucci Mane at Tree in Studio A. The subsequent Mannequin Challenge spread far and wide on the internet. 

Both the song and the duo are up for Billboard Awards this year, for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Artist respectively.

6. Justin Bieber's "My World 2.0"

We all know Justin Bieber got his start by making a fan out of Atlanta's Usher. But check out the very place the wee Biebs debuted his pipes to the world. Bieber laid down vocals to the second half of his smash debut record, "My World 2.0," in the vocal booth of Groove Chamber's studio in 2010.

On that album? Smash hits "Baby" and "Somebody to Love."

Bieber hasn't slowed down since. He's nominated for Top Male Artist and more at the Billboard Awards.

7. DJ Khaled's album with Future, "Grateful"

As recently as March, Khaled and Future got tons of buzz after flashing what staffers estimate to be at least a million dollars in cash on Instagram during a studio session. Guess what? They put that dough on display in Groove Chambers upstairs, private studio, where the duo are working on the upcoming album.

 

8. J. Cole's "Cole World: The Sideline Story"

Parts of J. Cole's debut album were recorded at Tree Sound. The rapper is up for Top Rap Artist and Top Rap Album in the BBMAs. 

9. Elton John's "Peachtree Road"

John and a full band recorded his first self-produced album in Studio A  in 2004. The Atlanta native played the studio's grand piano, above.

10. REM's "Up"

The very first album to come out of Tree Sound was from the Athens-based group in 1998.

BONUS: The Police's "Every Breath You Take"

OK, so the iconic song wasn't recorded at Tree Sound, but the sound board it was recorded on now lives in Tree Sound's Studio 11. 

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