The Fundamental Elements of Southtown

The Fundamental Elements of Southtown is the third studio album and major label debut of Christian nu metal band P.O.D., released on August 24, 1999. It went on to become the band's first platinum album, peaking at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 chart in April 2000. It was the 143rd best-selling album of 2000 in the United States. "Southtown" and "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)" became the album's singles, both of which were accompanied by music videos. The album also includes a cover of U2's "Bullet the Blue Sky".

Cover art
The cover art displayed on The Fundamental Elements of Southtown was censored when sold in Christian bookstores. Retailers complained about the depiction of a cigar and also argued that the artwork featured "pagan" imagery.

2000 San Diego Music Awards

 * Album of the Year
 * Song of the Year - "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)"

2001 GMA Dove Awards

 * Short Form Music Video of the Year - "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)"

Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

P.O.D.
 * Sonny Sandoval – vocals
 * Marcos Curiel – lead guitar
 * Traa Daniels – bass
 * Wuv Bernardo – drums, rhythm guitar

Additional musicians
 * Lisa Papineau – background vocals (5, 9)
 * DJ Circa – turntables
 * Santos – percussion
 * Howard Benson – keyboards

Production
 * Robert Green Brooks – engineer, mixing
 * Ernie Vigil – assistant engineer
 * Marc Moncrief – assistant engineer
 * Matt Silva – assistant engineer
 * Howard Benson – mixing
 * Chris Lord-Alge – mixing (2, 3, 5, 7, 9)
 * Gavin Lurssen – mastering

Imagery
 * Michael Robinson NYC – Art Direction + Design
 * Jean Bastarache – paintings
 * Chapman Baehler – band photos
 * Eric Altenburger – band photo retouching
 * David Allen – band logo

Limited edition bonus EP
The Limited edition bonus EP was released by P.O.D. as a free CD given away with the purchase of their first mainstream album, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, in 1999. It contained a new version of the song "Draw the Line" (from the album Snuff the Punk) and the demo version of "Lie Down" (on The Fundamental Elements of Southtown). It also has the new track "It's About Time", the instrumental demo "Estrella", the intro "Warriors Come Out to Play...", and a track with "Messages for Your Answering Machine". Because of its limited release, it is now considered a collector's item.