Six words that defined a city.
And as soon as they left Andre’ 3000’s lips in Madison Square Garden, the myth of modern-day Atlanta was born.
And as soon as they left Andre’ 3000’s lips in Madison Square Garden, the myth of modern-day Atlanta was born.
The reclusive rapper, on stage to accept the Best New Rap Group, stepped right into the middle of a war between East and West during the 1995 Source Awards. With feuding legends like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre in the attendance, Andre put L.A. and New York on notice.
Within ten years, Atlanta was the country’s undisputed hip hop epicenter, with local acts like Lil Jon, Young Jeezy, T.I. and Ludacris springing-up across the Dirty South.
Hip Hop defined Atlanta in the 2010s, providing the backbeat for a southern city on the rise. Black Mecca, they called it.
Within ten years, Atlanta was the country’s undisputed hip hop epicenter, with local acts like Lil Jon, Young Jeezy, T.I. and Ludacris springing-up across the Dirty South.
Hip Hop defined Atlanta in the 2010s, providing the backbeat for a southern city on the rise. Black Mecca, they called it.
The next generation birthed 2 Chainz, Lil Yachty, Young Thug and Future.
And as the movement rose, so did skyscrapers, and suburbs, and studio lots.
Atlanta was on fire. And Andre had struck the match.
And as the movement rose, so did skyscrapers, and suburbs, and studio lots.
Atlanta was on fire. And Andre had struck the match.
“The South Got Something to Say” tells the story of how a rallying cry gave rise to a metropolis. There is no city like Atlanta in 2023. It is the center of the nation’s culture wars, likely to decide the next President of the United States. It is home to more TV series and feature films than any place outside Hollywood. It is the world’s most influential exporter of Black Culture. Atlanta influences everything.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), which has documented the city’s history for 155 years, has spent months with Atlanta’s most legendary rappers, producers and hip hop influencers. Through hours of exclusive interviews, they have woven together an oral history that traces Atlanta’s rise, from the Source, to today.
AJC Original Series and Films will premiere the 90-minute documentary this fall with a live event and special performance, as the city celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop.
