Atlanta has a thriving music industry and is considered to be a capital of hip-hop including crunk, of R&B and its offshoot neo-soul, and of gospel music – in addition to a thriving indie-rock and live music scene. Classical, country and blues have historically been well represented. From the 1920s through 1950s the city was a major center for country music. In 2009, the New York Times called Atlanta “hip-hop’s center of gravity”, and the city is home to many popular hip-hop, R&B and neo soul musicians. (From Wikipedia).
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The Rap Map locates the lyrics of Atlanta hip hop artists to create a map of the city based on narratives from historically marginalized communities rather than the traditional maps created by those in positions of power. Initially started by Dr. Adnan Rasool (at the time a Political Science grad student) and Dr. Brennan Collins at Georgia State University, the project now includes a growing number of undergraduates close reading an artist’s body of work for locations.
Existing at a unique conjunction of Civil Rights, Atlanta politics, queer and underground cultures, and television as performance medium, The American Music Show was taped and broadcast weekly on public access TV in Atlanta from 1981 to 2005. Its most famous alumni is RuPaul, but a devoted cast of gifted performers created many other long-term onscreen personae who helped the show establish its particular relationship to its surroundings in Atlanta and Georgia, and thus provide a video template for living creatively in the city. The television show provided a locus for many other activities: its cast members ran a record label, organized live performances and partnerships with nightlife venues, and of course videotaped these events for promotion. In the process, The American Music Show created an extensive and loving archive of spaces, and of a city, now significantly changed. This ATLmaps layer concentrates on Atlanta nightlife spaces aligned with the show in its time, as well as important public spaces that the show documented. Thanks to Rosser Shymanski and Tom Zarrilli for help with venue information. Many American Music Show clips can be viewed on the Youtube channel “missterrichardson.”
Coscarelli, Joe. 2022. Rap Capital: An Atlanta Story. Simon & Schuster.