Erica Wright, the mother of Rico Wade’s two sons, beamed with pride before and after the Wednesday night screening of “The South Got Something To Say,” AJC Films’ hip-hop documentary featuring the late music icon.
“Long live my baby daddy to infinity,” Wright said with a laugh. “Rico was big. So I’m really grateful.” Rico Wade died April 13. He was 52.
Wade’s sons, Rico “Deuce” Wade II and Ryder Wade, were also in attendance for the screening held at Plaza Theatre during the Atlanta Film Festival. It was the family’s first time seeing the documentary.
Credit: Kymani Culmer / for the AJC
Credit: Kymani Culmer / for the AJC
“It was great,” said Rico II, “Especially the early history that we didn’t know, before our father. And it was dope just to hear his voice.”
“That’s our dad. We looked at him as ‘Dad’ first, but now we’re seeing [what] Rico Wade [meant] to the world, who he really is and how everybody idolizes him,” Ryder added. “He’s not just Atlanta; he’s global.”
A crowd of expectant and fashionable Atlanta hip-hop fans arrived just before 7 p.m. at the Plaza for the documentary, which chronicled how Atlanta rose to become arguably the world’s most influential city for hip-hop culture and included Wade as one of the city’s most prominent music industry figures.
There was audience participation throughout the screening, with a scene featuring Wade and his Organized Noize Productions partners Patrick “Sleepy” Brown and Ray Murray getting cheers and applause, as Wade recalled memories of hearing the classic rap song “Rappers Delight.”
A post-film discussion between the AJC team who wrote, produced and directed the film, including reporters DeAsia Paige and Ernie Suggs, and directors Ryon and Tyson Horne, detailed the stunning six-month journey to complete the film.
Credit: Kymani Culmer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Kymani Culmer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“We hope we’ve done justice,” Ryon Horne said, acknowledging Wade’s family, along with artist Jordan Victoria, historian Joycelyn Wilson, producer Jason Orr, Atlanta rap pioneer Mojo, Dallas Austin and others in attendance who were featured in the documentary. He also pointed out that Killer Mike opened his triple-Grammy-winning 2023 album “Michael” with a monologue from Wade.
“This is the greatest thing I’ve ever done at the paper, as a journalist,” said Ernie Suggs, when asked about the process of making the film.
Suggs also spoke about the cultural relevance of Atlanta. “This city is important. It’s a city that’s culturally contributing something not only to the United States of America but to the world.”
Paige spoke of the importance of generational diversity among subjects interviewed for the film. Despite the absence of Big Boi and Andre 3000 in the documentary, the Dungeon Family was well-represented, said Tyson Horne, who also noted Wade’s prominence.
“We didn’t’ have those two,” Tyson Horne said of Outkast, “but the fact that we have Organized Noize, and they were the nucleus to this whole thing, that meant a lot... This is a family film for us.”
Austin shared his thoughts on seeing the documentary again after Wade’s passing. “It’s sad and beautiful at the same time,” he admitted. “It adds to what’s legendary about the city in the first place. All of us joined together to make what has happened happen in this city of music.”
Credit: Kymani Culmer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Kymani Culmer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta-based artist Fahamu Pecou, who is featured in the documentary, also attended the screening, and called it an honor to be at Plaza Theatre for the event and to have been involved.
“The film says it all,” Pecou said. “The South’s got something to say and I guarantee it’s been heard around the world many times over, but to contextualize it in this way, to situate it within this history and its importance, it goes beyond entertainment. This is culture at its finest.”
Credit: Kymani Culmer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Kymani Culmer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Film Festival runs through May 5.
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