VH1 documentary 'ATL: The Untold Story of Atlanta’s Rise in the Rap Game' debuts Sept. 2
VH1 has shown a deep commitment to Atlanta with multiple reality programs: top-rated "Love and Hip Hop Atlanta," the family friendly "T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle," and the upcoming "Atlanta Exes."
Now the network is taking a more serious direction about our city's legacy as the hip-hop capital of the south with a 90-minute documentary Sept. 2 called “ATL: The Untold Story of Atlanta’s Rise in the Rap Game."
According to the press release:
The film chronicles the decisions of the city's forefathers in post-civil rights Atlanta as they created an environment for African-American arts and culture to thrive, which set the scene for a local hip-hop scene to emerge.
Among those interviewed are many key subjects such as Ludacris, Usher , T.I., Jeezy , Lil Jon , Future and Jermaine Dupri . Others include Kilo Ali, Raheem the Dream, MoJo, MC Shy D and the producers of Organized Noize, who discovered two 17-year old kids who went by the name "Outkast." (The members of Outkast, though, are not listed.)
Non-rap contributors include former Atlanta mayor and civil rights icon Andrew Young, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins.
Ludacris is one of the executive producers.
I will pre-screen the episode soon and talk to an executive producer and write a more comprehensive preview later this month.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
