It was the summer of 2005.
I had a gig at the Druid Hills Golf Club as a poolside food runner. Nothing too crazy. Serving cocktails to rich housewives, chicken fingers to their kids. My Pop used to call me “The Flamingo Kid,” a nod the 1984 flick starring Matt Dillon.
One day, our manager told us that T.I. was going to be filming a movie at the club. If I or any other poolside snack pushers wanted to be extras when he did, the opportunity was there. I thought, “Is Tip making a Black version of ‘The Flamingo Kid’?!”
Turns out, he was filming a feature called “ATL,” a coming-of-age tale following four friends growing up here. One character, Esquire, works at the country club, so that’s why the King was pulling up.
When it dropped in March 2006, haters probably wrote it off as another rapper looking for a way to profit from Hollywood. In Atlanta, this was a moment. One of our native sons, starring in a feature, inspired by the city’s deep ties to roller skating, music and Black culture. We didn’t care what Roger Ebert had to say (he dug it, BTW): Good or bad, this was our movie. We owned it. We loved it.
Twenty years later, we’re still talking about Big Boi’s unforgettable villain, Marcus, Jason Weaver’s comedy and, yes, New New aka Lauren London. It was also a star turn for T.I., who released his classic album, “King,” on the same day.
This week, T.I. and director Chris Robinson spoke to UATL’s Christopher Daniel about the film’s lasting impact. On the topic of ATL history, senior reporter Ernie Suggs looks at a new documentary which reconsiders W.E.B. DuBois and his time spent here.
When it comes to reframing narratives, the hosts of “It’s UATL” spoke with their counterparts from the “Sistas Who Kill” podcast about our obsession with true crime. And for anyone who loves a good story, we’ve got our spring reading list to get you going.
Now, I can’t end this note to y’all without stating the obvious: It’s 404 Day weekend, shawty! It’s that beautiful time of year, where ATLiens, transplants and everyone who calls our fair city “home” come together to celebrate its impact here and OTP. We’ve got a roundup of events going down this weekend you’ll want to check before throwing on that Braves cap and hitting the door. Pollen be damned, the UATL team will be outside.
Sadly, I wasn’t outside when T.I. and Co. showed up at the country club that day. I was out of town. But like a lot of y’all, if you want me you can find me celebrating ATL and our beloved 404 area code (still got mine) “all day, ayan day.”
About the Author
Gavin Godfrey is an editor and Team Lead for UATL, the AJC's Black culture franchise. He's an award-winning writer and editor from Atlanta who's covered everything from OutKast to the water boys. Before joining the AJC, Gavin worked for Capital B Atlanta, CNN, and Creative Loafing.
