November 15th 2023.
On November 9th, Georgia State University (GSU) made a bold move to celebrate the legacy of hip-hop in Atlanta. The university's latest initiative, the “Atlanta Hip Hop Archives”, is a comprehensive collection of materials, historical records, and stories related to the growth and development of hip-hop in Atlanta and the broader Southeast.
The Atlanta Hip Hop Archives project is dedicated to highlighting the dynamic journey of hip-hop in Atlanta over the decades, with a focus on Southern hip-hop and its subgenres, including Trap, Rap, Gangsta Rap, and Crunk. It also covers a chronological period from 1980 to the present and a geographic scope focusing on the Atlanta metro area and the state of Georgia.
GSU is reaching out to the community, encouraging individuals, hip-hop artists, and enthusiasts to contribute to this cultural repository. Donations of materials related to Atlanta hip-hop, such as those from artists, producers, DJs, fans, venues, events, recording studios, and the community, are welcomed. To facilitate donations, GSU has appointed a Music and Popular Culture Archivist and an Advisory Committee, who can be contacted to discuss contributing historical materials.
Lakeyta Bonnette-Bailey, associate professor of Africana Studies at GSU and a member of the Advisory Committee, emphasized the importance of such contributions. “As hip-hop celebrates its 50th anniversary, it is important to maintain, reflect, and preserve the history of this influential and global genre. This is especially important because of the historical exclusion of Black history and cultural artifacts.”
The Atlanta Hip Hop Archives initiative also underscores the personal histories preserved for community memory. By donating materials, individuals contribute to the heritage of a particular place and time, ensuring that unique histories become part of the community’s collective memory.
Professor Bailey also commented on the project’s future: “I hope through this archive we can tell the full story of the history and continuance of hip-hop in Atlanta. I also hope that Atlanta hip-hop artists, industry leaders, and participants will consider donating artifacts to the archives to assist in telling this story. Finally, I hope that once Atlanta’s full hip-hop story is well documented, we can expand the archives to a hip-hop south archives.”
The Atlanta Hip Hop Archives project is an important endeavor to capture the essence of Atlanta’s music and culture and to preserve the legacies of individuals and places significant to the growth and development of hip-hop in the region. GSU’s Special Collections are proud to include the Atlanta Hip Hop Archives as part of their collection, alongside the Johnny Mercer papers, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra archives, the Alex Cooley collection, and the Wayne Daniel collection.
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