Putting Atlanta on the Map as an Arts Destination
My dream is for Atlanta to be recognized as a UNESCO Creative City of Music, a designation for cities that see creativity not as decoration, but as a strategic force for sustainable urban development.
I believe Atlanta already embodies this spirit. It’s in our rhythm, our innovation, our resilience. The sounds that come out of this city, from church choirs to trap 808s, from the drumline to the DJ booth, have shaped global culture. The world already dances to Atlanta’s beat. Now it’s time for us to lead and build with intention.
Photo by Anthony Truth Gary.
I was born and raised in this city, I’m a son of Atlanta, and I know firsthand the richness of the culture and music I was born into. My life and work have been about celebrating that creativity, connecting communities through the power of words, rhythm, and storytelling. Through Soul Food Cypher and projects like ATL Park Jam, I’ve seen how the arts can heal, teach, and transform. I’ve watched young emcees discover their voices and elders find new ways to connect with the next generation. That’s the ecosystem I dream of, one that listens to itself, uplifts its people, and reinvests in its cultural roots instead of forcing them out.
For my discipline, Freestyle Rap and the broader world of cultural production, my dream is for our art to be recognized as more than entertainment. It’s education, it’s healing, it’s diplomacy. Freestyle rap is jazz’s spiritual successor, an improvised language of liberation. My goal is to see MCs, DJs, producers, and street artists given the same platforms, protections, and respect as any other discipline in the fine arts.
For the city, I dream of deeper investment in creative infrastructure: rehearsal spaces, affordable studios, live-work artist housing, Jobs, and equitable funding for grassroots organizations. I want to see the arts woven into civic life the same way tech or sports are, because culture is the heartbeat that makes everything else possible.
Ultimately, my dream is for Atlanta and the South as a whole to embrace its role as a global cultural leader. When we invest in artists, we invest in the soul of our city. When we honor the stories, sounds, and spaces that shaped us, we create the blueprint for what an equitable and inspired arts ecosystem can look like. My hope is that future generations inherit an Atlanta where creativity isn’t an afterthought but a way of life, where art is how we build, heal, and proudly tell the world who we are.
Photo by Anthony Truth Gary.
