Welcome to Noisey(’s version of) Atlanta’
Ten-part docu-series promises an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look into Atlanta’s pop rap scene
- screenshot/Noisey
- Noisey’s Thomas Morton (left) dives headfirst into Atlanta’s rap scene for 10-part docu-series starting Jan. 13.
Noisey released a trailer last week for its upcoming documentary on Atlanta’s industry-backed rap scene. Titled Welcome to Noisey Atlanta, the 10-part series promises an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look into the city’s continued stranglehold on pop culture and hip-hop charts. Featured artists include 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, Migos, Rich Homie Quan, Young Thug, Jeezy, iLoveMakonnen and Awful Records, as well as producers Mike Will Made-It, Metro Boomin, and 808 Mafia.
The series, which drops the first episode on Jan. 13, follows 2014’s eight-part Noisey docu-series Welcome to Chiraq, which took viewers on a tour through Chicago’s gang-fueled rap culture from whence Chief Keef emerged.
At first glance, Noisey’s outsider p.o.v. — with its heavy focus on guns and drugs — seems to resemble click bait more than cultural criticism. But between Chiraq’s ghetto-safari and earnest-hipster curiosity, Noisey’s Thomas Morton also took a sobering look at the violence and the role the industry’s move to capitalize on the culture has played in further glamorizing it. At one point in the last episode of Chiraq, even Morton questioned whether rappers were playing up certain elements of their lifestyle for the camera. Of course, no city gets branded the murder capital off hype alone. Atlanta rap suffers from its own sensationalized stereotypes: trapping and strip club culture being two of the most notorious. From the looks of it, both will play a significant role in Welcome to Noisey Atlanta. Should be interesting to see what else the series has to offer and how producers will contextualize it all.