How hip-hop made Atlanta: New lecture series explores the city’s cultural legacy

Museum of Design Atlanta and Kennesaw State professor Regina Bradley partner to reflect on Georgia’s identity through a hip-hop lens.

Regina Bradley, a Kennesaw State University professor, writer, and researcher of African American life and culture with an emphasis on the contemporary American South. (Tyson Horne/AJC 2020)

By K'mari Greene

2 hours ago

It’s no secret few cities have influenced hip-hop as deeply as Atlanta.

From the freewheeling OutKast and Ludacris, to Future and Gucci Mane with their gritty lyrics, the South has had something to say musically for a while.

Views of the OutKast mural in Little Five Points shown on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Though hip-hop originated in New York City, the Museum of Design in Atlanta partnered with Kennesaw State University associate professor Regina Bradley to develop a three-part lecture series called “How Hip-Hop Made Atlanta.”

“I’m a big advocate of having academic conversations outside of the classroom,” Bradley said. “So, it’s nice to be able to combine both the love and fandom of the [hip-hop] culture.”

The series will examine Atlanta’s culture and identity through the lens of hip-hop.

Bradley brings deep expertise to the subject.

She is an associate professor of English and Diaspora studies at Kennesaw State University and co-director of the Hip Hop Studies Consortium at Georgia State University.

Bradley is also editor of the “Southern Cultures” journal, author of “Chronicling Stankonia” and co-host of the “Bottom of the Map” podcast.

Cover art for 'Chronicling Stankonia: The Rise of the Hip-Hop South' by Kennesaw State University professor Regina Bradley. (The University of North Carolina Press)

Hip-hop emerged in Black and Latino communities in New York during the 1970s before spreading nationwide.

It remains one of the most popular genres of music in America, especially among the younger generations, with more than 50% of listeners being Black Gen Z and millennials.

“Hip-hop is one of the most consequential design movements in the past century,” said MODA Executive Director Laura Flusche. “It’s changed the way we look and sound and (it has) given us a whole different way of interacting with people and a different vocabulary.”

Being the only design museum in the southeastern United States, the Museum of Design Atlanta explores design’s role in shaping culture and everyday life.

Bradley previously partnered with MODA to co-curate a hoodie exhibit examining Atlanta streetwear culture, an experience that sparked broader questions about hip-hop’s role in shaping the city.

Regina Bradley, author and associate professor at Kennesaw State University, poses next to a wall of hoodies inside "The Hoodie," an exhibit at MODA she co-curated. (Mike Jordan/AJC)

The series includes three lectures:

July 9: The Dungeon Family and OutKast as cultural theorists
July 30: Trap music and its impact on Atlanta culture
Aug. 5: The geography of Atlanta hip-hop

Both Flusche and Bradley said they hope the conversations continue long after the series ends.

“Even if you don’t know what she’s [Bradley] talking about because you’re not a hip-hop fan,” Flusche said. “When she speaks, [she] gets you involved and thinking critically. She does it in a way that everyone can be a part of.”

For more information on the series, visit The Museum of Design in Atlanta.