About
The mission of the Atlanta Hip Hop Archives is to collect, preserve, and make accessible materials, historical records, and stories related to the growth and development of hip hop in Atlanta. By collecting these materials, we are creating an archive that preserves these records of historical value and reflects the music and culture of Atlanta and the Southeast. The inclusion of the materials in Special Collections will help us to ensure these materials are preserved and available for future generation. These collections add to the rich collections included in the Music and Popular Culture collections.
Collecting Scope
Southern Hip Hop and subgenres of Trap, Rap, Gangsta Rap, and Crunk; materials from artists, producers, DJs, fans, venues, events, recording studios, and community
Chronological Period
1980 to the present
Geographic Area
Atlanta metro area and Georgia
Donating
Do you or someone you know have a collection of historical materials related to Atlanta Hip Hop? Are you a hip hop artist and want to preserve your legacy? Then we want to hear from you.
To discuss donating materials, reach out the Music and Popular Culture Archivist.
Why Donate
By donating your materials, you are helping to preserve the legacies of the people and places significant to the growth and development of Atlanta Hip Hop, as well as making it available for research and scholarship.
Personal Histories Preserved for Community Memory
For millennia, written records have provided essential clues to the past. Through letters, diaries, and unpublished writings of many types, and also through the audible, visual, and electronic records of recent times, researchers have been able to study and understand much about the history of particular communities, businesses, and organizations; the history of specific events and broader societal trends; and the history of the United States in general. The letters, emails, diaries, photos, and other materials that accumulate over the years give vital and unique information regarding your life or the history of your family. These materials are personal to you, but their contribution to the heritage of a certain place and time is valuable, too. When you donate your personal records to Georgia State University’s Special Collections and Archives, your unique history becomes a part of the community’s collective memory.
Our Current Collecting Areas
Special Collections is the fortunate repository of many important collections, such as the Johnny Mercer papers and related collections, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra archives, Alex Cooley collection, and the Wayne Daniel collection.
Visit ArchivesSpace to learn more about our current collections available for research.
Collection Priorities
Going forward, we plan to pursue collecting partnerships with individuals and organizations who have created documentation related to the following areas:
- Southern Hip Hop
- Subgenres of Trap, Rap, Gangsta Rap and Crunk
Highly Desired Documentation and Historical Material
These examples are meant to provide guidance and are not exhaustive.
- Personal reflections on life, work, or important events
Diaries and journals, personal correspondence (paper and email), memoirs, scrapbooks and other memory books, blogs, recordings of conversations or events - Documentation of an artist/musician’s creative process
Drafts of writing, lyrics, other preparatory work, statements, mixtapes - Direct evidence of significant events or work in the life of a person or organization
Photographs, press releases, speeches and other prepared remarks, unique research materials - Evidence of the friendship, love, and family networks that influence an individual
Correspondence, social media, documentation of family life, photographs - Rare published materials related to our collecting areas (e.g., magazines, zines, and newspapers)
- Collected ephemera (e.g., buttons, signs, posters, bumper stickers)
- Sound and video recordings related to individual’s work, the organization, and/or our collecting areas
Advisory Committee
Marcell Barnett “Redd Fidel”
Hip Hop Artist
Associate Professor of Africana Studies
Professor of Practice, Creative Media Industries Institute
Regina Bradley
Writer and Associate Professor of English and African Diaspora Studies, Kennesaw State University
Antar Fierce
Graffiti Historian and Teaching Artist
Maurice Garland
Music Journalist and Author
Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Historian
Christina Lee
Music Journalist
Giving
Your support helps us care for and grow our collections and keep them open to the public.
Are you interested in donating funds or creating an endowment to help us grow and care for the Hip Hop collections? Visit the Library’s Giving page to learn more.