From the underground clubs that birthed music that took over the world, to the hustlers who made the city a mecca for filmmaking, and the churches whose pastors influence politics, “Atlanta Is…” tells the stories behind the rise of one of the most important cities on the planet. Featuring interviews with Ludacris, Will Packer, Sen.
Raphael Warnock, pastor Jamal Bryant, and many more, this 8-part narrative series is the first of its kind oral history of Atlanta.
Episodes
Latest Episode
December 17, 2025 · 39m
How Atlanta artists, from T.I. and Jeezy to Anycia have used mixtapes to define the city’s sound. STARRING: DJ Drama, Anycia, Zaytoven NARRATED BY: Jewel Wicker SUBJECTS: Music, Atlanta history See for privacy information.
More Episodes
Dec 10 · 41m
How a dive bar near MLK’s Ebenezer Baptist Church became the center of a dynamic underground scene in the mid 2010s, and how it’s had an outsized influence on today’s hip-hop. HOSTED BY: Big Rube STARRING: Key!, Father, Olu and WowGr8 of Earthgang, Steven “Stevo” Dingle, DJ E. Sudd, Maurice Garland SPECIAL THANKS TO: Raury and Mike Walbert NARRATED BY: Christina Lee SUBJECTS: Music, Atlanta historySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 3 · 40m
How Atlanta’s reputation as the Mecca for Black business attracts entrepreneurs from around the country, and how conflicting visions of Black entrepreneurship have played out on one street in Castleberry Hill. HOSTED BY: Big Rube STARRING: Pastor Troy, Miya Bailey, Alphonzo Cross NARRATED BY: Maurice Garland SUBJECTS: Business, Entrepreneurship, Atlanta places, Atlanta historySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 26 · 39m
How Atlanta’s first international superstars—its clergy—shaped the city’s impact on the world, and how the church became an incubator for entertainers (and vice versa). HOSTED BY: Big Rube STARRING: Jamal Bryant, Zaytoven, 1KPhew SPECIAL THANKS TO: Eric Long NARRATED BY: Maurice Garland SUBJECTS: Religion, Atlanta history, MusicSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 19 · 39m
How two out-of-town creative entrepreneurs hustled their cinematic dreams into existence, and how two locals transformed Atlanta into a moviemaking capital to rival Hollywood and New York. HOSTED BY: Big Rube STARRING: Will Packer, Rob Hardy, Jason Weaver, Tina Gordon, Shay Bentley Griffi NARRATED BY: Jewel Wicker SUBJECTS: Movies, Atlanta historySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 12 · 40m
How a beloved movie got made despite the odds, and how the college that helped inspire it was nearly shuttered just as the film was released. HOSTED BY: Big Rube STARRING: Jason Weaver, Charles Stone III, Tina Gordon, Dr. Kevin James, Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., LaTonya Randolph SPECIAL THANKS TO: Errin Haines, Edmond Richardson, and Ronda Racha Penrice NARRATED BY: Christina Lee SUBJECTS: Movies, Education, Atlanta history, Atlanta placesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 5 · 39m
How a tiny club on the city’s West Side birthed Atlanta’s rowdiest cultural export, and how that same spirit became a little too boisterous for the surrounding neighborhood. HOSTED BY: Big Rube STARRING: Sleepy Brown, Ray Murray, Bem Joiner, DJ Will, Shakeema Bailey NARRATED BY: Maurice Garland SUBJECTS: Music, Atlanta history, Atlanta neighborhoodsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 5 · 39m
How a dedicated group of DJs and radio programmers fought an uphill battle to get rap music played on the airwaves in ‘90s Atlanta, and how one of the city’s most famous homegrown stars went from playing the hits to making them. HOSTED BY: Big Rube STARRING: Ludacris, Chaka Zulu, Sleepy Brown, Ray Murray, Jerry Smokin’ B, Daron Fears, Mary Catherine Sneed SPECIAL THANKS TO: Carol Blackmon, Dee Dee Hibbler, Sonia Murray NARRATED BY: Jewel Wicker SUBJECTS: Music, Atlanta history, RadioSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
