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The East Atlanta Santa is promising to gift the city with another one of his contributions. Local Rapper Gucci Mane says that he is bringing a feature-length film on his life to the big screen.
“#TheAutoBiographyOfGuccimane is coming to a theatre near you #DirectorGuccimane #1017Films,” he tweeted recently. The movie will be based on the book of the same name.
The Autobiography of Gucci Mane chronicles the rapper’s rise from local artist to mainstream phenom. The book goes into detail about the rapper’s struggle with drug abuse, especially lean (codeine). Here’s an excerpt:
“My own habits with the stuff had gotten bad. Over the years, there had been times when I’d gone too hard with the X pills, but that had always felt recreational. With the lean, I’d developed a dependence. It became something I needed. My life was moving fast, and this drink helped me slow everything down. I was now on the road nearly every weekend, which meant long bus rides of smoking weed and sipping lean to pass the time. I just wasn’t as outward with my usage as a lot of other rappers were with the Styrofoam cups because I was still on probation.
In the beginning, lean had been something special, a vice I enjoyed. An indulgence. Now it was something I required to operate. My fame was at an all-time high, and these pints helped me calm down and relax in situations where I would otherwise feel anxious, like a big performance or a radio interview where I knew I’d get asked about some shit I didn’t want to talk about.
Is that not the stuff of movie or what? Gucci will no doubt have to confront his demons in the film, such as his time in prison and checkered relationship with fellow rapper Waka Flaka Flame. But all of that should make the flick a bestseller, just like the book.
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Actor Chadwick Boseman is living high off the hog these days thanks to his recent movie credits, including a star turn as James Brown, Thurgood Marshall and now “Black Panther.”
The actor said that when he stayed down South to film (largely in the Atlanta area) he was reminded of the progress the nation has made — and the lack thereof. He told culture website Mr. Porter that he witnessed firsthand a gathering of the Ku Klux Klan as he drove home to visit family in South Carolina.
“When I was shooting Black Panther in Atlanta, I used to drive back on off-days to go see my family in Anderson. It’s about two hours,” he told the website.
“And I would see the Klan holding rallies in a Walmart car park,” he added. “So it’s like we’re going forwards and backwards at the same time. People don’t want to experience change, they just want to wake up and it’s different. But this — shooting Black Panther and then driving past the Klan —that’s what change feels like.”
“Black Panther” has gotten super reviews since it screened for celebrities last week on the big screen. The film debuts Feb. 13 in select markets and opens up nationwide two days later.
During a special screening on Tuesday, Feb. 6 in Atlanta, MPAA Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin said that the film’s production has generated $83.9 Million to Georgia’s economy, according to Deadline.
At the 2018 Chicago Auto Show, a Lexus exec crushed over the fact that the automaker’s new LC 500 model is featured prominently in the movie.
“There is one scene I’m not happy about. There’s a scene when [King T’Challa] slid across the hood and left a huge scratch on the car,” said Koji Sato, the executive general manager of the Lexus LC 500, according to Thedrive.com. “What is wrong with you, that’s my baby! Why would you do that? You are crazy!”
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Bruno Mars, the most celebrated artist in music these days, is giving a major assist to Atlanta’s hip-hop scene. In reference to the fact that the city will be hosting the Super Bowl next year, he tweeted Monday that the NFL should take advantage of Atlanta’s musical heritage by spotlighting the area’s rap talent.
“@NFL you have the opportunity to celebrate incredible Hip Hop Artist from Atlanta Next year,” he tweeted.
Atlanta is home to multiple hip-hop artists such as T.I., Big Boi and Andre 3000 of Outcast, Killer Mike, Gucci Mane, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Young Yatchy, Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon, 21 Savage, B.o.B., Trinidad James, Lil Scrappy — and many, many more.
Also on Monday, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was literally handed the ball as the countdown to the Super Bowl began in earnest.
Atlanta is proud to host the world’s biggest sporting event in the amazing @MBStadium. Thank you @NFLCommish and the @NFL organization for the opportunity. We are ready to #RiseUp for @SuperBowl 53! pic.twitter.com/xYmmUR2kLv
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) February 5, 2018
Bottoms has a long list of logistical issues that she has to handle before tens of thousands of people descend upon the city for the 2019 Super Bowl.
Read more: Travis Scott, Maroon 5 to perform at Super Bowl halftime
Super Bowl Opening Night tickets go on sale
Migos, Ludacris to perform at Super Bowl 53 concert
Jermaine Dupri gives nod to ATL artists for Super Bowl Live concerts
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Alonzo Herndon, born into slavery in 1858 in rustic Walton County, Georgia, had a dream while many African-Americans were still living a nightmare. A mulatto born of a white man, Frank Herndon, who never acknowledged him, and black slave named Sophenie, Herndon set out after Emancipation to make something of himself.
Many blacks, happy to be free but befuddled about its ramifications, took to staying on their former masters’ properties as hired help since they didn’t know much about business. Herndon tried his hand as a laborer and peddler before moving to Senoia to learn barbering.
His barbering business grew quickly, making Herndon a small fortune. He would soon move to Atlanta, helming three barbershops and counting among his customers many of the city’s elite.
He then turned his attention to real estate and banking, investing in Atlanta’s black community. AS one of America’s first black millionaires, Herndon founded the Atlanta Family Life Insurance Company.
In October 2017, the Georgia Historical Society unveiled a new historical marker as part of the Georgia Civil Rights Trail.
Those on hand for the dedication included ince Dooley, Chairman of the Georgia Historical Society Board of Curators; Dr. Mark Becker, President, Georgia State University; Lonnie C. King, Jr., Atlanta Student Movement veteran; Kwanza Hall, Atlanta City Councilman, District 2; Dr. Sarah Cook, Honors College, Georgia State University; and Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society.
“The epicenter of the civil rights movement was situated in Georgia,” Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society, said, according to a press release. “So it’s appropriate that the Georgia Historical society has created the Georgia Civil Rights Trail as a way to encourage the public to learn more about the vital role that our state and its people played in securing full citizenship for African Americans. It’s a legacy we all share as Georgians. For anytime that one group gains its civil liberties, we all are that much more free.”
“The recognition of this great man is long overdue,” said Lonnie King. “Alonzo Herndon succeeded against all odds and to see him honored by the Georgia Historical Society and the leadership of of Georgia State University is very fitting.”
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Donald Glover’s runaway hit “Atlanta” not just introduced us to diverse characters who riffed on the nuances of the city, but it also introduced millions of people to the Atlanta brand.
But after just one season, the show disappeared from the FX schedule. Glover has gone on to produce a critically acclaimed album and gotten a juicy part in the “Star Wars” franchise as a younger Lando Calrissian.
On Friday, the official Twitter account for the show tweeted “3.1,” which we all have taken to mean that on March 1, 2018, the show will return.
The date is not far off from when those connected with the show expected it to return. Co-star Lakeith Stanfield reportedly said that the second seasonwill premiere in February on FX, according to Pitchfork.
It’s not like the show’s hiatus didn’t serve the cast members well.
The show’s other actors have become hot among movie producers, with Lakeith Stanfield stealing some major shine in “Get Out” and “Death Note,” and playing alongside Brian Tyree Henry in “Crown Heights.”
Meanwhile, Zazie Beetz will get some major screen time in “Deadpool” sequel with more on tap.
Glover, for his part, has felt like the long hiatus has been healthy for fans of the hit show.
“I’m not the type of person to rush anything,” he told Fader magazine last fall. “I feel like if you rush it, you’ll start to get something you don’t want and then you start to question why you even liked it. I’m not gonna make anything until it’s ready. But to be completely honest, it’s almost ready. I’m pretty happy with a lot of the things, and I think it’s better than the first season.”
Watch one of Atlanta FX season 1’s funniest moments
Well, we’ll believe it when we see it. And hopefully soon.
