Since the late 1990s, Atlanta has become a dominant center of hip hop - home to mega-selling artists like Outkast, T-Pain, T.I., and host to a vibrant underground culture of aspiring young rappers and inspired fans.
Atlanta is the first book to capture this rich and electric scene. Photographer Michael Schmelling spent many months in Atlanta documenting the artists, the fans, and the hip hop vitality of the city itself. Complementing his images are essays on hip hop subjects and culture by music writer Kelefa Sanneh, interviews with key Atlanta figures like Gucci Mane and Andre 3000 of Outkast, and a digital download mixtape of unreleased songs.