Neima Abdulahi has always had a love for music and entertainment. A native of Somalia, Abdulahi relocated from East Africa to East Atlanta as a child and became immersed in Atlanta’s music scene.
Now as a reporter for WXIA in Atlanta, Abdulahi provides an inside look into the city’s entertainment industry with her digital show “ATL CULTURE.”
“‘ATL CULTURE’ is custom-made for Atlanta,” Abdulahi told our publication. “It really examines the cultural thread that connects this city – from hip-hop, black excellence, civil rights, housing and social issues. With every episode, I’m exploring why and how our city’s vibrant hiphop culture is an influential theme in all those sub-categories. It’s the thread that connects this city. Hip-hop is a multi-billion dollar industry with Atlanta at the focal point.”
Since its debut in December 2018, the digital series has featured a kids’ hip-hop cypher with Bankroll PJ, a feature on rapper Lil Baby, and an interview with Zak Wallace, songwriter and owner of Local Green Atlanta.
“Once it launched, I knew the city would respond with a ’bout time something like this was created’ and it did,” Abdulahi shared. “We’ve all heard the conversations. I’m from here. So I know the desperate need to merge cultural content with relevancy, representation and respect for the complexity of Atlanta’s unique and vibrant identity. It’s a beautiful puzzle that deserves a platform. ‘ATL CULTURE’ is unique, because there’s nothing else like it in Atlanta local news. It’s 100 percent for the culture.”
Abdulahi hopes the digital series brings more insight into the cultural impact of Atlanta.
“‘ATL CULTURE’ is my passion, it’s my life,” she expressed “I can interpret Atlanta’s culture because it raised me. I’m a product of this city in every way. I can break down the significance and struggles of our historic African-American neighborhoods and the leaders who shaped our city during an ugly time in American history – John Wesley Dobbs, Alonzo Herndon, Ralph David Abernathy, Congressman John Lewis, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ambassador Andrew Young, Hosea Williams and so many others. I can also tell you pivotal and historic moments in Atlanta’s hip-hop evolution – from Kilo Ali, Dungeon Family, Gucci Mane, Tip to Migos. Growing up here, I’ve embraced everything Atlanta, from the historic movements to the music. ‘ATL Culture’ examines the intersection between the two cultural phenomenons.”
