(Photo by Rashad Milligan for rolling out)
The stars came out on Nov. 28, 2021, to rally behind Atlanta mayoral candidate Andre Dickens, just two days before the city’s runoff election.
The celebrity-filled concert and rally featured T.I., Goodie Mob, Keisha Knight Pulliam, Shereé Whitfield, AJ Calloway, Domani and Organized Noize. All of the stars endorsed Dickens, but they also shared why it was important for Black people to participate in local elections.
“As a member of the artistic community, I’d like to encourage us to take politics on the ground level very seriously in this community,” Killer Mike said, “because as bigger companies roll in, as ‘innovation’ rolls in and as corporations come to town, you’re going to see a smaller ability to live in this city. It’s going to be harder to pay rent to live here.”
Mike then shouted-out T.I. for adding more than 143 new units of affordable housing in Atlanta’s Bankhead community.
“Let me tell y’all something,” Killer Mike continued, “because a lot of bull—- gets said about people who sing and dance and dunk balls and run for a living.
“That’s not happening in San Francisco, that’s not happening in New York, that’s not happening in Philadelphia, that’s not happening in Chicago and we welcome all those that come from a different city for a new chance and opportunity. Atlanta has given artists an opportunity for well over 50-60 years, and if we close that opportunity by voting for people who participate with the corporations that close that opportunity, we’re closing the door on ourselves.”
T.I. echoed Killer Mike’s thoughts on preserving the artistic culture of Atlanta by preventing gentrification.
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