Brandon Butler is the founder of Butter. ATL and the 404 Collective. 404 Day is this Friday, but it will be a weeklong affair as events kick off Wednesday, April 2. There will be a Celebrity Softball tournament, a scholarship gala, and even a free 2 Chainz show. Brandon Butler was our guest on the Business Exchange, and he talked all things 404.
Why did you want to extend 404 Day into a multiday affair?
Yeah, man, look, 404 [Day] is a day [that] celebrates all [things] Atlanta, but Atlanta is bigger than just one day. And you know, we started expanding it out, and we added in the 404 scholarship Gala, and then we had a celebrity softball game, and it’s just gotten bigger and bigger. And for us, you know, we’re really excited because it’s on a Friday this year, but next year, it’s on a Saturday, then it’s on a Sunday. So we just think we have an amazing three-year run lined up that we can bring the whole city out to celebrate all things Atlanta.
Why was 2 Chainz the perfect artist to headline 404 Day?
He’s one of the most Atlanta, most ATL Atlanta artists ever, you [have] seen him come up here. You see the work that he does in the [community]. He owns businesses out here. He’s in these streets. What’s more ATL than [2] [Chainz]? You know? I’m saying, so we’re just happy that our partners and everybody we work with have allowed us to kind of help put this event together. You know, we always want to do something special. You know, last year we had Jermaine Dupri and Earth Gang performing. You know, I’m saying this year again, it’s 2 Chainz. And it’s all free.
How did the 404 Collective come together or start?
The 404 Collective is about four [Black-owned] businesses, run by men, coming together in Atlanta to kind of do something for the city. One of the things you see out here is everybody kind of does their own thing. Sometimes we’ve been really intentional about coming together as a collective and showing people [the] power [of] what happens when we work together and combine our efforts. And so, again, shout out to those guys, like I said Trap Music Museum, AIE, Finish First, and Butter.ATL, we’re just out here trying to do the right thing for the city. And also, again, [shout] out to our partners at Monday Night Garage, who helped us start the 404 fund that allows us to do great work with the 404-Day scholarship.
How do you hope this weekend inspires and benefits people who call Atlanta home?
I think I just hope it inspires them to get involved. I hope it inspires them to see people coming together again and pour back into the city. Like a lot of people do different events. And I understand people have different reasons for doing them. But our events we kind of call it a party with a purpose. And so I hope people kind of identify that purpose. I [hope] they see that. I hope they want to get involved. I hope they want to volunteer. I hope they want to, you know, make donations to the 404 fund. And I hope again, it inspires them.
