Black Music Month: Check Out This Throwback of A ’98 Freaknik Video Referencing Atlanta As “Black America”
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Today, rumors circulated of Chaka Zulu’s recovery from gunshot wounds as three people were shot near a popular nightclub in Atlanta. This clip from a documentary highlighting Freaknik in 1998 posted by Twitter user, @kodakk6000, was originally shared in March.
The video comes from a longer documentary produced during Freaknik in the late 90s titled “True Life: Freaknik 1998.” The video description details it’s a documentary about the classic Spring Break party intended for black college students held in Atlanta , Georgia in 1998.
The purpose of the documentary was to change the narrative that Freaknik had a negative on the city.
Prominent radio personality Ryan Cameron, college students in the area and rappers like Big Gipp and T-Mo of Goodie Mob appear throughout the 40-minute documentary to discuss the culture of the city, Black college students intention to celebrate during that time and how impactful Freaknik became for the city and the culture.
Chaka Zulu also stops in to speak on how living in Atlanta was “so sweet.” He goes on to say, “The money was sweet. The women were sweet.” Big Gipp adds that, “Elijah Muhammad, Martin Luther King, Ralph David Abernathy. A lot of the civil rights leaders of the late 60’s comes from this city. So I just think as far as the city being about peace and about love. I think Atlanta is a city that’s built on that foundation.”
T-Mo says that, “it’s a lot of Black people really in the heart of the city of Atlanta.” One woman ends the viral clip by referencing Atlanta as a “little Black America.”
In recent news, Atlanta hasn’t felt so peaceful or filled with love. Throughout the pandemic, many people found the low living costs in Atlanta to be convincing enough to relocate from prominent cities across the US like New York City, Philadelphia, and DC.
As a result, long-time Atlanta residents are urging newcomers to go back home, saying that the rise in crime is due to the rise in relocations.
Prayers to the city of Atlanta. Be sure to keep Chaka Zulu lifted as he recovers from alleged gunshot wounds.
Check out this throwback Black Music Month moment from 1998’s Freaknik in Atlanta below:
