The capital of the Dirty South is well known for high-profile rappers: Outkast, T.I., Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Jeezy, Ying Yang Twins, and tons, tons more. Nobody's disputing that, obviously. But those artists are already huge – what about the underground scene?
You can check it out at just about any venue those guys have grown too big for, actually. Atlanta's independent music scene is incredibly vast, and the up-and-coming hip-hop crop is no different. Here are five of our favorite venues that artists on the rise love playing – and where you can catch 'em before they move up.
There are three rooms at the sizable Center Stage complex in Midtown, and each of them open to a range of genres. Vinyl, however, is the club of choice for Afton Productions, a top-notch national booking group that regularly caters to up-and-coming hip-hop, R&B, and soul artists. The look of the 300-capacity spot is subtly sleek, affording the overall vibe a certain professionalism that up-and-comers can appreciate. It doesn't hurt that a stellar set could earn the notice of the house booking group, Rival Entertainment – it's one of Atlanta's premier organizers of concerts and festivals throughout the whole city.
The schedule at 529 may be rife with rock 'n' roll, punk, and metal, but that's not all the East Atlanta Village club supports. Local hip-hop acts often perform, especially those with an eclectic, alternative bend, and sometimes lineups are shaped by surprisingly fitting combinations, like when A. Ware of Mach 5 performed with Brooklyn free-jazz alt-pop artist Sinkane last May. Oh, and Andre 3000 likes to pop in randomly here and there, which is pretty rad.
Just around the corner from 529 there's the Basement, a venue located in the – you guessed it – basement of a bar called Graveyard. Like most Atlanta music rooms, bookings aren't restricted to a single genre. But this one's a go-to for revered locals like rapper 4-IZE; it's where he recently held his birthday bash and album release party. He was also there a week earlier, along with Aleon Craft, Tuki Carter, and several others as a fundraiser for Grip Plyaz, another much-beloved Atlanta artist, in his fight against a recent cancer diagnosis.
Rumors about the historic mill-turned-venue closing seem to circulate annually, and nothing ever comes of it. Earlier this year, however, it was reported that developers planned to knock it down and build something else, something better suited to the area's newfound landscape of parks and pricey condos. People rightfully feared that this time, the talk might bear some truth. Thankfully, though, it was another false alarm – for now, at least. The historic venue, which has been a huge contributor to the city's music scene for 25 years, announced it will continue booking through 2016. It's truly a legendary venue for all genres, and was the site of the long-running A3C Hip Hop Festival before its popularity exceeded the capacity. Despite the assurances, though, the management's word choice in assuaging local fans of the venue warrants a close watch: They said the Masquerade won't be leaving Atlanta, but didn't rule out relocating.
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Jhoni Jackson is an Atlanta-bred music journalist currently based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she juggles owning a venue called Club 77, freelance writing and, of course, going to the beach as often as possible.