The High Museum of Art on Friday announced a major fall exhibition tracing 50 years of Atlanta hip-hop, opening October 4 and running through January 19.
“Atlanta Sound: 50 Years of Hip-Hop” will fill two floors of the museum’s special exhibitions galleries with memorabilia, photography, fashion and immersive installations chronicling the city’s outsized influence on the genre. The show will trace the story from early acts like Pretty Willie and Kilo through Outkast, Goodie Mob, TLC, Usher and the modern era.
“This is the story Atlanta has been waiting for the High to tell,” said High Museum director Rand Suffolk. “Hip-hop is the most influential American art form of the last half-century, and Atlanta is its most important city. This exhibition brings those two facts together.”
The exhibition will include items on loan from artists, producers, labels and collectors, including stage costumes, hand-written lyrics, vintage photographs, and rare recordings. A series of immersive listening rooms will let visitors hear Atlanta’s biggest hits in spatial audio.
The High has worked with a curatorial team that includes longtime Atlanta music journalist Maurissa Tancharoen and former Vibe editor-in-chief Danyel Smith.
Tickets go on sale August 1, with High members receiving early access. A full programming schedule — including concerts, panel discussions, and film screenings — will be announced in September.
The museum is also planning a companion exhibition of Atlanta hip-hop fashion at the Museum of Design Atlanta in midtown.
