Spotify has curated playlists reflecting the local flavor of each stop on HuffPost’s “Listen to America” tour using location-based data to find out what people are really listening to in 20-plus cities. Check back for more from Sept. 12 through Oct. 30.
A seat of hip-hop power for over two decades, Atlanta is a music factory that’s not slowing down.
The city that introduced trap to the world recently lent a backdrop and a title to an Emmy-winning TV series about artists aspiring to the heights of some of its biggest heroes: Outkast, Future, Migos, T.I., 2 Chainz, Lil Yachty, Usher, TLC and others reflected in our list below. (Music manager Kevin “Coach K” Lee once credited the area’s three big historically black colleges for much of the city’s apparent magnetism for talent.) But local stars span genres; the city can call itself home to the folk-rock group Indigo Girls, country duo Sugarland, soul artist Gnarls Barkley and rock band Deerhunter. Oh, and R.E.M., which came up out of nearby Athens, Georgia.
More than other places around the U.S., Atlanta residents appreciate the Compton-bred rapper Problem, along with pop singer Jessica Jolia and country singer Gwen Sebastian. Hear what people in the Big Peach are listening to below:
Spotify playlists for the “Listen to America” campaign were created by looking at each location’s most popular songs (streaming in the highest numbers at time of publication), distinctive songs (currently being streamed more in this city compared to all other cities in the world) and tracks from local artists. While many picks are data-driven, some songs are handpicked from data lists to assure the playlists reflect a variety of genres and decades, as well as a healthy gender balance.