Hello World,
I’m proud to say the 2025 edition of Atlanta magazine’s Atlanta 500 is on newsstands now!!!
What is the Atlanta 500 you ask?
“The Atlanta 500 recognizes the 500 most influential business and civic leaders in Atlanta. The list also includes dozens of leaders whom the magazine has deemed as ‘Legends.’ The Atlanta 500 recognizes the most influential Atlantans—including not only corporate CEOs, but also leading entrepreneurs, educators, researchers, artists, and those leading nonprofits and shaping public policy.”
As the A is my hometown, it continues to be a privilege to edit a book comprised of the best and brightest of the A! And if you aspire to be a leader here, you should definitely get a copy! If you are in Atlanta, please get your copy of Atlanta 500 wherever you would normally buy your copies of Atlanta magazine. I got my copy from the newsstand at a Sprouts grocery store. Click HERE to see a list of all of the locations that carry this publication! Also, HERE is a link for the online 2025 issue of the Atlanta 500. And below is an excerpt of my editorial letter:
The power of Atlanta is that it influences everything
Atlanta’s power never ceases to amaze me. As a pop culture PhD, my latest Atlanta’s power amazement is Atlanta’s mention in California rapper Kendrick Lamar’s 2024 banger “Not Like Us,” which is a diss track for the ages against Canadian rapper Drake. How did Atlanta get involved in rap beef between two rappers not from here, you might be asking. That’s the allure of Atlanta’s power, is my answer (or in other words), Atlanta Influences Everything, which is among the latest catch phrases that attempts to encapsulate all that is Atlanta.
According to Kendrick Lamar, Atlanta is the place where you “run to” when you need a “few dollars.” He highlighted when Atlanta was called Terminus and how the railroad lines that ended in our city in 1837 brought wealth to our state’s metropolis and how Atlanta is still wealthy today, albeit for different reasons. And that is true: captains of industry continue to be captivated by our city—we are the capital of the Hollywood of the South, Southern Hip Hop as a staple was created here, the FIFA World Cup is coming here, and the Super Bowl continues to come here. I’ve always loved one of New York City’s catch phrases: If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. But I would like to submit this catch phrase for Atlanta: If you can’t make it anywhere, you can make it here.
To read the rest, click HERE.
So with that, I say, “Peace Up! A-Town Down Shawty.”
Any thoughts?
