2024 was something else.
As the year closes out, UATL’s staff members are looking back at Black culture and remembering what mattered. In this story, senior reporter Gavin Godfrey shares his memories of the year that was.
What were the biggest Atlanta moments of 2024?
Losses: Rico Wade, Rich Homie Quan, and LT’s Wings.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
What was the most memorable album of 2024?
“Blue Lips” — ScHoolboy Q.
Let’s just say getting older is hard, and who wants to listen someone rap about that? The Los Angeles rapper’s turn from party monster to soccer dad, reconciling with his personal and professional past, was pure poetry.
Credit: Bethany Vargas
Credit: Bethany Vargas
Which 2024 movie will you remember most, and why?
“Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was …”
For an Atlanta kid who spent 10 days in Piedmont Hospital and three months — in a pandemic — recovering from open-heart surgery that saved my life, this one hit home.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
Name someone who mattered in Black culture, and why:
A blimp-sized elephant in the room of Black culture is addressing mental health and its stigma. Former music executive, Shanti Das aka “Auntie Shanti,” is doing just that with her non-profit organization Silence the Shame.
Credit: Lauren Hubbard
Credit: Lauren Hubbard
Who is someone we should be watching in 2025 in Black Atlanta culture?
Photographer Cam Kirk and the entire team at Cam Kirk Studios.
Credit: Getty Images for UTA
Credit: Getty Images for UTA
What was something people should have paid more attention to last year?
Atlanta’s growing Black improv community.
Credit: Courtesy Dad's Garage Theatre
Credit: Courtesy Dad's Garage Theatre
What is something you hope to leave in 2024 and not revisit in 2025?
The Atlanta water crisis.
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