\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThe next chapter of Atlanta<\/a> rap is shaping up to be something of a return to form. Projects from Metro-Boomin and Anycia<\/a>, as well as a crop of young rappers, are reprising the \u201cOld Atlanta\u201d feel. In July, Anycia dropped\u00a0Grady Baby<\/em>,\u00a0the first\u00a0Gangsta Grillz\u00a0project from a woman rapper from Atlanta. Playboi Carti<\/a>\u2019s I Am Music<\/em> was praised<\/a> as a mesh of boundary-pushing sonics while paying homage to his youth, sampling Rich Kidz (\u201cLIKE WEEZY\u201d) and Bankroll Fresh (\u201cWALK\u201d). Meanwhile, surging singles like Pluto and YKNiece\u2019s \u201cWhim Whamie,\u201d as well as BunnaB\u2019s \u201cMad Again,\u201d feel like a callback to Atlanta rap from the early 2010s, as a recent Pitchfork essay<\/a> points out.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tYKNiece and Bunna are both on Metro-Boomin\u2019s Futuristic Summa, <\/em>a tribute to Atlanta\u2019s \u201cfuturistic era,\u201d a fun, melodic sound popularized by artists like Yung LA, YC Hollywood, and J Money (formerly J Futuristic). The project isn\u2019t a callback to the early aughts\u2019 big white tee and crunk era, but the late aughts-early 2010s, when tight-fitting Aeropostale and American Eagle were the wave. It speaks to Atlanta\u2019s rich history and vibrant community that they have multiple distinct eras to pay homage to.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tBut before we dive in too far, it\u2019s important to note that, like with too many hip-hop spectacles, there are less celebratory elements to address. Most importantly, many are recalling that in October, Vanessa LeMaistre filed a civil suit against Metro<\/a> alleging that he raped and impregnated her in 2016. LeMaistre is represented by Wigdor Law LLC, the same law firm that represented Cassie in her November 2023 civil suit against Diddy. The trial is set to begin on September 23 in the Central District of California, with a September 9 pre-trial hearing. A lawyer for Metro Boomin<\/a>, real name Leland Wayne, denied<\/a> the allegations. It\u2019s disappointing that yet another beloved hip-hop act has been accused of patriarchal violence.<\/p>\n \n\tAnd in far less consequential territory, some are calling out Metro being from St. Louis, as if that precludes him from celebrating Atlanta. On Monday, Atlanta artists Young Cooley and Hollywood YC<\/a> went online to gripe about not being on Futuristic Summa<\/em> (though artist-producer Reese LaFlare, involved in the project\u2019s conception, claims Hollywood YC<\/a> was called and said he was \u201cout of town\u201d). Though some futuristic progenitors didn\u2019t make the original project (there\u2019s still time for a deluxe), many listeners are celebrating the project as a cross-generational mesh of Atlanta greatness.\u00a0<\/p>\n