This Week In ATL

Although a certain segment of the population may think the only thing happening in “the Hollywood of the South” was the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards (ZZzzz), you can trust and believe there (is) and was never a dull moment in the ATL over the past week. Let’s start with…….Peter Thomas of RHOA and Bar Done (that’s not a typo) along with Deb Antney (aka Waka Flaka’s Mama) and Uptown Magazine, presented the first 2014 How Can I Be Down? Salute to Excellence Awards honoring Hip Hop pioneers. The recipients were David Banner, Shanti Das, Jermaine Dupri, Ryan Glover, Clifford “T.I.” Harris, and WVEE DJ Greg Street.

(L-R: Peter Thomas, Deb Antney)

The usual Atlantans, past and present reality show castmembers, fashion queens, divas, divos, recording industry executives and artists and ‘em were in attendance at the black tie affair(as evidenced by T.I’s appearance straight from the fishing boat, which only he can do).

Fresh from the cancellation of her stage play “A Mother’s Love,” Kandi Burruss was surprised with an award for her contributions to American music.

After a great deal of fanfare and promise and apparently not enough marketing and promotion, Kandi’s stage play “A Mother’s Love” has gone the way of a Chris Rock club…..grand opening……grand closing!! After three performances to moderate attendance, the final curtain came down hard. Via a social media statement, Kandi said, “I licensed A Mother’s Love to a promoter with high expectations of finally seeing my creation go on the road and I am very saddened and frustrated by the cancellation of the tour. I hope you understand that the cancellation was beyond my control. Please don’t hold it against me!” It looks as though Tony Terry, Mellah (R&B Divas/702) and D. Woods (Danity Kane) will have to chase another check. The air is out of the balloon, but again, I predict Ms. Burruss will bounce back.

Current calculations estimate the majority of influx of revenue into the city came not from the BET Hip Hop Awards but, via country superstar Garth Brooks, whose multi night engagement at the Phillips Arena (over 60k tickets sold) and the 175,000 attendees of the Music Midtown Atlanta Festival (MMAF). The weekend’s hot ticket was undoubtedly MMAF shutting everything down with a special performance by true hip hop legends Run DMC. Eminem, B.O.B. and Iggy Azalea weren’t half bad either!!

If you had no real interest to participate in sitting through he hurry up and wait hours of taping the BET Hip Hop Awards, you had the option to go party hopping before, during or after the last award was bestowed. Special recognition is awarded to Rick Ross, Jeezy, Fabolous and friends who tossed back 100+ bottles of champagne at Atlanta’s Compound Nightclub Saturday night in celebration of Jeezy’s new CD many called “Damn, My Head Was Hurtin’ Sunday.!” A good time was had Jeezy, his 6 liter bottle and by all wherever they were.