Atlanta, like many major metropolitan cities around the world, has thousands of murals painting its landscape. Artists from all over the state and all around the country have contributed to the beauty of this city from Downtown to Midtown to the southside and the westside.
The Atlanta Voice interviewed a trio of artists about their pieces for this story. The entire point of this tri-bylined special story is to further highlight the Black artists behind some of the most familiar and maybe not-so familiar murals in and around Atlanta. Long live the artists that help make this city so beautiful.
Donnell Suggs
Editor in Chief
The Atlanta Voice
Muhammad Yungai’s “New Kids on the Block” is all Atlanta
By Isaiah Singleton
The year is 2019 right before the Super Bowl in Atlanta, Atlanta-based muralist and artist Muhammad Yungai was given the opportunity by Arts organization, Wonder Root, to create four murals called “Community Roots” in the Atlanta community.
One of the murals in particular, “New Kids on the Block”, highlighted gentrification, an issue within the Black community.
“New Kids on the Block”, a reference to Norman Rockwell’s New Kids in the Neighborhood painting from 1967, depicts a black family moving into a suburban neighborhood.
For context, Yungai said Wonder Root was asked by the Super Bowl host committee to create murals around the Atlanta community. They decided it would be centered around Atlanta’s civil rights legacy, according to Yungai.
He also said they didn’t want to create murals without input from the community, so community meetings were put into place to have people involved in the process.
“The program had 10 different artists and each artist was supposed to do three-four murals and one of the themes in all of these community meetings was gentrification, and that was one of the biggest concerns in the Black community,” he said.
Yungai said once he began his research on gentrification, he wanted to figure out a way to create a piece that not only challenged viewers, but to also give them a way to enjoy the work after they’ve been challenged.
“At that time, Black people just wanted the opportunity that America promised all its citizens. Deciding where you wanted to live was mainly not an option Black people had, it was completely out of their control,” Yungai said. “I think black families were met with a lot of anger, vitriol, and violence, so as a result, a lot of that whole integration changed.”
Yungai said now it’s a reverse effect where there’s a lot of white families moving into predominantly Black neighborhoods.
“I think the response from the Black community has largely been about how our communities are not supported by police and our local governments as they should,” he said.
Yungai also mentioned Vine City as an example, which is why in the mural, there is a “Vine City Movers” moving truck.
“I thought about the neighborhood because it’s close to where my kids grew up and in the late 90s and early 2000s, there were a bunch of crimes and drugs in that area,” he said. “I can’t watch the news every day, it drags me down, so when you look at my work, there’s always a glimmer of hope in it.”
Additionally, Yungai said he approached the mural from the standpoint of the children.
“I want to be in a world where adults are making decisions that are in the best interest of children. To me, that’s a world where adults function better,” he said. “The mural was painted by three artists including myself, Thomas Turner, and Sean from The Loss Prevention,” he said.
This was Yungai’s first exterior mural, he said. He painted the kids, and the other artists painted the world around it.
“Art can be a powerful tool in America to voice our concerns and gentrification is one of the issues I wanted to highlight in this process, but I don’t know how much is actually able to change things,” he said. “This is one of those pieces of art that causes conversation and keeps it going and that’s what I really wanted to do was to keep up the debate.”
Furthermore, due to its growing cultural presence, Yungai said Atlanta must decide what it wants to become culturally.
“We have to decide the Atlanta that we want to become as Atlanta anticipates more technology and businesses,” he said. “Atlanta is going to continue to be like a world player in business and one of the top cities in America. It must be decided quickly because it’s growing at an alarming rate and I think art helps with that.”
The mural is located at the intersection of Luckie and Forsyth streets in downtown Atlanta. For more information about Yungai’s work, visit http://www.artofyungai.com/.
Takeoff and fly
By Laura Nwogu
When Takeoff, one-third of the hip-hop trio Migos, died on Nov. 1, 2022, after being shot in Houston, the world mourned his death. But in Atlanta, that grief was more acute. Before the world knew Migos, Gwinnett County did. The “Nawfside” did. Atlanta did. From their iconic cadence and adlibs to their fashion style and imprints on pop culture, the sound of the trio and the image of family succeeding past their origins while sticking true to where they came from was vital to the city.
That was made apparent when, just hours after his death was announced in the media, a mural of Takeoff by artist Armondo Monoletti appeared along the Atlanta BeltLine.
“It was no questions asked. I immediately knew that I had to get down here and put something up in honor of him for the city,” said Monoletti, also known as Ape.
Monoletti, an artist for over 20 years, said the news of the unexpected tragedy shocked him. When the Kansas City native moved to Atlanta in 2019, he hadn’t truly dived into the discography of the Migos. But in the city near where the trio grew up, their sound was constant, and his appreciation for their music increased, especially with Takeoff’s only solo project, “The Last Rocket.”
In the dark cover of the early morning, Monoletti packed up his car with the only paints he had at the time, drove to the bridge and began creating his tribute to the late rapper, covering up the previous tribute mural he’d done of rapper DMX. What unfolded was a colorful portrait of a smiling Takeoff made of blues, whites and browns with a halo surrounding his head.
“We want to celebrate our Black people with a smile on their face, not mean mugs.”
An early version of the portrait shows “R.I.P Takeoff” and the Atlanta Braves logo painted on either side of the picture. If you look closely, Monoletti’s dedication to honoring Takeoff can be seen in the fact that the bottom right side was unfinished because he ran out of paint that night. Now, the mural is backed by two black-and-white images of Takeoff and a rocket during liftoff that aims to capture the essence of the rapper.
On the day of Takeoff’s memorial service, Monoletti watched as people visited the mural to pay tribute. He shared that a few of Takeoff’s family members reached out to him via Instagram to thank him for the mural and that Takeoff’s mother even visited the mural.
“The feedback that I got when people saw it in person was a beautiful thing. And that’s what I wanted. I just wanted people to see him smiling and everything to feel okay and that he’s in a better place.
“I didn’t get commissioned to do this. I didn’t do this for everybody else’s sake. I did it because I love to paint, and I wanted to do something for the city to honor him.”
Millions of people visit the Atlanta BeltLine every year, and now the rapper known for his ability to perfectly lay down a verse in one take, is forever stamped in the heart of Downtown. Monoletti said he hopes the mural helps ensure Takeoff’s legacy is never forgotten.
“It’s honestly a true blessing that people respect it so much, and him so much, that this hasn’t even been touched. It’s been a true honor for people to have something they can take pictures with and honor him and feel good seeing it.”
Red Bull, Full Bloom
By Noah Washington
If Red Bull gives you wings, then Chanell Angeli flew to the moon with her latest work, a mural located on Edgewood. In anticipation of The Red Bull Dance Your Style National Finals coming to Atlanta on May 18th, Red Bull has teamed up with artist Chanell Angeli for the newest mural to grace downtown Atlanta.
The mural, titled, “Red Bull Bloom” was unveiled on Thursday, April 18th, adorns the side of Edgewood at the second newest location for Bookstore Gallery on 488 Edgewood Ave. The mural depicts two Black girls dancing in between flowers and meadow.
Angeli’s journey as an artist began with her roots in Miami, Florida, which she moved away from with her mother, Brenda Thompson in 2006 to her current home in Atlanta, Georgia after a series of hurricanes had ravaged the state. Raised in a neighborhood rich with artistic opportunities, Angeli was introduced to the world of dance and visual arts at a young age. Her passion for creativity led her to pursue various artistic endeavors, such as publishing two poetry books and exploring mixed media art.
The genesis of Angeli’s collaboration with Red Bull traces back to the George Floyd riots in 2020. Struggling with writer’s block and grappling with feelings of hopelessness, Angeli found solace and inspiration through her friend’s suggestion to translate her poetry into visual art. Thus began her journey into the world of mixed media, while she was working as a flight attendant at Delta. Upon taking part in an art show which left her making more than she would in a year working for Delta, Angeli left her consistent paying job to explore her newfound vocation.
Brenda Thompson, Angeli’s mother, who was at the unveiling of the mural expressed immense pride in her daughter’s accomplishments. “Seeing this mural displayed for all of Atlanta to see, I’m very proud,” Thompson said. “It is a beautiful thing to be able to express your creativity like this for the community, not just having it for yourself or for your family. And to think she achieved this after leaving a steady job at Delta during the pandemic—it shows her dedication to her art,” Thompson continued.
Leo Ra Soul, an Olympic qualified dancer from Augusta, Georgia, who has been deeply influenced by the rich hip-hop culture passed down from his father, a former breakdancer and DJ. Starting his dance training at the tender age of four, Ra Soul mastered ballet, hip-hop, and breakdancing. Ra Soul is the winner of the 2022 Red Bull Dance Your Style Regional Qualifier that took place in Atlanta, “The mural brings a lot more awareness to the dance culture here in Atlanta,” Ra Soul said.
The Red Bull mural project represents a culmination of Angeli’s artistic evolution. Incorporating elements of mixed media and 3D design, such as the addition of floral decorations. From conceptualization to execution, the project was a collaborative effort and took a week to put up on Edgewood, with Angeli working closely with Red Bull’s creative team to bring her vision to life, “it feels Unreal. Honestly, it feels like a dream. I love that I get to pass by this, and my friends will too; and that they let me tag it because sometimes with sponsored projects, they don’t want the artists to tag it because it’s kind of like a billboard,” said Angeli in response to seeing her mural brought to life.
