You cannot understand what a Black Mecca is unless you live there. There is something about being surrounded by black folks, HBCUs and soul food every day. You can forget, for a minute, the rest of the world and all its troubles. It feels like make-believe. It is a fantasy world you never want to leave. And since we are there, let’s think for a second what we would like to go to the theater to see.
What if Outkast’s musical tribute to Georgia made its way to Broadway? “Idlewild” in 2006 was a brave move for the duo that held a firm grip on the southern hip hop movement and popular music in general. The movie musical was written and directed by Bryan Barber, a music director who cut his teeth with videos for many huge pop stars including Outkast. The film centered around a fictional place called Idlewild, Georgia and followed the antics of Percival (Andre 3000) and Rooster (Big Boi).
“Idlewild” was Barber’s film debut, and while the film may not have measured up in a cinematic or musical sense, it fused hip-hop with a medium that could easily be its great aunt. Hip Hop runs parallel with musical theater. There is bravado and showmanship and metaphor and beautiful language.
I think “Idlewild,” if put in the right hands, could soar as a Broadway musical. Even better would be to see Andre 3000 and Big Boi on stage dancing and singing their songs. The thing that makes Atlanta so special is it’s not quite hard, but definitely not soft. There are so many middle-class people here it is hard to create the type of economic and artistic desperation that pulsated through much of early hip hop, especially music originating from New York and L.A. But there is pain and suffering here, there is a religious fervor that punctuates the bassline and rhythm sections of most of Southern rap, and Outkast delivers with sweet irony. A musical version of their film would only bring that type of depth to a new height.
Will it happen? Who knows? But, for a little while, stay in this southern dream with me.
