"Welcome to Atlanta" is a 2002 hip hop song by

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...

featuring

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

. It was released in 2002 as the second single released from Dupri's 2001 album '' Instructions'' and also appeared as a hidden track on Ludacris' second album, '' Word of Mouf''. The song praises Dupri and Ludacris's hometown of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

. It samples "Five Minutes Of Funk" by

Whodini Whodini is an American hip hop group that was formed in 1982. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, a.k.a. Ecstasy (who wore a Zorro-style hat as his trademark; Ju ...

, as well as " Do It Baby" by

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential grou ...

. Dupri produced an official remix of the song, "Welcome To Atlanta (Coast 2 Coast Remix)", which features, in addition to Dupri and Ludacris, three rappers from other American cities extolling their own hometowns: P. Diddy (for

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Murphy Lee Torhi Harper (born December 18 1979), better known by his stage name Murphy Lee, is an American rapper, best known as a member of the hip hop group St. Lunatics. His debut album, '' Murphy's Law'', peaked at number 8 on the ''Billboard'' 200 mu ...

(for St. Louis) and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...

(for

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

Music video

The music video for "Welcome to Atlanta" was directed by

Marc Klasfeld Marc Klasfeld is an American music video director. He has directed over two hundred music videos for artists such as Slipknot, Sum 41, Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Britney Spears, Kid Rock, Michael Bublé, Nelly, Foo Fighters, Kell ...

. It shows a tour bus being taken around Atlanta by the duo, as well as scenes of nightlife within the city. It features cameo appearances by many notable Atlanta-based rappers, singers and athletes, including

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cr ...

, Lil Bow Wow, MC Shy D,

Da Brat Shawntae Harris-Dupart (born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she began her career in 1992, the year she signed with So So Def Records. Her debut album ''Funkda ...

, T.I.,

Monica Monica may refer to: People *Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress *Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...

Blaque Blaque is an American girl group that charted from 1999 to 2004. Outside of the United States, they are known as Blaque Ivory. Their self-titled debut album ''Blaque'' sold more than 1 million copies and was certified Platinum. The group's d ...

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** Fiel ...

, Brandi Williams,

Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed champion at cruiserweight in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s, and is the o ...

Vernon Forrest Vernon Forrest (February 12, 1971 – July 25, 2009) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2008. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the WBC, IBF, '' Ring'' magazine and lineal welterw ...

, Dominique Wilkins,

Ying Yang Twins The Ying Yang Twins are an American hip hop duo consisting of Kaine (born Eric Jackson on December 16, 1978) and D-Roc (born Deongelo/D'Angelo Holmes on February 13, 1979). They are not twin brothers. They did the windows to the walls song. The ...

, Cee-Lo Green and Big Tigger.

Coast 2 Coast Remix and music video

The official remix, "Welcome To Atlanta (Coast 2 Coast Remix)", features

, Diddy and

on the intro and outro. Ludacris does not appear in the video. The Music Video was directed by

Benny Boom Benny Douglas (born July 22, 1971), professionally known as Benny Boom, is an American director who has worked in music, television, and film. His most commercially successful film was the 2017 Tupac Shakur biopic ''All Eyez on Me''. Career D ...

. Murphy Lee would collaborate with Dupri again in 2003 on " What Da Hook Gon Be?" & would collaborate with Diddy again in 2003 on "

Shake Ya Tailfeather "Shake Ya Tailfeather" is a song recorded by American rappers Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee. It was released in 2003 from the '' Bad Boys II Soundtrack''. It topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, giving Nelly his third number one on ...

Scene 1: Atlanta

Filming Locations: *2277 Cheshire Bridge Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30324 *241 Forsyth St. SW, Atlanta, GA 30303 It starts with Jermaine Dupri coming out from the ''Dunk N Dine'' diner mixed with flashing pictures from the highway leading to Atlanta. He is seen wearing T-shirt a drawn face of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, which is an obvious tribute to her (deceased in April the same year). He is joined by fellow Atlantans including

and

Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, (born April 15, 1974), professionally known as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Sho'nuff Records, to wh ...

in the parking lot of the Magic City strip club. In the lyrics and some seconds-long camera shots he refers to hometown places Fuel, Kaya, Velvet Room, Club 112, Strokers club, Ritz club, Shark Bar, and Plush Limousine Service.

Scene 2: New York

Filming Location: 4 Penn Plaza, New York, New York 10001 P. Diddy is standing on the top of the

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsyl ...

entrance roof. Cut to scenes of other parts of the city, including

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...

are seen throughout. It has cameo appearances by

Loon Loons (North American English) or divers ( British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family Gaviidae and order G ...

Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...

, Paul Cain, Maino, Black Rob, Stack Bundles DJ Clue?,

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

and

. Mention is made about the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...

during the outro of the New York segment when Diddy boasts "we're still here...and we building four more new towers!"

Scene 3: St. Louis

Filming Location: 250 Stadium Plaza, St. Louis, Missouri 63102 The members of

St. Lunatics St. Lunatics was an American hip hop group formed in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1993. The group consisted of childhood friends Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, City Spud, and Slo Down. Career After graduating from high school, the band members w ...

(

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal R ...

, Ali, Kyjuan and Slo'Down) are gathered in the

Busch Memorial Stadium Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium II, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri, that operated for 40 years, from 1966 through 2005. The stadium served as the home of the St. Louis Cardinals National League ...

accompanied by 2002 season's St. Louis Cardinals player Fernando Viña and

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

hockey goaltender Fred Brathwaite. Murphy Lee dressed in a Spirits of St. Louis jersey speaks about his loyalty expressed throughout his tattoos and jewelry. The St. Lunatics also dance outside of the stadium next to the statue of

Stan Musial Stanley Frank Musial (; born Stanislaw Franciszek Musial; November 21, 1920 – January 19, 2013), nicknamed "Stan the Man", was an American baseball outfielder and first baseman. Widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consis ...

Scene 4: Long Beach

Filming Location: 1014 East Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, California 90806 Snoop Dogg invites the whole LBC to have a party with him at the same spot where they had one 9 years earlier in the square in front of the World Famous V.I.P. Records store, where Snoop performs his verse mounting the top of the building, like he did during the "

What's My Name What's My Name? or What's My Name may refer to: * "What's My Name" (China Anne McClain, Thomas Doherty and Dylan Playfair song) * "What's My Name?" (Rihanna song) * "What's My Name?" (Snoop Doggy Dogg song) * "What's My Name?" (DMX song) * "Wh ...

" video shoot. He also presents his ''Snoop Deville'' lowrider car, which was later used in the " From tha Chuuuch to da Palace" music video. Some of Snoop's entourage show up on the set, including

Soopafly Priest Joseph Brooks, (known professionally as Soopafly born December 8, 1972) is a hip hop producer and rapper from Long Beach, California. He is a member of the DPGC. Early life The oldest of three children, Brooks grew up in Long Beach. H ...

and Uncle Junebug.

Other remixes

*The TNA Wrestling

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...

Bound for Glory 2007, which took place at the

Arena at Gwinnett Center The Gas South Arena (originally known as the Gwinnett Civic Center Arena, later known as The Arena at Gwinnett Center and Infinite Energy Arena) is an indoor arena in Duluth, Georgia. It is located approximately northeast of Atlanta. The arena ...

near Atlanta, used a

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typi ...

-influenced instrumental cover of the song as its main theme. *A remix called "Welcome to L.A". is done by

Warren G Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper and producer known for his role in West Coast rap's 1990s ascent.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. Along with Snoop Dogg and N ...

where he presents his town. It appeared on the mixtape of ''DJ Felli Fel Featuring Snoop Dogg–

The Heavy Hitters Alexander & Catalano was an Upstate New York based law firm practicing in the area of personal injury and worker's compensation related cases. The firm was headquartered in Syracuse, but also had offices in Rochester and Binghamton. History ...

'' in 2002. *

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

did an additional version of the song called "Welcome to Miami" * Kardinal Offishall and Ones Project did a remix track entitled "Welcome to Toronto"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

JD on ''MTV News''The video data on ''MVDB''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Welcome To Atlanta 2002 singles Jermaine Dupri songs Ludacris songs Murphy Lee songs Music videos directed by Marc Klasfeld Sean Combs songs Snoop Dogg songs Song recordings produced by Jermaine Dupri Songs written by Jermaine Dupri Songs written by Ludacris