(Photo by: Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice)
There have been quarterback changes (Ridder to Heinicke back to Ridder), late-game losses (31-28 to Vikings in Atlanta), comeback wins (16-13 at Tampa), really bad losses on the road (28-23 at Tennessee), difficult losses at home (24-16 to Washington) this season. But there are always two dates on the schedule that always seem to have a make-it-or-break-it feel to the Atlanta Falcons season: Saints weeks.
This year’s game was made all that more special because of the relationship between hip-hop and Atlanta. A celebration of 50 years of hip-hop took place Sunday afternoon bringing more than 60 Atlanta-based artists, including Big Boi, T.I., Jeezy, Ceelo Green, Killer Mike, DJ Toomp, Young Dro, and Jermaine Durpi, to name just a few, to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to physically represent the city’s impact on the art form.
The artist, all of whom wore black Falcons jerseys with the number 50 on the back, made their way to midfield before being announced over the stadium p.a. system. The sight of some of the city’s trailblazing artists like Kilo Ali, Dallas Austin, and TLC, who performed an abbreviated version of their classic “Waterfalls” in between the first and second quarters. A break in the action before halftime had Bonecrusher serenade the fans with “I Ain’t Never Scared”, which brought the crowd to its feet more than any other performance to that point.
The halftime performance featured melodies from Big Boi, Dupri, Jeezy, and Quavo, each artist having a few minutes to perform from different areas of the stadium. Dupri opened his performance on a stage at the 50-yard line with the lead verse from “Welcome to Atlanta’. Quavo was next, rapping from the rafters of the stadium surrounded by Falcons cheerleaders. A tribute to late Migos bandmate and nephew Take Off, with the words “Still Wit Me” displayed on the big screens during his performance.
Big Boi was joined by fellow Organized Noize affiliate Sleepy Brown as he replaced Dupri on stage to rap a verse from his hit “I Like the Way You Move”. Jeezy would close the halftime performances from the stadium’s skybridge overlooking the field. Dressed in all white, he rapped verses from “Way Too Gone” and his verse on the forever popular tune, “Dey Know” remix.
The sound of people chanting “We ready, we ready” helped usher in Pastor Troy, a regular at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Atlanta United matches during their season, for an end-of-quarter performance following the third quarter.
Then it happened. Rapper, actor and Atlanta native Ludacris came repelling from the roof on a harness to thunderous applause. The “Fast and Furious” film series star performed his verse off of DJ Khlaid’s “All I Do is Win” remix and his own 2001 classic “Move B**ch”.
Hip-hop and Atlanta will forever be linked and Sunday’s performances and non-performances (TLC, Ceelo Green, T.I. did not get an opportunity to perform due to microphone issues) will remain proof of that fact.
The Falcons (5-6 overall, 4-3 at home) moving into first place in the NFC South following a 24-15 victory was just gravy on top of the Thanksgiving leftovers. Atlanta travels east to New Jersey to play the New York Jets on Sunday.