FX's "Atlanta" has taken TV by storm this fall, debuting to 3 million viewers in September, locking down a second season, and propelling its creator/actor Donald Glover into even greater multi-disciplinary fame. Previously a screenwriter, comedian, actor, and rapper, Glover has added the showrunner feather to his cap, and the resulting show bears more of his fingerprints than any of his previous TV endeavors (most notable among them "30 Rock" and "Community").
In addition to the hip hop-focused storyline where Glover plays his cousin Paperboi's manager, "Atlanta" makes its ties to hip hop felt via its soundtrack, which is one of the best to appear on TV in the past decade. Largely comprised of contemporary trap and more underground rap, it's got its finger on the pulse of trendy hip hop more so than any other show currently on the air. Nowhere else will you be able to hear Cousin Stizz, Xavier Wulf, and two Migos tracks in the same episode of television.
That's only part of the show's intricate musical palette though. The genre with the second-largest representation is classic (or classic-sounding) R&B, which provides a nice counterbalance for the show's more modern flair. Plenty of other styles, many of them obscure, pop up throughout as well, showcasing the breadth of Glover's impeccable taste. As varied as it gets though, the choices always make sense and fit together thematically, blending together to create a facet of the show that's as vivid and experimental as Glover and frequent director Hiro Murai's arresting visual styles.
With episode 10, the finale of the first season, airing last night, we're taking a look back at the soundtrack today. We've organized the show's music into genres, so click ahead to get started.
Modern trap and other popular rap/R&B
"Atlanta" got trap fans hooked from the start with OJ Da Juiceman's "No Hook" blaring during the first episode's title credits, not-so-subtly hinting that the show would primarily revolve around music very different from Glover's own as Childish Gambino. The second and third episodes followed suit with their title themes, booming out a few seconds of Yo Gotti and E-40's "The Law" and Kodak Black's "SKRT," respectively. Since then, no episode has featured trap in such an up-front fashion, but it's stayed present in other settings.
Migos, all of whom appeared in episode 4, have had three songs featured across a couple of episodes-- "One Time," "Cook It Up," and "Spray The Champagne"-- as well as one by their close compatriot Rich The Kid. Other ATL trappers, such as Doe B, Eearz, Future, Young Dro, and Young Thug have had their music pop up here and there, many very fittingly in the recent episode set entirely at a nightclub. Trap is used just as often as background scene dressing as it is prominently-featured theme music, helping to better define Atlanta's distinct character, which palpably permeates nearly all aspects of the show.
More random, but almost equally popular modern cuts show up too, like Cousin Stizz's "Shoutout" and Xavier Wulf's "Philosopher's Stone," both of which I referenced in passing earlier. Keith Ape's star-studded "It G Ma" remix, Max P's viral hit "Gang," and Black Dave's "Hangover" also show up, once again showing that Donald Glover pays attention to every corner of the rap game.
Apart from Migos, the one artist's music who shows up most frequently is Jeremih's, with two tracks from last year's Late Nights ("Oui" and the Ty Dolla $ign-assisted "Impatient") being featured prominently, and some of his vocals popping up again when Dreezy's "Body" rings out in the club.
Last night’s finale was the first to venture into the more cartoonish funds currently coming out of Atlanta, as D.R.A.M. and Lil Yachty’s smash hit “Broccoli” made an appearance, as did iLoveMakonnen’s “Flippin All Night.”
Classic-sounding R&B, soul, and gospel
Undoubtedly the second-most prominent genre featured on "Atlanta," classic and/or retro-styled R&B/Soul closes out several early episodes to contrast with the bombastic, trap-soundtracked opening sequences. Bill Withers' "Grandma's Hands" (famously sampled on Blackstreet's "No Diggity") first, then modern classicist Lee Fields' "Could Have Been," and finally Michael Kiwanuka's folkier, softer "Home Again" conclude three consecutive episodes, which definitely changed the tone of the show.
Plenty of '60s and '70s mainstays like Funkadelic, Billy Paul, George Benson, and Sam Cooke also pop up sporadically, the latter most prominently at the end of the season's second-to-last episode when Ern and Van get it on in the car. Like hip hop, Glover also includes some more obscure selections from the same period, namely The Ebonys, New Bloods, Little Beaver, and Baby Huey, though the Huey song in question, "Hard Times," has been sampled numerous times in hip hop.
The second-to-last episode, "Juneteenth," also included some old gospel, namely a rendition of the standard "Wade In The Water And Be Baptized" and James Cleveland's "Save Me Lord," to accompany a scene of Ern and Van talking to a minister.
More obscure modern hip hop
Childish Gambino's music generally veers away from the more mainstream stuff we listed on the last slide, and it's in this considerably section that all of the current hip hop that skews closer to his own is contained. The coolest and most impossible-to-ignore usage of one of these comes when Glover and Paperboi are driving at night out in the forest to Migos' RV trap, when Shabazz Palaces' "An Echo from the Hosts that Process Infinitum" blasts over a "Shining"-style aerial shot. It's the perfect moment for such a dark, trippy beat.
Randomly, a recent song by ATL veterans Nappy Roots shows up in more minor fashion, as do ones by blog favorites like Adamn Killa and Sango, and quite unknown artists like SweatBeatz and Steve G. Lover.
Outliers
You can never expect Donald Glover to limit himself to two easy categories in anything he does. Thusly, there's a fair share of other music that appears on his show that isn't modern rap or retro soul. The few hip hop/R&B tracks that appear without much connection to any other music on "Atlanta" are Lloyd's 2007 hit "Get It Shawty," Nelly's "Ride Wit Me," Outkast's "Me & You (Elevators)," and Crime Mob's old but always relevant "Knuck If You Buck," the latter of which plays at the club and goes up exactly like you would expect it to.
A couple of '80s funk/disco cuts, The System's "Don't Disturb This Groove" and Cheryl Lynn's "Encore," show up pretty prominently as well.
Glover gets to flex his indie cred by also including a track by dreampop duo Beach House (fittingly coming out of his headphones in one scene), as well as two by jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington (a signee on Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder label, and crucial player on To Pimp A Butterfly) in the "Juneteenth" episode.