Donald Glover's highly-anticipated show Atlanta is just two weeks away from its September 6 premiere on FX. Ahead of his new show's debut, Glover spoke to Vulture about how the series came about and why it needed to be made.
Without the need for any subtly, Glover clearly states that he "wanted to show white people, you don't know everything about black culture." Though he admits he gets why it's easy for some people to feel as if they're well-informed or in tuned with the culture thanks to the internet—"You follow Hood Vines, and you have your one black friend and you think they teach you everything"—it's merely scratching the surface.
For Atlanta, Glover chose his long-time collaborator Hiro Murai as the series' director. Although Murai has never directed a television show before, Glover trusted that his creative eye would bring a fresh perspective to the series. Glover also aimed to keep the authenticity of the community's culture alive by hiring a team of all black writers—all Atlanta natives, expect for two. With the script, creators, and setting all embedded with pure Atlanta knowledge and style, the show aims to educate the rest of the world on what black people in this city really live like.
However, with his multiple aliases and professional titles, it appears that Glover isn't worried about audiences trying to get a better understanding of him from this show. "A lot of people don’t understand me, which is good. I don’t give a fuck." Instead, he seems more concerned about representing the multiple realities of Atlanta properly.
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