Image via Complex Original
Atlanta
Since 2009, Pill's been steadily making a name for himself with a string of three well-received mixtapes. In February, he signed with Rick Ross' Maybach Music.
Born in Atlanta, Pill knows his city well. When he sat down with Complex, we asked him about his favorite spots. As those familiar with his music might expect, we got a diverse array of answers from the multi-faceted emcee.
Walter's
Walter's Shoes and Clothing
66 Decatur St
Atlanta, Ga. 30303
Pill: “That’s the most famous shoe and clothing store in Atlanta. That’s where all the rappers and the b-boys shop. Anybody who’s anybody in the city goes to Walter’s. It’s been in existence for over 40 years. [I’ve been going there] since I was a kid. They sell shoes, clothes, jeans. Anything you could possibly name, they got it. All the latest trends.
“My mom used to take me—may she rest in peace; she passed away in ’07—and I just remember being so excited. My brothers—they were older—they got to go downtown. Then my momma finally took me and got me my first name-brand pair of shoes. I think they were British Knights, the snakeskin print ones with the diamond on the side.”
285 West
285 West
2636 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr SW
Atlanta, Ga. 30311
Pill: “That’s a soul food restaurant off Martin Luther King. That’s an actual highway and people confuse it. Best Salisbury steak you can possibly get. Salisbury Steak on a bed of rice with some candied yams, some turnip greens, or macaroni and cheese. It hasn’t been in existence as long as Walter’s, but it’s been in existence long enough for me to actually love it.
“We used to skip school and go to that plaza. I graduated from Frederick Douglas high school and its down the street from the school so we took a liking to that plaza. I was a senior and I didn’t have but one class so we actually could leave and go eat.”
AU Center
The AU Center
440 Westview Drive Southwest
Atlanta, Ga. 30310
Pill: “Another spot I like to go to is the AU Center because it’s very cultural. It’s an HBCU. You got Clark, you got Morehouse, you got Spelman. The girls are up there too. You can go up there and see what the kids are doing, what music they’re listening to.It’s so cultural, it’s so diverse. So many different area codes. It’s a melting pot when it comes to historically black colleges.
“The AU Center is where all America comes to go to school when it comes to for HBCUs. In Menace II Society at the end, they like, ‘I’m leaving to go to Atlanta to go to Clark University.’ So many people have came through there like in A Different World and The Cosby Show, that’s where the kids went.
“I didn’t go to college but I used to be over there. I’d sneak into a few classes. I went to political science classes, literature classes. I basically went to three different colleges. People have been at my shows and been like, ‘You went to Clark, right?’ And I’m like, ‘Nah, I just used to be up there.’ I used to be borrowing those kids’ books and learning.
“I kinda got a college education. I didn’t take the tests, but a lot of my friends would call me to have me help them with projects. I helped a lot of them pass their courses. I could give you numbers and names for you to call them and ask them if I wrote their papers. [But I didn’t go to college because] I got into the streets and I got into music.”
High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art
1280 Peachtree St, N.E.
Atlanta, Ga. 30309
Pill: “A lot of tourists come there but a lot of Atlanta natives don’t partake in those types of activities. I’m one of the ones that take advantage of it because I’m a student of the arts. I loved to paint and draw when I was a kid. A place like the High Museum is always gonna be overlooked by an inner city kid, coming from the projects. But I went there as a kid and I went there just last year. It’s great place to get anything from the Titian paintings of the 16th century and the Salvador Dalí paintings. I went to see the Dalí exhibit for my birthday.
“[My favorite piece was] the Dalí painting, the most famous painting they got, [“The Persistence of Memory”] with the clocks melting. It was like the definition within that, how he did that with like—that shit is crazy. And the piece with the horses, riding to the heavens. And it’s like a big horse and it’s like the legs and stuff. So any pieces of his. He’s one of my favorite artists. And I know he was good friends with Andy Warhol as well. When you have a place like the High Museum of Art, you have to visit that place.
“I was always taught to be different, to think outside the box and reach and always try new things. That’s why I took up French instead of Spanish and I speak French fluently. That’s why I studied film as a kid, that’s why I did poetry. I was so troubled as a youth because my momma was on dope and I didn’t have no dad so they had to make me involved with everything.
“I have a firm understanding of post-modernism. But it’s been played out so much to where everybody is doing it and that’s the path to doom. I was more of a fan of the Renaissance. They were great while they were living, versus a Picasso or a Rembrandt who didn’t get famous until after they died. Dalí was able to open up museums of art in Spain and all across, really world-renowned for his works of art and his pictures—that’s amazing to me.
“I’ve written a whole lot about nothing but paintings before but I never put it out because it wasn’t the right time. So if I come out with it now, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, he’s just doing it cause such-and-such.’ But it’s like, ‘Nah, this shit is dated.’ This was years ago. I could take a picture of a page and let people read them lyrics. I probably won’t even spit that shit because it’s been done. I did that a long time ago.”
Moseley Park
Moseley Park
1041 Millers Mill Road
Stockbridge, Ga. 30281
Pill: One of my favorite spots is The Park. Moseley Park, off Martin Luther King. Every Sunday when it gets hot, all the bikes come out, all the grills out, everybody barbecuing, it’s all fun and fellowship. Everybody is out having a great time. There’s a swimming pool, all the girls are swimming. Guys are riding dirtbikes.
“They tried to shut it down and I think it just started back up. [It got] too hectic. You couldn’t come down Martin Luther King, it was that big of a deal. It was a tremendous amount of people. To the point where you couldn’t even get through traffic. The police started to close it down cause with any great event like that there’s gonna be a little trouble. Incident may happen, once or twice. Kinda put the pressure on closing it.
“But it’s one of my favorite places. I used to go there and play football as a kid. It’s a staple in the city that’s been here for years. And it’s gonna be there for years to come. It’s always gonna be a landmark for the Westside. A lot of videos have been shot there.”
