July 17, 2025 ⢠59 mins
On this episode of Butternomics, our host, Brandon Butler, talks with Chilly-O, a cultural pioneer and community advocate who has shaped Atlanta’s creative identity for decades. From his early work in the city’s housing projects to becoming a streetwear innovator and action sports enthusiast, Chilly-O has consistently leveraged his influence to uplift the youth and creative communities. In this conversation, he shares the importance of authenticity, the power of mentorship, and how creative communities can help Atlanta maintain its cultural edge.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Atlanta has to invest in the idea of creativity because
creativity is what made the city. From the standpoint of music.
Look at alcasts some of the most creative individuals in
the world.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Dungeon family.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
They were coming with alternative energy in the early nineties,
which was a rare thing. But Atlanta has to invest
in the creative economy because that's where the cool points
globally comes in at.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Everybody. Welcome to the episode of Button Nomics. I'm the host,
Brandon Butler, found the CEO of Butter atl And today.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Man, we got an atl legend up in here.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Man.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
And I know he's a legend because you know the
other day when I was out there with three stacks,
he was the one that helped make sure the right
people knew about it, pulled it together and over there
having conversations with him on the side. Man, I mean,
so you already know yet this is got to have
major status to be in a situation like that.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Man.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
So we got the one the only to Chilio in
the building. Chillio, how you doing, baby.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
I'm doing amazing, Brandon. You really have a very good
radio voice.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
I never knew this, hey, man, you know a lot
of people don't know this back of the day. Man,
how you feeling me?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I'm amazing man, Thanks for having me. Man.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I've been waiting on an opportunity to collab with butter
Ato butter Nomics, and I'm just it's just an honor
to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Man.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
It's like, I haven't done radio in a while, and
I think this is the perfect time to share share
my voice and my wisdom to people who would like
to listen.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Man, well look bro, you you've done a ton in
these streets. I was doing some research. It was all
this stuff that was coming back from all the stuff
it used to work on how you got here. But
what I'm asking you is right now, Let's keep it simple.
If somebody was if you would introduce yourself to somebody,
they would ask, you know, who's never heard of Chilio
and ask who is Chilio?
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Who is Chilio.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
I would basically say, hey, I'm Chilio. I'm an artist,
I'm a mentor. I would also say a youth advocate,
action sports and enthusiasts and a dad. So I would
keep it simple because sometimes people have a hard time
wrapping their mind around people who are multifaceted, and we're
(02:11):
always in a space to where people want to continue
in a box or or pigeonhole you. So I just
try to sense really quick where that person is at
and what they can relate to in terms of well
they can wrap their mind around about me. But I'm
very dynamic, and I have a lot of gifts and
(02:32):
I have a lot of skill sets, and I try
to use them more. I don't try to keep that
to just one thing. Yes, Oh that's Chilio. That's the
T shirt man. Oh that's Chilio, that's the that's the
camera man. You know, like, nah, I do I do
a lot for a community?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
No, man, I know you do a lot for Atlanta too, brother, Like, yeah,
you've been here, You've seen how the seas evolved. I
know people love to talk about old Atlanta and New
Atlanta and all this kind of stuff, and you know
it's you know, people get real defensive about that stuff sometimes,
but like, I think it's just about having love for Atlanta,
because look, you know, everybody's not from here, but people
can still have love for the city. Like, but myst
question for you is, like, what do you remember most
(03:13):
about kind of what people consider Old Atlanta, Like when
people say old Atlanta, what does that mean to you?
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Well, first of all, I have to get into my history.
I actually was trained here. I wasn't flu here. I
caught a train down here. It was almost a bus.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
So I was at the point of my life to
where I had a transient childhood due to family problems.
I was born in Pennsylvania. I was supposed to have
been conceived in Nigeria, and my mother was pregnant in Nigeria.
They had to rush her back to Pennsylvania because at
that time where she was staying at the tribe wouldn't
offer health services because they didn't want me to have
(03:51):
dual citizenship in Nigeria. So she had to rush back
to her birthplace, which was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And then she
had all vacation with her mother and she chose to
move to New York City at that time with my aunt,
and that was in Long Island. If anybody knows Emily
Moore from Roosevelt, they know she's a legend. So my
(04:13):
mother moved to Harlem one twenty seventh and fifth Avenue
when I was a baby, and we stayed there until
I was about two or three, and then moved to
Times Square, back to Pittsburgh, and then I ended up
in Baltimore somehow for about a year I was a toddler,
and then back to Pittsburgh, and then I went to
(04:35):
South Central when I was eight years old, went to
Budlong Elementary over there off Budlong and Slawson. Stayed there
about two years, and then back to Pittsburgh with my
grandmother and then ran away at fifteen, ended up with
my father in Stanford, Connecticut, which is about twenty minutes
from the Bronx, New York. And then I said, you
(04:58):
know what, I'm gonna go to college and I'm going
to control my life wherever destiny takes me. So in
ninety three it was a big HBCU push to move
to Atlanta, which we all know. So the initial insurgence
of people who flew here to Atlanta were black college students,
(05:19):
and I was one of them. And the main draw
was for me was a outcasts, be a clean city
and see a city that's a black city. And then
you know, Freaknik was just it was a cheery on top.
It was a cheery on top, but it was more
so about placing myself in a space where progressive young
(05:43):
black folks and the early nineties when I moved here
and I birthed three at aliens, all girls, I'm a
girl dad. Yeah, So I just wanted to give a
little background about because people really don't know me. I'm
kind of aloof and mysterious. This is what people tell me.
But when I first moved here, I immediately got work
(06:06):
in the nonprofit space as a case manager social worker.
My degree was in psychology, so I worked in all
the housing projects for the head Start program when I
was twenty four years old, So you know, I was
walking around College park projects in the suit Bank, Head Course,
Bonn Homes, Boat Rock, Red Oak, Kennedy Street, and the Bluff.
(06:32):
So these are all the communities that I serviced fresh
out of college, and in the back of my head,
I knew I didn't want to do that. I wanted
to get into fashion. That's initially what I wanted to do.
I want to move to like Grange Village, New York City,
pursue a career and fashion. But the way that the
universe laid it out, I was of service to Atlanta's
(06:56):
at risk communities for about ten years. So transitioned from
the head Star program as a case manager to Fullhen
County Housing Authority as a self sufficiency manager, which I
had to help and the Hope six initiative back in
the day, which is the reason how a lot of
(07:18):
residents from the housing projects ended up in Clayton County
and down there in fair Miron, Union City. Through the
Section eight initiative, I was one of the guys that
helped families become self sufficient. I was getting them out
the projects, getting them Section eight vouchers, get them in
big beautiful homes on the south side, which I hope
that they bought at this point. John Lewis was a
(07:40):
mentor of mine at that time. Michael high Tower was
a city councilor man he Bill Edwards, he was the
mayor of Bullen County. Bill Edwards is a stand up
bull guy. Betty Davis from Fulling County Housing Authorities were
all my mentors and left that went back to head
(08:01):
Start back this was in Red Oat Projects, which I
actually was the center director. I matriculated from pretty much
the social worker to running the entire school, and during
my stay there, I was able to get that center.
Nacy accredited, which is a high level accreditation and early
childhood education, which led to a multimillion dollar center built
(08:24):
on Welcome All Road next to Camp Creek Middle down
there on the south side. So, and then I left
that all that to pursue a career in fashion, which
was my initial dream. So I just started hustling shoes
and timberlands and stuff like that out my trunk and
all the hoods that I used to work in, and
(08:47):
I just used to you know, network that way, and
that led to me having stores in the Fleet Market.
So I had stores and the d mal Pea Street
flea market, downtown five Points and Green Barn Mall with
my brother Tim Mitchell. So and then from that excursion
(09:08):
that was the birth of Chilio Street where and that's
so that's my story. I don't think the city knows
that I have always helped community in Atlanta. I'm a
knight at at Alien. I wasn't born here, but I
have been knighted by gods like Big Boy from Outcast,
Vince Phillips, you know. So because I'm assuming because of
(09:31):
my good will in my twenties in the city that
I became an honorary at Alien so I didn't. Even
though I have the Yankee Northern accent, Atlanta still views
me as as one of their owns because of my
good will.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
No, man, that's dope. I had no idea about that background.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
I think, you know, to your point, that's what's really
interesting is, yeah, man, you were really doing the work
in these streets, like we say Chilio in the suit,
you know, going back into projects like that. That that
that that catches me off guard because you know, I
always thought you were just really mainly focused on the
creative part.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
I spent some time doing some community work too, in
places like East Lake Meadals where I spent a lot
of time at you know, I grew up on the
East Side, but I would spend a lot of times
in my church and everything was downtown. I just knew
a lot of people around there. Like people talk so
much about the different projects and hoods in Atlanta, and
like a lot of people don't understand too, Like Atlanta
was the first city to really have projects like that,
Like we were the the blueprint because originally it was
(10:29):
for like middle class, you know, white families, but eventually
they moved out and became more black you know, when
you think about that time in Atlanta, is that something
that you I don't want to say, miss, but like,
what what was unique about that time in Atlanta? Like
what was the beautiful part about that even though there
was a lot of probably parts that were hard as well,
Like what was beautiful about that time in Atlanta for you?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Well, ironically I would The first center I was supposed
to work at was in East Lake Meadows, right, and
also we Street. That's what I've knew Auburn out. I
don't know why they sent me to College Park. At
the time, I was sleeping on my aunt's hardwood floor
and bucket. I remember being on the Martyr train with
(11:10):
her and a woman asked her, like, where do you
live at She's like, Buckhead, like she said it was
such air, right, So I'm like, oh, what fresh, Prince
bel air. We're living it up like I was, you know,
welcome with a hardwood floor. So I make my little pellet.
But being that, I was just noticing how people were
(11:34):
just casually speaking to each other on the train, and
you know, coming up from up north, that's kind of
like a no no, because you don't know somebody has
mental health, you know, trying to attack you. So I sold.
The first immediate emotion that I remember about the early
nineties is Atlanta's Southern hospitality, And it almost becomes addictive
(11:57):
because it's almost like the highest level of human communication,
which communication is our existence. And when you dissect that
level of communication, and like other cities where it's very impersonal,
it impacts our evolution as being a human. So the
(12:17):
first thing that I can say about Atlanta is the
Southern hospitality. The good morning, Hello, how you doing a baby?
Speaker 2 (12:25):
You're good? You want something to eat? You know?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
That to me felt very inclusive, made me feel like safe.
It made me feel like I'm going to have a
positive day. And the nightlife wasn't as evolved because we're
a night life city, so and I spent a lot
of I was a weekend warrior back then. You know,
(12:50):
I lived in the Barcadero often that if anybody knows
where and Barcadero is. That's why I stayed seven years.
And I realized that all the youth was gravitated towards me.
So we were like the house that fed all the kids,
that let them come in the house play video. Me
and my ex wife, you know, like we used to
(13:10):
let them play video games like they we would have
our long conversations in front of my house and all that.
So I nurtured me nurturing the youth. It was very
important because a lot of those guys are heavyweights, like
I don't know if you know God by the name
of like Ray Dales, his business partner, Jamal pryor slow
(13:31):
Mo for for.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Right right.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
So these so these are the kids that I'm talking about,
Jamal Simon, who's in on a real estate TV show, Like,
we're close. We call ourself cousins, you know. But when
I first moved there, they were just a bunch of
wild little kids, and so I adopted the Southern hospitality
mentality and used that as a way to get through
(13:58):
to community with the youth because we always say.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Man, are you crazy? Man?
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Like they I don't know what's happening with these kids.
They different like and me. I always placed myself in
their energy upon invite. So I was like the neighborhood
barber and the Barca Daryl. So that was the first
way how connected with the you. I used to grow
up during summer camp counseling when I was a kid,
(14:24):
So we all used to organize. Okay, we're all at
the swimming pool. We're playing sharks in the water. Like
so me, I always like a lesson plan. I always
coordinated activities. Okay, there's a bunch of little kids out
there the playground. I'm grabbing the football. We're playing football.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
So you know.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
So Atlanta was a place to where it just felt safer,
it felt more authentic, it felt there wasn't it was
ego lists. In terms of nightlife, there wasn't bottle sections,
there wasn't a VIP set in most places. I remember
going to Club Kaya seeing like the young Blood's on
(15:07):
the Dad floor. Like I remember going to certain places
seeing Big and Dre. I'm not gonna say where, you know,
because their fathers now But you know, I can't say
it was on Cleveland Evenue sitting right next to Big
and Dre because there's no VRP section. I recall going
to Club Illusions and just the dam floor, which was
(15:31):
figure eight Dan floor pretty much taken up the whole club.
Like dance was was it? Atlanta was known for dancing? Yeah,
Like it's not like today where bright ass light in
your face on the dance floor, no privacy.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Everybody's like it's changing frequency through dance. You know. I
just remember swerving. Swerving was it thing.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
You know, remember that, like you know, you'd be swerving
doing your bank head bounce, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (16:06):
It was like peacock.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
And for the women, if you will, I remember every
weekend in the underground was like freak Freaknick.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Memorial Day was like Freaknick.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
And when I say like Freaknick, meaning that young people
coming together, knowing how to act, knowing how to have fun,
knowing how to respect boundaries. You know, these are all
the values people speak of old Atlanta because they want
to preserve these values in terms of human interaction, positive
(16:39):
human interaction. And it's dissipating because quite frankly, the people
moving here they're not they're not they're skipping class when
it comes to Atlanta one o one. You know, so
you know how like when you go to college, you
have to take your prerequisites. Yeah, so you can learn
the way of the university or the college as soon
(17:01):
as you get off that plan there it is to
be like Atlanta one oh one, blasting through the airport,
like this is how you navigate in the streets of Atlanta,
you know, the preserved some of those ethos in terms of.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Of how I remember Atlanta used to be.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Everybody's bringing, I mean, to a certain extent, their own
cultures and their own perspectives here. And while it's good
in certain ways, you know, to a point that also
drowns out and they kind of forget the way that
we do things. I think I always kind of say, right,
one of the best examples of seeing that is going
to a Falcons game or a Hawk's game out here,
because as soon as the Knicks come in town, as
(17:53):
soon as the Steelers come in town, Dallas Cowboy, that's
all the jerseys, right, And I don't think it's always interesting,
like I don't think in others cities you'd see that
on the reverse. Now Atlanta United has done something unique
and building something that everybody can kind of get around.
Then there's nothing wrong having pride and where you're from, right,
But at the same time, you got to kind of
respect where you're at and so the work that you've
(18:13):
done over the years and just again coordinating and organizing
and just giving people god rails to kind of stay
within and just making sure you know, folks were coloring
them within the lines to a certain extent. Like, that's
where I think the best creativity happens, right, is like
there's no such thing as just unbridled creativity. You know,
you've got to have some level of guidelines or constraints. Right,
It's just like sports. You know, you can be as
creative as you want on this basketball court within these rules,
(18:35):
and that's what makes you, you know, amazing.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
When it's but there's as foules, Right, there's.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
Still such thing as fouls. We all understand what a
foul is.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
And as long as you're not breaking those rules, go
be as creative as you want to be. So, now,
when you kind of think about where Atlanta is now,
especially from a creative standpoint, like, what's kind of the
if you had to give like a state of the
Union for creative in Atlanta, creativity, creators in Atlanta, creators
in Atlanta right now, what would you say based on
your perspective?
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Okay, Atlanta has to invest in the idea of creativity
because creativity is what made the city from the standpoint
of music. Look at alcasts like some of the most
creative individuals in the world, Dungeon family, They were coming
with alternative energy in the early nineties, which was a
(19:27):
rare thing. But Atlanta has to invest in the creative
economy because that's where the cool points globally comes in
at Like New York wouldn't be cool if it wasn't
for the Lower east Side, Grands Village, certain parts of Brooklyn,
certain parts of Harlem, even certain parts of the Bronx Queens.
(19:51):
As it release to creativity. La wouldn't be the pole
city if it wasn't for you know, down Town. I
l a Silver Lake Echo Park. Even Miami, the pulse
is built around their art district, Winwood, Miami is a
very southern city, the most southern city at the southern
(20:14):
point until you get into the Caribbean and they're more
southern than us. They were able to expand the identity
of our city through Winnwood. And I recall being in
our Basil in two thousand and eight with Greg Mike
Caleb Gage they did Basil Castle, which is like one
of the first corporate, big major events at our Basil.
(20:40):
It's before they had blocks. It was like maybe second
half and like first as second half something like that,
and there's like a few blocks now it's like seven
blocks wide, twenty blocks long. Now they're going up into
Little Haiti, Little River. I'm sure there's some gentrification issues
going on there, but just to see that growth. And
(21:01):
it's not a secret that developers use creatives to make
spots cool. But we need help from the city to
own these districts because what's happening is, as we all know,
once creatives get pushed out, then these environments become very sterile.
(21:21):
And there has to be a constant new energy coming in,
a constant maintaining of the current energy, and a respect
of the old energy. Like these variables all have to
work together. And it's like the last thing that you
want is for someone from a progressive city like say
(21:42):
like Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles to come to Atlanta.
Like okay, well we were doing that five years ago. Yeah,
it's like bang Tori and Ian says, Atlanta influences everything, right,
So we have to keep a level of innovation and
progression in that creative space, and that's going to require
(22:03):
institution systems and funding. It's like, why did as what
Avenue work when we ran the block? And I say we,
and I say myself and my friends. When we had Soundtable,
Carl and Jack's, Mona Department Store, Luis Music Room, Mother
joy Stick Eds with Pizza Nonies, City of incur r Ip,
(22:29):
Corey Davis Spade with the motorcycle Shop. We had the
blueprint for a creative district. We had the blueprint for
a Wentwood even Let's take it back, Let's go to
Slice Life, Slice City, Inc. Touki and Maya Bailey. Uh.
(22:50):
We had the Royal Fadia cater Ian Ford Band, Joyner,
Rie Della Vega, Greg Mike, Caleb Gates. We had the
infrastructure for the win we're there, but the city they
don't really know how to wrap their mind around.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
The creative energy.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
So they just basically are comfortable with people from the
music industry kind of the weather in our space and say, okay,
well we're comfortable with that music exec. So he's a
creative and then that individual speaks on behalf of an
entire ecosystem, which is like herding cats. Yeah, you know,
(23:31):
and we have all these clicks and all this energy,
and we use the term creative two unilaterally. We use
it as like it's just one thing but call yeah.
But within that idea of creativity. There's a lot of
microsystems inside of that idea of creative, So we have
(23:53):
to a stop using that term creative like it's just
one thing very expensive, it's very verse, is very investible,
and it's equitable. Because I just did an event with
Day's Magazine, which is a high fashion street magazine that
competes with Vogue and ID magazine. Also just did a
(24:15):
collid with Nike. Nobody cared about it except for like
the kids in the creative space. That should have been
catapulted because what did Atlanta attract? Atlanta did the first
event with a high fashion brand that's going to tie
into Angela Watts atl Fashion Week campaign because now that
we have partnerships with Day's Magazine, maybe you can attract
(24:38):
the higher level of fashion entities to the city, you know,
while incubating our local scene because it's a partnership. New
York Fashion Week isn't just New York, it's the world.
And if Atlanta Fashion Week wants to be on the
level Atlanta Art Week wants to be on level, then
(25:00):
we have to include the world. But we have to
include the world from the Atlanta way, just like how
New York does it. The New York Way, just like
Miami does it the Miami Way. And I feel like
our great mayor, which is doing a really good job
to me, is one of the first mayors to kind
(25:21):
of crack that glass ceiling and start listening to the creators,
because I recall going to Caesar Mitchell's campaign when he
was and keep in mind, all the mayors wanted me
on their campaign Sesar Mitchell, Sterling, Price, Quansa Hall, and
I don't know why, like the creative line item wasn't
(25:46):
in discussion, even Seeson Mitchell even mentioned that, like ARC
said that they weren't even concerned about that whole creative
and the entity until we mentioned it, you know, like
Fabian Williams myself. So like you know, it's always a fight,
Like there's a there's a distrust from the creative communities
(26:08):
and the city government that there has to be bridge
building and trust building. Creators really don't trust the city,
to be quite frank with you. And the artists that
are in place are more older seasoned artists who are
comfortable in their skin. But when we're talking like the
underground artists eighteen, nineteen twenty twenty one Alternative pink hair
(26:34):
spikes coming out, you know, like chains, you know, skaters, graffiti, writers, dancers.
They don't really have a strong trust for the city
because they feel like the city is important and to
the community that's making these areas cool, which are attracting
(26:54):
the developers.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
So what I would ask is, and that's good context,
especially when you talk about you know, current maridictis and
his administration is starting to like break that glass ceiling.
But I always kind of say two, it takes it
on both sides, right, So like if we finally do
have somebody at the top that's starting to pay attention
to those things from a creative standpoint, creator standpoint, just
speaking on all those different audiences, like what needs to happen?
(27:29):
What do they need to start doing, because engagement kind
of goes two ways too, right, Like you want to
make sure that they're starting to be engaged in things,
So like what can the creative community, what do they
need to hear? What do they need to start paying
attention to so that they can also you know, because
this stuff can't just happen from the top down, they
also got to meet them in some capacity too, right,
So what advice would you gives it to creative communities
out here to start leaning in and helping make those
(27:51):
things possible.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
I mean, I would say that's twofold because I think
there's two governments to where the creators are becoming self
sustain in a way, to where they're keeping it underground,
like you know, they're keeping it away from everybody. The
main reason is because of safety. Yeah, because unfortunately and
(28:13):
the creative space of course, we attract a lot and
some people like to come in and either a b
culture vulture be they like to, I guess feel like
they can take control because the creators are mostly overwhelmingly
positive and safe and they're not like head busses and
we can come in bully this, we can come take
(28:35):
this over.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
It's cool. It's us now, you know.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Or the creators have to work with each other and
create unity within each other before they can start talking
to the city, because there's a lot of dissension and
clicks between creating in general. Yeah, so a I would
say there has to be some idea of unity at
some point before you can even position yourself to work
(29:00):
with a governmental entity like of their scope and size,
and then be we need a more faster streamlined way
of accessing the resource and the information we all know
when we're trying to get grants or if we're trying
to I was a recipient of the Creative Industries grant.
If I didn't have like nonprofit background, if I was
(29:23):
just like a super right branded creative who's not structured
on the left brain side, I would quit. I'd be like, man,
I don't need to do like all right, yeah, I'm done.
You know, it's like there needs to be more access
to the information. Like for example, there was invest Atlanta
(29:44):
was helping elderly folk in their displacement program.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Right.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
I didn't see the literature until two days before the deadline,
So of course stories, you know, I just calling as
many people I know because they're gonna pay ten years
of taxes off and stuff like they're gonna help these folks,
you know, for real. So it's a real program. But
I don't think the campaign wasn't promoted in a stream line,
(30:13):
simplified way that should have been on billboards off on
the west side.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Right, you got to meet people where they're at to
a certain extent, Right, So you say some of that
stuff gets buried down put on the website on the
tenth page down, they don't really talk about it. And
a big part of it is and you know, it's
it's interesting because when you go in other communities and
just be honest, like you go in like the communities
like buckhead Ers, other more affluent communities, right where people
are really up there at their you know, their their
(30:39):
their their meetings and all that kind of stuff on
a regular basis, they hear about that stuff. But to
your point, right, like, when these programs and these opportunities
do come out, you can't talk to everybody the same
kind of way. So like, how do you go and
actually go, you know, with a megaphone and find a
way to really amplify it in areas that you want
to help and let people know, hey, this opportunity exists,
there's a program out here, out here, like please apply
(31:01):
for it, Like we want to get this money away.
But we can't assume that, you know, you're just randomly
going and checking the invest Atlanta website every week to
see if new opportunities come out exactly.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
There just needs to be very creative, cool social media
campaigns that our gen z friendly, millennial friendly, we have
to stop. But we're in a day where corporations just
have to stop being corny man, Right, It's like gen
Z is not buying any of that like that, you know,
(31:30):
that fakes myle It's like we always want the safe artists,
and that's not what grows art scenes. We can't just
be threatened all the time because we have, you know,
like satirical artists like Freako, like your boy Freako you
grow up with, you know, like like if you really
listen to a Freako saying there's some evaluation of humanity,
(31:54):
you're saying, like he's being satirical, but he's like also
saying like as a people, like what are we promoting?
Speaker 2 (32:01):
What are we doing? I have children? Like?
Speaker 1 (32:04):
And he does it in a comic, cool, satirical way.
But he's considered a dangerous artist because he's outspoken and
things like that. From what I recall when I used
to run around in Greenwi's village in nineteen eighty eight,
when Bosquiat was still alive sixteen years old, the free minded,
outspoken artists was the one that was elevated.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Elevated.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
Yeah, but here in Atlanta is suppressed because I guess
maybe ruffling of some feathers, but if you really hear
the message, it might be an innovative and progressive message
that they need to be dissected, examined so it can
grow into something else. It's like, okay, well we heard
you volatile artists, and these are the systems that we're
(32:49):
putting it in place to rectify that.
Speaker 3 (32:52):
You can't be afraid to look in the mirror sometimes, right.
And when I say that, I mean like those artists
reflect it just like music. They reflect the neighborhoods, communities
they come from. If you're afraid that somebody's gonna come
out here and have a different perspective, Like different perspectives
what help build, you know, constructive conversations. Yeah, and shine
the light on what needs to be addressed.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
And you know, you don't have a reputation for being outspoken.
You know.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
It's like I slow down on the drinking. You know,
sometimes when I drink, it ignites the truth part of
my brain. And I want to speak on some things
because only reason why I get triggered like that is
because I don't talk to ten kids. Is that's saying A.
You know, we need a B and C. And so
(33:36):
like me, I just use my platform because I have
a voice. I have a big voice in the city.
So nine times out of ten when I'm going on
rants and all that, that's not my personal rant. I'm
speaking on behalf of the youth with the most part
or a community. There's nothing personal directed towards that person.
It's just the people, just what the people are saying.
I'm not saying that, this is what the people are saying,
(33:58):
and sometimes we have to listen to what the peo
people want. The people are clearly saying Atlanta night life
is dead, and then the powers that be are saying, no,
it's not. I said, well, the people are saying it's dead. Yeah,
you know, so what are we gonna do about it.
We're gonna keep acting like it's not. You know, It's
(34:20):
like it's like privacy is Cavia. It's like the next
trend and nightlife is going to be privacy. You're gonna
see people paying just to be private. You're gonna see
new formats to night life with privacy stickers on your phone,
like cool little branded privacy stickers. It's not gonna damage
(34:42):
your phone. It's like you can come in, but you
have to put this on your phone and watch what happens.
Speaker 4 (34:47):
That's interesting.
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Yeah, I mean, and again you're bringing the message back
I think you know, you got to listen to what
the people are saying, and you can't get caught up
in not want to hear it because you don't understand
it or you're not going to in that space, right, Like,
if this is what's happened, and this is what people
are saying, that's also your responsibility as a person that
is in a city or government position, right just listen
to the people and what they're even if it's different perspectives,
(35:10):
and just really getting honest with it. So like when
you're doing that work, how does it and so how
do we take that and even follow that into a
situation like the World Cup is getting ready to come here?
Like how do we make sure when the World Cup
comes here that the creative communities in Atlanta do get a.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
Seat at the table.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
Because I'm gonna tell you, like even right now, like
I've been in some of those meetings and conversations and
I don't know what the hell is going on. It's
been very kept behind the curtain. There hasn't been a
comprehensive plan rolled out. And what I'm starting to see
to your point, is communities kind of starting to self
organize and say, well, look, we got to figure something
out because we can't wait for it to come from
the top down. So you know, how do we in
how do we take advantage of that moment because it's
(35:44):
you know, like as a friend of mine said, that's
going to be like, you know, seven Super Bowls and
one Olympics is getting ready to happen to the city.
And we know what happened with the last time the
Olympics came. But how do we how do we really
make sure that creative communities in Atlanta can capitalize and
benefit from that opportunity as well?
Speaker 1 (35:59):
Oh, I mean, are we in the movie Casino? You know,
the movie Casino was about what movie Casino was about
how the Las Vegas Strip got built when it was
a small town. Atlanta's going through its Gangs of New
York phase, if you will, you know, if like I know,
(36:21):
it don't be specific in terms of the region, but
what happened Immigrants came to Manhattan and they were all
jockeying for a position and ownership. Right, certain entities were
coming to the table and they were clashing outside entities
were clashing with local entities about this development of a
(36:43):
multi trillion dollar idea, you know, And Atlanta's just going
through those growing pains right now because we decided to
put international on our airport. So once you say international,
you have to be open to the You're going to
have people moving here to the city, you know. And
(37:05):
it's just like, how do we get that Atlanta one
on one as an infrastructure? When you move to New York,
people have a New York Yankees hat on two weeks?
You know, how come we don't have that Braves had?
How come people aren't so willing to put that braves
head on because New York pounds that idea of New
(37:27):
York and people said that New York.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Won on one.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
So when it comes to what's happening with this soccer situation,
I'm sure there's people in there who want to have
the stronghold on the opportunities before they release it to
the masses. Yeah, and again it relates back to how
come this information isn't being the seminy? Why is it
that I have to holler at Bang? You know, because
(37:53):
Bang said he's definitely going to do a better job
of getting that information out because Bame's a martyr like that,
you know, but he's thinking, like you, like, how do
we get this information out that people needs to know
it because we're going to have the city population is
going to be double. Five hundred people are expecting to
come in the City of Atlanta. Everybody should be able
(38:14):
to benefit off of that. Besides fifty dollars one hundred
dollars the part you know what I mean, it has
to be something more innovative. Besides that, there used to
be pressure put on these corporations to partner with local
entities that are putting on for the city, like the corporations.
They should lead the corporations to say, look, this is
(38:37):
the list of certified partnerships that you can select to
partner with, Like we need to create partnerships with local artists,
small ambig you know, because we're going to have one
person for every resident in the City of Atlanta here.
Speaker 3 (38:56):
And so that's a moment again, that's one of those
inflection point moments where yeah, to your point, people have
to learn how to people have to be in a
position to be able to take advantage of that. Beyond
just you know, like you said, park In and be
able to hopefully throw and self some merg here in there.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
Right.
Speaker 1 (39:13):
A barbecue pit or you know, there needs to be inclusion.
I mean, there's just no other way. It's just like
you know, because a lot of will get creative now
not impluded, right, and and the city might not be
happy with that creativity when they could have just had
that conversation up front through up you know, up front
(39:36):
inclusion practices.
Speaker 4 (39:50):
I think this is a moment.
Speaker 3 (39:51):
This is a kind of an inflection point moment for
the city, and it can go in a lot of
different directions depending on how they lean in and you know,
to your point, I think in general, the city just
had and start doing a better job of putting this
information in the communities and getting it in the hands
of people that can really make this change, versus expecting
the people to do the work on the other end,
to go in and find it and dig in and
(40:11):
fighting for it, right, like, because it's out there and
certain communities get it, certain people get it. But the
more we spread it out like that's when you really
start seeing some of those different creative and innovative ideas.
To your point, because Atlanta will find a work around,
you know, it works around, y'all might not might not
like that how it all comes together.
Speaker 4 (40:29):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
You're you already said to get buy and trapped it
out that mass right right. So you know, it's like
there should be no excuse why Atlanta Tucky like has
no idea what's going on?
Speaker 4 (40:45):
Yeah, I mean, nobody like this.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
There should be no excuse. Like you walk you walk
out their front door, So Black Arm Brewery, you walk
out the front door, you're looking immediately at the dawn.
It's Castlebury Hill just right there. And it's supposed to
be in art district, which is which Maya and P
Hollywood and stretching all them doing a great job of
(41:10):
incubating and getting it back the way it used to
be in terms of an art community. They should have
first dives. It's like a no brainer. Even though P.
Hollywood she's involved in those spaces, but she's just one
voice that has to you know, she has to join
the arc that thing, you know what I mean, like
get the information out to everybody. And it's like it
(41:33):
makes no sense that the leaders like two Chains and
all these people they're in Castlebury. They should send the
correspondence to grab all those business owners and have direct workshops. Yeah,
on planning, Like what are we going to do y'all?
It should be given to them. It should be something.
(41:54):
It shouldn't be something that is hidden from them.
Speaker 4 (41:57):
Yeah, they got to go seek out and I got some.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
There should be correspondence going to people who has been
consistent and putting on for the city of Atlanta and
getting global attention, and they should be just like how
back in the day, I just have to go out
there and find them kids to fill them empty schools.
Like they paid me to go put on a suit
(42:21):
and get chastis you know what I mean in the
name of filling up them schools. Because you know, when
you're walking around in projects in the suit, the first
thing they gonna think is.
Speaker 4 (42:31):
What, Yeah, you want to them something exactly, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
And I'm just trying to get get these kids, you know,
playing at this playground all day up here in this schools,
so at least they can eat three times a day,
get some education.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
You know, it's the through line because like even now
you have wheels up Atlanta, right, Like, how does that
program work?
Speaker 1 (42:52):
Well, Whill's up at l happened because we I'm ana
be a mixer to the city, like I've been being
mex and saying the eighties. And I was one of
the guys that kind of built BMX culture from the
black standpoint because and Georgia being Mexs it's a very
divided sport because you know how Georgia get like, we
(43:15):
don't need to go into it, you know, once you
leave outside to E five, you know.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
What it is.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
And I'm one of the guys that was one of
the only black dudes in Braemon Georgia, Thomaston Georgia, Griffin Georgia.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
You know, like.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Dixie flags everywhere and I sixteen feet in the air
with them, you know what I mean. People, you know
I was always outcasted.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
You know.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
You would ask questions like how did you do that trick?
I don't know, you know what I mean? So I
had to figure this. This is ninety five, y'all. I
built some dirt jumps down there on down there on
Goodson Road next to the trailer park and Union City,
next to the Lumberyard railroad track. I had jumps like
back in the day. So if you go to my Instagram,
Chilio loves you that picture of me in the airs
(44:03):
right on Goodson Road, Union City. But guess what I
used to do. I used to take kids from Red
Oad Projects, Bolt Rod Projects, Cascade and Barcaderyl and teach
them how to jump bikes. And I realized that that's
all they wanted to do. They weren't being as mischievous
in the neighborhood out of boredom and things like that.
(44:23):
So we had a ride out for the All Star
Game with Natalie hall'son and DJ Mars and I realized,
like all the boys, they didn't have pedals, they didn't
have seats, they didn't have grips, they didn't have breaks
they have they're on Walmart bikes, and.
Speaker 2 (44:42):
They still had that thing up. They still had that
front wheel up in the air.
Speaker 4 (44:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:46):
Where like not just for blocks like ten blocks, sixteen blocks,
and that culture and bike life culture. Every city has
like a thousand dollars bikes. Every kid in the hood
they have like the best bikes. And I'm like, oh,
Atlanta can Oh, we can't go out like that. And
that goes back to we have to the whole innovate thing.
(45:07):
We got people from multiple states coming down to ride
with us. Looking at us like damn, like Atlanta doing bad,
like you know what I mean, what's going on? And
I was like, oh no, we can't have this. So
I said, all right, I'm gonna commit to ask some
my friends to help me get five bikes for the kids.
The bikes are five hundred to twelve hundred dollars. The
(45:28):
bikes are very expensive that they need because they're built
to endure the stresses of how they ride. It's an
extreme sport. If you don't know what the extreme sport is,
I'm sure you heard of the X Games. Yeah, that's
what these boys do. But guess where they're from, Bankhead,
or Ford, Oakland City, swats Pittsburgh, Mechanicsville. And got the
(45:56):
five bikes real fast, and I was like, maybe I
can get another five bikes. Got another five bikes and
I just started running to Oakland City like little baby
Hood right right across from a little baby old house,
Like if you could willid this block, I'm giving you
this bike. And they was like I could do it,
(46:19):
and they willied the bike. I was like, this is
your bike, and then all the kids, I need a bike,
Chilli or I need a bike.
Speaker 2 (46:24):
And I was.
Speaker 1 (46:25):
Going literally to every hood and just giving them the
good bikes they need, right and now we're up to
eighty eight bikes. And so I'm like, we have to
call this thing something. So in that group, there's teachers,
there's fathers, like, there's social media stars who all willied,
(46:49):
you know. So I said, we have to structure this.
We have to call it something, and it needs to
be tied to a cause, because either we're going to
be a bike club or we're want to be a mission,
you know. And they said, well, we want to go
with the mission. I said, well, we need to go nonviolence.
We need to go and you know, like because too
(47:10):
me kids are shooting each other. So how about Wells
Up guns down? Because that's what the boys up and
Baltimore coined it. Willie Wayne and them was, you know,
Well's Up guns Down. I said, so let's take their
narrative and just call it Wills up ATL. Let's just
take the guns down out of it and just call
(47:31):
it Whales Up ATL and make it like a program
for nonviolence. But the city looks at the boys like
their tyrants because how they ride in traffic and stuff,
but they're not realizing that that's an extreme sport. They
did the same thing to skateboarding. Remember if you skate
over here, you will be locked up. They did the
(47:52):
same thing to be a mex riding. If you jump
off this wall, you will be locked up. And I
was actually have friends locked up. We're doing tricks like
on places where they probably wasn't supposed to be. Same
thing with these boys, William. But guess what. They're not
bipping And if you all know what bipping is, I
mean your stuff is like not in your car, no more.
(48:14):
Like they're not running around just doing the things that
we all know kids do.
Speaker 2 (48:20):
Guess what.
Speaker 1 (48:21):
They're on their bikes every day and it's a lot
of them. So it's like when we do organized rideouts,
we got one hundred and twenty kids from opposite neighborhoods
because we all know how the gang energy is in
the city. So we have all these kids united for
one cause and that's a bike. And it's like, I
(48:46):
don't have the time to go back into the nonprofit space.
So my nonprofit is the Invisible Army. My job is
just to deliver the resources to the nonprofits. Yeah, so
I'm trying to get my guy Clayton to be the
executive director of Wills up ATL because he spends the
most time with them. We all know Chiliho's extremely busy
helping community outside of that, so I'm trying to get
(49:09):
him to step up become the executive director. That we
have pretty much a board already in place. We just
need the funds for the nonprofit. I have the Arthur
Blank Foundation ready to get involved. I just need commitments
from the adult that they're gonna run this nonprofit. I'm
gonna do the Invisible Army where I just raise funds
(49:29):
to get the bikes they need and action sports, and
I really want that to be bigger. I want, you know,
kids who can't afford skateboards, kids who can't afford their
bikes to do motocross, kids who can't afford BMX, kids
who can't afford to go on snowboard trips, kids who
can't afford the take surfing trips, all from at risk communities.
(49:50):
That's what the Invisible Army is is funding kids who
have alternative interests in sports. Right so now it's like
we need the structure because we realize that the boys
need mentorship, they need jobs, they need all these peripheral
things so that they don't revert back to what they
(50:11):
were doing, because we lost maybe three of them to
like violence. Yeah, they're currently in prison and on trial,
but we tried, you know, and maybe after that process
they'll come back and do better, you know, next time.
But we have a solid thirty kids that are committed, dedicated.
(50:34):
We have seen behavioral changes where assisting that they do
community service, so they do around the holidays, they do
clothing drives and they go and talk to the homeless,
and all this stuff is documented on the wheels up
at l Page Wills up with a Z. We're actually
partnering with Big Tigger. All the decks ride out with
(50:54):
the Atlanta belt Line. Because my thing is with the boys.
I keep telling them, like Willy and all crazy on
the belt line. You're making us look bad because swerving.
You know, like there's a trick where you ride you
Willy up to somebody and you just swerve out the
way real quick. That's that's that's really the top thing
that says you're the best rider, Like you're swerving. You
(51:16):
know how I used to swerve to swerve the car,
swerving the bikes. It's the top skill set that says,
you know, you're the best, and I'm like, you can't
do that on the belt line. But their kids, so
you know, if I'm around, they're not gonna do it.
If Clayton's around, they're not gonna do it. But if
we're not around, what they're gonna do, they gonna do it.
But I keep trying to tell them that you're you're
(51:38):
harming the communication that I have with the Beltline by
doing that, because now y'all looking like a bunch of tyrants.
It's like, y'all can swerve anywhere, just don't stop swerving
on the belt line, just if you're gonna willy willy straight,
you know, so the belt line. I am talking to them,
so don't feel like we're not. But we all gonna
partner with Big Tigger in the belt Line and do
(52:00):
a stunt show on the fourteenth down there at the
breweryes on Lee Street. Adupe Pedlars's gonna be there. There's
another bike group, pedal Pushers. They're gonna end. And these
groups also helped me mentor the boys Jay Reed pedal
Pushers Dom and then Dom is actually one of the
board members on Will's Up atl We have a mental
(52:23):
health therapist by the name is Sheila Leroy that rides
with the dope Pedlars Auntie. We call it Auntie. She
kind of helps out with the boys. So if we
can just get the commitments from the adults and get
the funding for the nonprofit and get some peripheral funding,
maybe some partnerships with a space. And we have a
black owned skate park, indoor skate park on Donald Lee Hollowell, Bankhead.
(52:48):
You know, like I didn't know that history about Bankhead.
You know, it's been floating around social media, but it's
right in the city. We have a black owned indoor
skate park, y'all. So we're gonna partner with them. So
we're gonna do pro rhyme out of that space because
we have an indoor space and Michi, who runs that property,
is gonna let me build ther jumps off the Beltline. Also,
(53:08):
I sit with the board with Rob Bronner from the
belt Line for the new West Side bike park that
they're about to build, which is a fourteen million dollar
bike park. So I'm gonna have the jumps. It's like,
you know what a skatepark is. We're gonna have the
biggest bike park really in the nation, Like we have
one of the biggest bike parks in the nation, especially
(53:31):
in the Southeast, so we're gonna have people to travel
to this park. They're putting a lot of money into it.
The founder of Melchimp is a big bike enthusiasts mount
Bike enthusiasts Ben Chestnut. Yeah, Chestnut family. Ben Chestnut shots
to him. So if you go to my Instagram, that's
who I'm talking to in that meeting. Great guy, selfless,
(53:55):
he attracted Coca Cola, he attracted the Arthur Blank Foundation
to help with this teen million dollar project, and some
others that I can't mention. And Mountain Bike Atlanta is
spearheading this with the Beltline MTB Atlanta if you want
to check them out, because Rob told me get the
word out, So I'm doing it now with you.
Speaker 2 (54:14):
And this is gonna be.
Speaker 1 (54:15):
Huge because it's gonna be the first accessible, multimillion dollar
bike park, and it's going to be skill leveled, so
you're gonna have stuff for the kids all the way.
Speaker 4 (54:26):
Up to the advance Let's doll man look.
Speaker 2 (54:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (54:30):
So I just wanted to put that information out there
and let the city know that we are doing some positive.
The creatives are partnering with the city to do some
the belt lines starting to get it. They're realizing that
the people who were there before, which were the creatives,
are kind of driving the beltline culture because you know,
(54:51):
in the beginning the belt line during COVID, the beltline
had a certain look. But now if you go down there,
it's very diverse, it's young, it's fun, it's cultural, it's safe.
We need to protect that energy. The belt line is
not going to be like the East belt Line. The
beltlines goals to have various experiences depending on what that
(55:14):
community wants. So say you might go to a certain
community you just want to be sity of the lake.
That's what the train is for it, so it can
I don't want to be in the sprawl of the
East Line. I want to just go chill the lake.
So you hop on the train, you go chill at
the lake.
Speaker 4 (55:30):
Yeah, this whole thing out man, Right.
Speaker 1 (55:32):
You might want to go up the to the west
Side and do like, you know, the west Side thing
or whatever the west Side wants to do, but it's
not going to be that overly developed energy that's on
the East Line. Each like Boulevard cross saying like that
new park they just built is very cool, you know,
(55:54):
and it's just like you can have different kind of
experiences I guess depending on your extraversion or extraversion level.
Speaker 3 (56:04):
Man, look man right Chili yo. I mean I appreciate
this thing. You've given a lot of context. You talked
about the history, how you've gotten here, all the work
you've done in the streets with the creative class, need
to Zoo, what the city needs to do. This is
a lot of good information. Man, Before we get out
of here, just first of all, thank you for the
work you do. You know what I mean, just you know,
for just doing that kind of work. I know it's selfless.
I know it takes a lot to show up in
(56:26):
those places and just make this thing work, especially because
you have your own things you want to work on
all that kind of stuff too. So for the folks
that don't know, man, how can they support you? How
can they support the things you're doing? How can they
you know, get the stuff, like, give them all the things.
Speaker 1 (56:39):
The way that you can support me is really taking
a look a real look at how the creatives are.
Because we get a bad rap because a lot of
people dress like us but if you're a real creative,
A real creative is about beautification. It's about improving quality.
That's why you have gardens. You see trade of communities
(57:00):
like paint on the wall gardens, Like we add positivity,
a real creative is going to add positivity to community.
So you can also support my clothing brand, chiliol dot com,
which is we made twenty years last year. So that's
a whole nother discussion on how we pioneered, how we
(57:21):
kind of crack the glass ceiling for streetwear for Atlanta
because they definitely was trying us and we had to
literally fight for our name in that space back in
like two thousand and one. And uh yeah, man, if
you could just really take a look at what we're
(57:41):
doing with the youth, because we all saying the youth
don't have anything to do. It's like we're not even
funded and we're just a group of volunteers that's doing
some dynamic things in that space. Please take a look
at how we are selflessly volunteering for that with no money,
and may we come up with some ideas on how
we can engage youth better because we all say there's
(58:06):
nothing for them to do, so just please, like really
rarely look at how to get programming for the youth
right now? That should be like one of the top
budget line items in the city fiscal budget.
Speaker 4 (58:21):
Oh for sure, man, for sure. Well, Yo, man, appreciate
you pulling up.
Speaker 2 (58:24):
Yeah for sure.
Speaker 3 (58:24):
Given some perspective, sharing needs to happen, and I hope
people take this and we learned some lessons from it.
Speaker 1 (58:29):
Man.
Speaker 4 (58:30):
Again, thank you for all the work you've been doing.
Speaker 2 (58:31):
It's like I'm not going nowhere.
Speaker 1 (58:34):
I don't even try. It's just hard for me to leave.
Y'all Like y'all don't got this, y'all got that up
kind of get back today.
Speaker 3 (58:42):
Yeah, well, look man, we appreciate you pulling up. Man,
Thanks again, and we out y'all. That's the pot, all right.
Speaker 2 (58:47):
Peace.
Speaker 3 (58:49):
You've been listening to button Nomics and I'm your host,
Brandon Butler. Got comments, feedback? Want to be on the show.
Send us an email today at hello at butteronomics dot com.
Butter Nomics is producing Atlanta, Georgia at iHeartMedia Byksey Pegram,
with marketing support from Queen and Nikki.
Speaker 4 (59:04):
Music provided by mister Hanky.
Speaker 3 (59:05):
If you haven't already hit that subscribe button and never
missed an episode, and be sure to follow us on
all our social platforms at butter dot Atl. Listen to
Better Nomics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts.
Atlanta has to invest in the idea of creativity because
creativity is what made the city. From the standpoint of music.
Look at alcasts some of the most creative individuals in
the world.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Dungeon family.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
They were coming with alternative energy in the early nineties,
which was a rare thing. But Atlanta has to invest
in the creative economy because that's where the cool points
globally comes in at.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Everybody. Welcome to the episode of Button Nomics. I'm the host,
Brandon Butler, found the CEO of Butter atl And today.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Man, we got an atl legend up in here.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Man.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
And I know he's a legend because you know the
other day when I was out there with three stacks,
he was the one that helped make sure the right
people knew about it, pulled it together and over there
having conversations with him on the side. Man, I mean,
so you already know yet this is got to have
major status to be in a situation like that.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Man.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
So we got the one the only to Chilio in
the building. Chillio, how you doing, baby.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
I'm doing amazing, Brandon. You really have a very good
radio voice.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
I never knew this, hey, man, you know a lot
of people don't know this back of the day. Man,
how you feeling me?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I'm amazing man, Thanks for having me. Man.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I've been waiting on an opportunity to collab with butter
Ato butter Nomics, and I'm just it's just an honor
to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Man.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
It's like, I haven't done radio in a while, and
I think this is the perfect time to share share
my voice and my wisdom to people who would like
to listen.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Man, well look bro, you you've done a ton in
these streets. I was doing some research. It was all
this stuff that was coming back from all the stuff
it used to work on how you got here. But
what I'm asking you is right now, Let's keep it simple.
If somebody was if you would introduce yourself to somebody,
they would ask, you know, who's never heard of Chilio
and ask who is Chilio?
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Who is Chilio.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
I would basically say, hey, I'm Chilio. I'm an artist,
I'm a mentor. I would also say a youth advocate,
action sports and enthusiasts and a dad. So I would
keep it simple because sometimes people have a hard time
wrapping their mind around people who are multifaceted, and we're
(02:11):
always in a space to where people want to continue
in a box or or pigeonhole you. So I just
try to sense really quick where that person is at
and what they can relate to in terms of well
they can wrap their mind around about me. But I'm
very dynamic, and I have a lot of gifts and
(02:32):
I have a lot of skill sets, and I try
to use them more. I don't try to keep that
to just one thing. Yes, Oh that's Chilio. That's the
T shirt man. Oh that's Chilio, that's the that's the
camera man. You know, like, nah, I do I do
a lot for a community?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
No, man, I know you do a lot for Atlanta too, brother, Like, yeah,
you've been here, You've seen how the seas evolved. I
know people love to talk about old Atlanta and New
Atlanta and all this kind of stuff, and you know
it's you know, people get real defensive about that stuff sometimes,
but like, I think it's just about having love for Atlanta,
because look, you know, everybody's not from here, but people
can still have love for the city. Like, but myst
question for you is, like, what do you remember most
(03:13):
about kind of what people consider Old Atlanta, Like when
people say old Atlanta, what does that mean to you?
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Well, first of all, I have to get into my history.
I actually was trained here. I wasn't flu here. I
caught a train down here. It was almost a bus.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
So I was at the point of my life to
where I had a transient childhood due to family problems.
I was born in Pennsylvania. I was supposed to have
been conceived in Nigeria, and my mother was pregnant in Nigeria.
They had to rush her back to Pennsylvania because at
that time where she was staying at the tribe wouldn't
offer health services because they didn't want me to have
(03:51):
dual citizenship in Nigeria. So she had to rush back
to her birthplace, which was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And then she
had all vacation with her mother and she chose to
move to New York City at that time with my aunt,
and that was in Long Island. If anybody knows Emily
Moore from Roosevelt, they know she's a legend. So my
(04:13):
mother moved to Harlem one twenty seventh and fifth Avenue
when I was a baby, and we stayed there until
I was about two or three, and then moved to
Times Square, back to Pittsburgh, and then I ended up
in Baltimore somehow for about a year I was a toddler,
and then back to Pittsburgh, and then I went to
(04:35):
South Central when I was eight years old, went to
Budlong Elementary over there off Budlong and Slawson. Stayed there
about two years, and then back to Pittsburgh with my
grandmother and then ran away at fifteen, ended up with
my father in Stanford, Connecticut, which is about twenty minutes
from the Bronx, New York. And then I said, you
(04:58):
know what, I'm gonna go to college and I'm going
to control my life wherever destiny takes me. So in
ninety three it was a big HBCU push to move
to Atlanta, which we all know. So the initial insurgence
of people who flew here to Atlanta were black college students,
(05:19):
and I was one of them. And the main draw
was for me was a outcasts, be a clean city
and see a city that's a black city. And then
you know, Freaknik was just it was a cheery on top.
It was a cheery on top, but it was more
so about placing myself in a space where progressive young
(05:43):
black folks and the early nineties when I moved here
and I birthed three at aliens, all girls, I'm a
girl dad. Yeah, So I just wanted to give a
little background about because people really don't know me. I'm
kind of aloof and mysterious. This is what people tell me.
But when I first moved here, I immediately got work
(06:06):
in the nonprofit space as a case manager social worker.
My degree was in psychology, so I worked in all
the housing projects for the head Start program when I
was twenty four years old, So you know, I was
walking around College park projects in the suit Bank, Head Course,
Bonn Homes, Boat Rock, Red Oak, Kennedy Street, and the Bluff.
(06:32):
So these are all the communities that I serviced fresh
out of college, and in the back of my head,
I knew I didn't want to do that. I wanted
to get into fashion. That's initially what I wanted to do.
I want to move to like Grange Village, New York City,
pursue a career and fashion. But the way that the
universe laid it out, I was of service to Atlanta's
(06:56):
at risk communities for about ten years. So transitioned from
the head Star program as a case manager to Fullhen
County Housing Authority as a self sufficiency manager, which I
had to help and the Hope six initiative back in
the day, which is the reason how a lot of
(07:18):
residents from the housing projects ended up in Clayton County
and down there in fair Miron, Union City. Through the
Section eight initiative, I was one of the guys that
helped families become self sufficient. I was getting them out
the projects, getting them Section eight vouchers, get them in
big beautiful homes on the south side, which I hope
that they bought at this point. John Lewis was a
(07:40):
mentor of mine at that time. Michael high Tower was
a city councilor man he Bill Edwards, he was the
mayor of Bullen County. Bill Edwards is a stand up
bull guy. Betty Davis from Fulling County Housing Authorities were
all my mentors and left that went back to head
(08:01):
Start back this was in Red Oat Projects, which I
actually was the center director. I matriculated from pretty much
the social worker to running the entire school, and during
my stay there, I was able to get that center.
Nacy accredited, which is a high level accreditation and early
childhood education, which led to a multimillion dollar center built
(08:24):
on Welcome All Road next to Camp Creek Middle down
there on the south side. So, and then I left
that all that to pursue a career in fashion, which
was my initial dream. So I just started hustling shoes
and timberlands and stuff like that out my trunk and
all the hoods that I used to work in, and
(08:47):
I just used to you know, network that way, and
that led to me having stores in the Fleet Market.
So I had stores and the d mal Pea Street
flea market, downtown five Points and Green Barn Mall with
my brother Tim Mitchell. So and then from that excursion
(09:08):
that was the birth of Chilio Street where and that's
so that's my story. I don't think the city knows
that I have always helped community in Atlanta. I'm a
knight at at Alien. I wasn't born here, but I
have been knighted by gods like Big Boy from Outcast,
Vince Phillips, you know. So because I'm assuming because of
(09:31):
my good will in my twenties in the city that
I became an honorary at Alien so I didn't. Even
though I have the Yankee Northern accent, Atlanta still views
me as as one of their owns because of my
good will.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
No, man, that's dope. I had no idea about that background.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
I think, you know, to your point, that's what's really
interesting is, yeah, man, you were really doing the work
in these streets, like we say Chilio in the suit,
you know, going back into projects like that. That that
that that catches me off guard because you know, I
always thought you were just really mainly focused on the
creative part.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
I spent some time doing some community work too, in
places like East Lake Meadals where I spent a lot
of time at you know, I grew up on the
East Side, but I would spend a lot of times
in my church and everything was downtown. I just knew
a lot of people around there. Like people talk so
much about the different projects and hoods in Atlanta, and
like a lot of people don't understand too, Like Atlanta
was the first city to really have projects like that,
Like we were the the blueprint because originally it was
(10:29):
for like middle class, you know, white families, but eventually
they moved out and became more black you know, when
you think about that time in Atlanta, is that something
that you I don't want to say, miss, but like,
what what was unique about that time in Atlanta? Like
what was the beautiful part about that even though there
was a lot of probably parts that were hard as well,
Like what was beautiful about that time in Atlanta for you?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Well, ironically I would The first center I was supposed
to work at was in East Lake Meadows, right, and
also we Street. That's what I've knew Auburn out. I
don't know why they sent me to College Park. At
the time, I was sleeping on my aunt's hardwood floor
and bucket. I remember being on the Martyr train with
(11:10):
her and a woman asked her, like, where do you
live at She's like, Buckhead, like she said it was
such air, right, So I'm like, oh, what fresh, Prince
bel air. We're living it up like I was, you know,
welcome with a hardwood floor. So I make my little pellet.
But being that, I was just noticing how people were
(11:34):
just casually speaking to each other on the train, and
you know, coming up from up north, that's kind of
like a no no, because you don't know somebody has
mental health, you know, trying to attack you. So I sold.
The first immediate emotion that I remember about the early
nineties is Atlanta's Southern hospitality, And it almost becomes addictive
(11:57):
because it's almost like the highest level of human communication,
which communication is our existence. And when you dissect that
level of communication, and like other cities where it's very impersonal,
it impacts our evolution as being a human. So the
(12:17):
first thing that I can say about Atlanta is the
Southern hospitality. The good morning, Hello, how you doing a baby?
Speaker 2 (12:25):
You're good? You want something to eat? You know?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
That to me felt very inclusive, made me feel like safe.
It made me feel like I'm going to have a
positive day. And the nightlife wasn't as evolved because we're
a night life city, so and I spent a lot
of I was a weekend warrior back then. You know,
(12:50):
I lived in the Barcadero often that if anybody knows
where and Barcadero is. That's why I stayed seven years.
And I realized that all the youth was gravitated towards me.
So we were like the house that fed all the kids,
that let them come in the house play video. Me
and my ex wife, you know, like we used to
(13:10):
let them play video games like they we would have
our long conversations in front of my house and all that.
So I nurtured me nurturing the youth. It was very
important because a lot of those guys are heavyweights, like
I don't know if you know God by the name
of like Ray Dales, his business partner, Jamal pryor slow
(13:31):
Mo for for.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Right right.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
So these so these are the kids that I'm talking about,
Jamal Simon, who's in on a real estate TV show, Like,
we're close. We call ourself cousins, you know. But when
I first moved there, they were just a bunch of
wild little kids, and so I adopted the Southern hospitality
mentality and used that as a way to get through
(13:58):
to community with the youth because we always say.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Man, are you crazy? Man?
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Like they I don't know what's happening with these kids.
They different like and me. I always placed myself in
their energy upon invite. So I was like the neighborhood
barber and the Barca Daryl. So that was the first
way how connected with the you. I used to grow
up during summer camp counseling when I was a kid,
(14:24):
So we all used to organize. Okay, we're all at
the swimming pool. We're playing sharks in the water. Like
so me, I always like a lesson plan. I always
coordinated activities. Okay, there's a bunch of little kids out
there the playground. I'm grabbing the football. We're playing football.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
So you know.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
So Atlanta was a place to where it just felt safer,
it felt more authentic, it felt there wasn't it was
ego lists. In terms of nightlife, there wasn't bottle sections,
there wasn't a VIP set in most places. I remember
going to Club Kaya seeing like the young Blood's on
(15:07):
the Dad floor. Like I remember going to certain places
seeing Big and Dre. I'm not gonna say where, you know,
because their fathers now But you know, I can't say
it was on Cleveland Evenue sitting right next to Big
and Dre because there's no VRP section. I recall going
to Club Illusions and just the dam floor, which was
(15:31):
figure eight Dan floor pretty much taken up the whole club.
Like dance was was it? Atlanta was known for dancing? Yeah,
Like it's not like today where bright ass light in
your face on the dance floor, no privacy.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Everybody's like it's changing frequency through dance. You know. I
just remember swerving. Swerving was it thing.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
You know, remember that, like you know, you'd be swerving
doing your bank head bounce, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (16:06):
It was like peacock.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
And for the women, if you will, I remember every
weekend in the underground was like freak Freaknick.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Memorial Day was like Freaknick.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
And when I say like Freaknick, meaning that young people
coming together, knowing how to act, knowing how to have fun,
knowing how to respect boundaries. You know, these are all
the values people speak of old Atlanta because they want
to preserve these values in terms of human interaction, positive
(16:39):
human interaction. And it's dissipating because quite frankly, the people
moving here they're not they're not they're skipping class when
it comes to Atlanta one o one. You know, so
you know how like when you go to college, you
have to take your prerequisites. Yeah, so you can learn
the way of the university or the college as soon
(17:01):
as you get off that plan there it is to
be like Atlanta one oh one, blasting through the airport,
like this is how you navigate in the streets of Atlanta,
you know, the preserved some of those ethos in terms of.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Of how I remember Atlanta used to be.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Everybody's bringing, I mean, to a certain extent, their own
cultures and their own perspectives here. And while it's good
in certain ways, you know, to a point that also
drowns out and they kind of forget the way that
we do things. I think I always kind of say, right,
one of the best examples of seeing that is going
to a Falcons game or a Hawk's game out here,
because as soon as the Knicks come in town, as
(17:53):
soon as the Steelers come in town, Dallas Cowboy, that's
all the jerseys, right, And I don't think it's always interesting,
like I don't think in others cities you'd see that
on the reverse. Now Atlanta United has done something unique
and building something that everybody can kind of get around.
Then there's nothing wrong having pride and where you're from, right,
But at the same time, you got to kind of
respect where you're at and so the work that you've
(18:13):
done over the years and just again coordinating and organizing
and just giving people god rails to kind of stay
within and just making sure you know, folks were coloring
them within the lines to a certain extent. Like, that's
where I think the best creativity happens, right, is like
there's no such thing as just unbridled creativity. You know,
you've got to have some level of guidelines or constraints. Right,
It's just like sports. You know, you can be as
creative as you want on this basketball court within these rules,
(18:35):
and that's what makes you, you know, amazing.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
When it's but there's as foules, Right, there's.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
Still such thing as fouls. We all understand what a
foul is.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
And as long as you're not breaking those rules, go
be as creative as you want to be. So, now,
when you kind of think about where Atlanta is now,
especially from a creative standpoint, like, what's kind of the
if you had to give like a state of the
Union for creative in Atlanta, creativity, creators in Atlanta, creators
in Atlanta right now, what would you say based on
your perspective?
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Okay, Atlanta has to invest in the idea of creativity
because creativity is what made the city from the standpoint
of music. Look at alcasts like some of the most
creative individuals in the world, Dungeon family, They were coming
with alternative energy in the early nineties, which was a
(19:27):
rare thing. But Atlanta has to invest in the creative
economy because that's where the cool points globally comes in
at Like New York wouldn't be cool if it wasn't
for the Lower east Side, Grands Village, certain parts of Brooklyn,
certain parts of Harlem, even certain parts of the Bronx Queens.
(19:51):
As it release to creativity. La wouldn't be the pole
city if it wasn't for you know, down Town. I
l a Silver Lake Echo Park. Even Miami, the pulse
is built around their art district, Winwood, Miami is a
very southern city, the most southern city at the southern
(20:14):
point until you get into the Caribbean and they're more
southern than us. They were able to expand the identity
of our city through Winnwood. And I recall being in
our Basil in two thousand and eight with Greg Mike
Caleb Gage they did Basil Castle, which is like one
of the first corporate, big major events at our Basil.
(20:40):
It's before they had blocks. It was like maybe second
half and like first as second half something like that,
and there's like a few blocks now it's like seven
blocks wide, twenty blocks long. Now they're going up into
Little Haiti, Little River. I'm sure there's some gentrification issues
going on there, but just to see that growth. And
(21:01):
it's not a secret that developers use creatives to make
spots cool. But we need help from the city to
own these districts because what's happening is, as we all know,
once creatives get pushed out, then these environments become very sterile.
(21:21):
And there has to be a constant new energy coming in,
a constant maintaining of the current energy, and a respect
of the old energy. Like these variables all have to
work together. And it's like the last thing that you
want is for someone from a progressive city like say
(21:42):
like Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles to come to Atlanta.
Like okay, well we were doing that five years ago. Yeah,
it's like bang Tori and Ian says, Atlanta influences everything, right,
So we have to keep a level of innovation and
progression in that creative space, and that's going to require
(22:03):
institution systems and funding. It's like, why did as what
Avenue work when we ran the block? And I say we,
and I say myself and my friends. When we had Soundtable,
Carl and Jack's, Mona Department Store, Luis Music Room, Mother
joy Stick Eds with Pizza Nonies, City of incur r Ip,
(22:29):
Corey Davis Spade with the motorcycle Shop. We had the
blueprint for a creative district. We had the blueprint for
a Wentwood even Let's take it back, Let's go to
Slice Life, Slice City, Inc. Touki and Maya Bailey. Uh.
(22:50):
We had the Royal Fadia cater Ian Ford Band, Joyner,
Rie Della Vega, Greg Mike, Caleb Gates. We had the
infrastructure for the win we're there, but the city they
don't really know how to wrap their mind around.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
The creative energy.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
So they just basically are comfortable with people from the
music industry kind of the weather in our space and say, okay,
well we're comfortable with that music exec. So he's a
creative and then that individual speaks on behalf of an
entire ecosystem, which is like herding cats. Yeah, you know,
(23:31):
and we have all these clicks and all this energy,
and we use the term creative two unilaterally. We use
it as like it's just one thing but call yeah.
But within that idea of creativity. There's a lot of
microsystems inside of that idea of creative, So we have
(23:53):
to a stop using that term creative like it's just
one thing very expensive, it's very verse, is very investible,
and it's equitable. Because I just did an event with
Day's Magazine, which is a high fashion street magazine that
competes with Vogue and ID magazine. Also just did a
(24:15):
collid with Nike. Nobody cared about it except for like
the kids in the creative space. That should have been
catapulted because what did Atlanta attract? Atlanta did the first
event with a high fashion brand that's going to tie
into Angela Watts atl Fashion Week campaign because now that
we have partnerships with Day's Magazine, maybe you can attract
(24:38):
the higher level of fashion entities to the city, you know,
while incubating our local scene because it's a partnership. New
York Fashion Week isn't just New York, it's the world.
And if Atlanta Fashion Week wants to be on the
level Atlanta Art Week wants to be on level, then
(25:00):
we have to include the world. But we have to
include the world from the Atlanta way, just like how
New York does it. The New York Way, just like
Miami does it the Miami Way. And I feel like
our great mayor, which is doing a really good job
to me, is one of the first mayors to kind
(25:21):
of crack that glass ceiling and start listening to the creators,
because I recall going to Caesar Mitchell's campaign when he
was and keep in mind, all the mayors wanted me
on their campaign Sesar Mitchell, Sterling, Price, Quansa Hall, and
I don't know why, like the creative line item wasn't
(25:46):
in discussion, even Seeson Mitchell even mentioned that, like ARC
said that they weren't even concerned about that whole creative
and the entity until we mentioned it, you know, like
Fabian Williams myself. So like you know, it's always a fight,
Like there's a there's a distrust from the creative communities
(26:08):
and the city government that there has to be bridge
building and trust building. Creators really don't trust the city,
to be quite frank with you. And the artists that
are in place are more older seasoned artists who are
comfortable in their skin. But when we're talking like the
underground artists eighteen, nineteen twenty twenty one Alternative pink hair
(26:34):
spikes coming out, you know, like chains, you know, skaters, graffiti, writers, dancers.
They don't really have a strong trust for the city
because they feel like the city is important and to
the community that's making these areas cool, which are attracting
(26:54):
the developers.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
So what I would ask is, and that's good context,
especially when you talk about you know, current maridictis and
his administration is starting to like break that glass ceiling.
But I always kind of say two, it takes it
on both sides, right, So like if we finally do
have somebody at the top that's starting to pay attention
to those things from a creative standpoint, creator standpoint, just
speaking on all those different audiences, like what needs to happen?
(27:29):
What do they need to start doing, because engagement kind
of goes two ways too, right, Like you want to
make sure that they're starting to be engaged in things,
So like what can the creative community, what do they
need to hear? What do they need to start paying
attention to so that they can also you know, because
this stuff can't just happen from the top down, they
also got to meet them in some capacity too, right,
So what advice would you gives it to creative communities
out here to start leaning in and helping make those
(27:51):
things possible.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
I mean, I would say that's twofold because I think
there's two governments to where the creators are becoming self
sustain in a way, to where they're keeping it underground,
like you know, they're keeping it away from everybody. The
main reason is because of safety. Yeah, because unfortunately and
(28:13):
the creative space of course, we attract a lot and
some people like to come in and either a b
culture vulture be they like to, I guess feel like
they can take control because the creators are mostly overwhelmingly
positive and safe and they're not like head busses and
we can come in bully this, we can come take
(28:35):
this over.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
It's cool. It's us now, you know.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Or the creators have to work with each other and
create unity within each other before they can start talking
to the city, because there's a lot of dissension and
clicks between creating in general. Yeah, so a I would
say there has to be some idea of unity at
some point before you can even position yourself to work
(29:00):
with a governmental entity like of their scope and size,
and then be we need a more faster streamlined way
of accessing the resource and the information we all know
when we're trying to get grants or if we're trying
to I was a recipient of the Creative Industries grant.
If I didn't have like nonprofit background, if I was
(29:23):
just like a super right branded creative who's not structured
on the left brain side, I would quit. I'd be like, man,
I don't need to do like all right, yeah, I'm done.
You know, it's like there needs to be more access
to the information. Like for example, there was invest Atlanta
(29:44):
was helping elderly folk in their displacement program.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Right.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
I didn't see the literature until two days before the deadline,
So of course stories, you know, I just calling as
many people I know because they're gonna pay ten years
of taxes off and stuff like they're gonna help these folks,
you know, for real. So it's a real program. But
I don't think the campaign wasn't promoted in a stream line,
(30:13):
simplified way that should have been on billboards off on
the west side.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Right, you got to meet people where they're at to
a certain extent, Right, So you say some of that
stuff gets buried down put on the website on the
tenth page down, they don't really talk about it. And
a big part of it is and you know, it's
it's interesting because when you go in other communities and
just be honest, like you go in like the communities
like buckhead Ers, other more affluent communities, right where people
are really up there at their you know, their their
(30:39):
their their meetings and all that kind of stuff on
a regular basis, they hear about that stuff. But to
your point, right, like, when these programs and these opportunities
do come out, you can't talk to everybody the same
kind of way. So like, how do you go and
actually go, you know, with a megaphone and find a
way to really amplify it in areas that you want
to help and let people know, hey, this opportunity exists,
there's a program out here, out here, like please apply
(31:01):
for it, Like we want to get this money away.
But we can't assume that, you know, you're just randomly
going and checking the invest Atlanta website every week to
see if new opportunities come out exactly.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
There just needs to be very creative, cool social media
campaigns that our gen z friendly, millennial friendly, we have
to stop. But we're in a day where corporations just
have to stop being corny man, Right, It's like gen
Z is not buying any of that like that, you know,
(31:30):
that fakes myle It's like we always want the safe artists,
and that's not what grows art scenes. We can't just
be threatened all the time because we have, you know,
like satirical artists like Freako, like your boy Freako you
grow up with, you know, like like if you really
listen to a Freako saying there's some evaluation of humanity,
(31:54):
you're saying, like he's being satirical, but he's like also
saying like as a people, like what are we promoting?
Speaker 2 (32:01):
What are we doing? I have children? Like?
Speaker 1 (32:04):
And he does it in a comic, cool, satirical way.
But he's considered a dangerous artist because he's outspoken and
things like that. From what I recall when I used
to run around in Greenwi's village in nineteen eighty eight,
when Bosquiat was still alive sixteen years old, the free minded,
outspoken artists was the one that was elevated.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Elevated.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
Yeah, but here in Atlanta is suppressed because I guess
maybe ruffling of some feathers, but if you really hear
the message, it might be an innovative and progressive message
that they need to be dissected, examined so it can
grow into something else. It's like, okay, well we heard
you volatile artists, and these are the systems that we're
(32:49):
putting it in place to rectify that.
Speaker 3 (32:52):
You can't be afraid to look in the mirror sometimes, right.
And when I say that, I mean like those artists
reflect it just like music. They reflect the neighborhoods, communities
they come from. If you're afraid that somebody's gonna come
out here and have a different perspective, Like different perspectives
what help build, you know, constructive conversations. Yeah, and shine
the light on what needs to be addressed.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
And you know, you don't have a reputation for being outspoken.
You know.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
It's like I slow down on the drinking. You know,
sometimes when I drink, it ignites the truth part of
my brain. And I want to speak on some things
because only reason why I get triggered like that is
because I don't talk to ten kids. Is that's saying A.
You know, we need a B and C. And so
(33:36):
like me, I just use my platform because I have
a voice. I have a big voice in the city.
So nine times out of ten when I'm going on
rants and all that, that's not my personal rant. I'm
speaking on behalf of the youth with the most part
or a community. There's nothing personal directed towards that person.
It's just the people, just what the people are saying.
I'm not saying that, this is what the people are saying,
(33:58):
and sometimes we have to listen to what the peo
people want. The people are clearly saying Atlanta night life
is dead, and then the powers that be are saying, no,
it's not. I said, well, the people are saying it's dead. Yeah,
you know, so what are we gonna do about it.
We're gonna keep acting like it's not. You know, It's
(34:20):
like it's like privacy is Cavia. It's like the next
trend and nightlife is going to be privacy. You're gonna
see people paying just to be private. You're gonna see
new formats to night life with privacy stickers on your phone,
like cool little branded privacy stickers. It's not gonna damage
(34:42):
your phone. It's like you can come in, but you
have to put this on your phone and watch what happens.
Speaker 4 (34:47):
That's interesting.
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Yeah, I mean, and again you're bringing the message back
I think you know, you got to listen to what
the people are saying, and you can't get caught up
in not want to hear it because you don't understand
it or you're not going to in that space, right, Like,
if this is what's happened, and this is what people
are saying, that's also your responsibility as a person that
is in a city or government position, right just listen
to the people and what they're even if it's different perspectives,
(35:10):
and just really getting honest with it. So like when
you're doing that work, how does it and so how
do we take that and even follow that into a
situation like the World Cup is getting ready to come here?
Like how do we make sure when the World Cup
comes here that the creative communities in Atlanta do get a.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
Seat at the table.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
Because I'm gonna tell you, like even right now, like
I've been in some of those meetings and conversations and
I don't know what the hell is going on. It's
been very kept behind the curtain. There hasn't been a
comprehensive plan rolled out. And what I'm starting to see
to your point, is communities kind of starting to self
organize and say, well, look, we got to figure something
out because we can't wait for it to come from
the top down. So you know, how do we in
how do we take advantage of that moment because it's
(35:44):
you know, like as a friend of mine said, that's
going to be like, you know, seven Super Bowls and
one Olympics is getting ready to happen to the city.
And we know what happened with the last time the
Olympics came. But how do we how do we really
make sure that creative communities in Atlanta can capitalize and
benefit from that opportunity as well?
Speaker 1 (35:59):
Oh, I mean, are we in the movie Casino? You know,
the movie Casino was about what movie Casino was about
how the Las Vegas Strip got built when it was
a small town. Atlanta's going through its Gangs of New
York phase, if you will, you know, if like I know,
(36:21):
it don't be specific in terms of the region, but
what happened Immigrants came to Manhattan and they were all
jockeying for a position and ownership. Right, certain entities were
coming to the table and they were clashing outside entities
were clashing with local entities about this development of a
(36:43):
multi trillion dollar idea, you know, And Atlanta's just going
through those growing pains right now because we decided to
put international on our airport. So once you say international,
you have to be open to the You're going to
have people moving here to the city, you know. And
(37:05):
it's just like, how do we get that Atlanta one
on one as an infrastructure? When you move to New York,
people have a New York Yankees hat on two weeks?
You know, how come we don't have that Braves had?
How come people aren't so willing to put that braves
head on because New York pounds that idea of New
(37:27):
York and people said that New York.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Won on one.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
So when it comes to what's happening with this soccer situation,
I'm sure there's people in there who want to have
the stronghold on the opportunities before they release it to
the masses. Yeah, and again it relates back to how
come this information isn't being the seminy? Why is it
that I have to holler at Bang? You know, because
(37:53):
Bang said he's definitely going to do a better job
of getting that information out because Bame's a martyr like that,
you know, but he's thinking, like you, like, how do
we get this information out that people needs to know
it because we're going to have the city population is
going to be double. Five hundred people are expecting to
come in the City of Atlanta. Everybody should be able
(38:14):
to benefit off of that. Besides fifty dollars one hundred
dollars the part you know what I mean, it has
to be something more innovative. Besides that, there used to
be pressure put on these corporations to partner with local
entities that are putting on for the city, like the corporations.
They should lead the corporations to say, look, this is
(38:37):
the list of certified partnerships that you can select to
partner with, Like we need to create partnerships with local artists,
small ambig you know, because we're going to have one
person for every resident in the City of Atlanta here.
Speaker 3 (38:56):
And so that's a moment again, that's one of those
inflection point moments where yeah, to your point, people have
to learn how to people have to be in a
position to be able to take advantage of that. Beyond
just you know, like you said, park In and be
able to hopefully throw and self some merg here in there.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
Right.
Speaker 1 (39:13):
A barbecue pit or you know, there needs to be inclusion.
I mean, there's just no other way. It's just like
you know, because a lot of will get creative now
not impluded, right, and and the city might not be
happy with that creativity when they could have just had
that conversation up front through up you know, up front
(39:36):
inclusion practices.
Speaker 4 (39:50):
I think this is a moment.
Speaker 3 (39:51):
This is a kind of an inflection point moment for
the city, and it can go in a lot of
different directions depending on how they lean in and you know,
to your point, I think in general, the city just
had and start doing a better job of putting this
information in the communities and getting it in the hands
of people that can really make this change, versus expecting
the people to do the work on the other end,
to go in and find it and dig in and
(40:11):
fighting for it, right, like, because it's out there and
certain communities get it, certain people get it. But the
more we spread it out like that's when you really
start seeing some of those different creative and innovative ideas.
To your point, because Atlanta will find a work around,
you know, it works around, y'all might not might not
like that how it all comes together.
Speaker 4 (40:29):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
You're you already said to get buy and trapped it
out that mass right right. So you know, it's like
there should be no excuse why Atlanta Tucky like has
no idea what's going on?
Speaker 4 (40:45):
Yeah, I mean, nobody like this.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
There should be no excuse. Like you walk you walk
out their front door, So Black Arm Brewery, you walk
out the front door, you're looking immediately at the dawn.
It's Castlebury Hill just right there. And it's supposed to
be in art district, which is which Maya and P
Hollywood and stretching all them doing a great job of
(41:10):
incubating and getting it back the way it used to
be in terms of an art community. They should have
first dives. It's like a no brainer. Even though P.
Hollywood she's involved in those spaces, but she's just one
voice that has to you know, she has to join
the arc that thing, you know what I mean, like
get the information out to everybody. And it's like it
(41:33):
makes no sense that the leaders like two Chains and
all these people they're in Castlebury. They should send the
correspondence to grab all those business owners and have direct workshops. Yeah,
on planning, Like what are we going to do y'all?
It should be given to them. It should be something.
(41:54):
It shouldn't be something that is hidden from them.
Speaker 4 (41:57):
Yeah, they got to go seek out and I got some.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
There should be correspondence going to people who has been
consistent and putting on for the city of Atlanta and
getting global attention, and they should be just like how
back in the day, I just have to go out
there and find them kids to fill them empty schools.
Like they paid me to go put on a suit
(42:21):
and get chastis you know what I mean in the
name of filling up them schools. Because you know, when
you're walking around in projects in the suit, the first
thing they gonna think is.
Speaker 4 (42:31):
What, Yeah, you want to them something exactly, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
And I'm just trying to get get these kids, you know,
playing at this playground all day up here in this schools,
so at least they can eat three times a day,
get some education.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
You know, it's the through line because like even now
you have wheels up Atlanta, right, Like, how does that
program work?
Speaker 1 (42:52):
Well, Whill's up at l happened because we I'm ana
be a mixer to the city, like I've been being
mex and saying the eighties. And I was one of
the guys that kind of built BMX culture from the
black standpoint because and Georgia being Mexs it's a very
divided sport because you know how Georgia get like, we
(43:15):
don't need to go into it, you know, once you
leave outside to E five, you know.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
What it is.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
And I'm one of the guys that was one of
the only black dudes in Braemon Georgia, Thomaston Georgia, Griffin Georgia.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
You know, like.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Dixie flags everywhere and I sixteen feet in the air
with them, you know what I mean. People, you know
I was always outcasted.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
You know.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
You would ask questions like how did you do that trick?
I don't know, you know what I mean? So I
had to figure this. This is ninety five, y'all. I
built some dirt jumps down there on down there on
Goodson Road next to the trailer park and Union City,
next to the Lumberyard railroad track. I had jumps like
back in the day. So if you go to my Instagram,
Chilio loves you that picture of me in the airs
(44:03):
right on Goodson Road, Union City. But guess what I
used to do. I used to take kids from Red
Oad Projects, Bolt Rod Projects, Cascade and Barcaderyl and teach
them how to jump bikes. And I realized that that's
all they wanted to do. They weren't being as mischievous
in the neighborhood out of boredom and things like that.
(44:23):
So we had a ride out for the All Star
Game with Natalie hall'son and DJ Mars and I realized,
like all the boys, they didn't have pedals, they didn't
have seats, they didn't have grips, they didn't have breaks
they have they're on Walmart bikes, and.
Speaker 2 (44:42):
They still had that thing up. They still had that
front wheel up in the air.
Speaker 4 (44:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:46):
Where like not just for blocks like ten blocks, sixteen blocks,
and that culture and bike life culture. Every city has
like a thousand dollars bikes. Every kid in the hood
they have like the best bikes. And I'm like, oh,
Atlanta can Oh, we can't go out like that. And
that goes back to we have to the whole innovate thing.
(45:07):
We got people from multiple states coming down to ride
with us. Looking at us like damn, like Atlanta doing bad,
like you know what I mean, what's going on? And
I was like, oh no, we can't have this. So
I said, all right, I'm gonna commit to ask some
my friends to help me get five bikes for the kids.
The bikes are five hundred to twelve hundred dollars. The
(45:28):
bikes are very expensive that they need because they're built
to endure the stresses of how they ride. It's an
extreme sport. If you don't know what the extreme sport is,
I'm sure you heard of the X Games. Yeah, that's
what these boys do. But guess where they're from, Bankhead,
or Ford, Oakland City, swats Pittsburgh, Mechanicsville. And got the
(45:56):
five bikes real fast, and I was like, maybe I
can get another five bikes. Got another five bikes and
I just started running to Oakland City like little baby
Hood right right across from a little baby old house,
Like if you could willid this block, I'm giving you
this bike. And they was like I could do it,
(46:19):
and they willied the bike. I was like, this is
your bike, and then all the kids, I need a bike,
Chilli or I need a bike.
Speaker 2 (46:24):
And I was.
Speaker 1 (46:25):
Going literally to every hood and just giving them the
good bikes they need, right and now we're up to
eighty eight bikes. And so I'm like, we have to
call this thing something. So in that group, there's teachers,
there's fathers, like, there's social media stars who all willied,
(46:49):
you know. So I said, we have to structure this.
We have to call it something, and it needs to
be tied to a cause, because either we're going to
be a bike club or we're want to be a mission,
you know. And they said, well, we want to go
with the mission. I said, well, we need to go nonviolence.
We need to go and you know, like because too
(47:10):
me kids are shooting each other. So how about Wells
Up guns down? Because that's what the boys up and
Baltimore coined it. Willie Wayne and them was, you know,
Well's Up guns Down. I said, so let's take their
narrative and just call it Wills up ATL. Let's just
take the guns down out of it and just call
(47:31):
it Whales Up ATL and make it like a program
for nonviolence. But the city looks at the boys like
their tyrants because how they ride in traffic and stuff,
but they're not realizing that that's an extreme sport. They
did the same thing to skateboarding. Remember if you skate
over here, you will be locked up. They did the
(47:52):
same thing to be a mex riding. If you jump
off this wall, you will be locked up. And I
was actually have friends locked up. We're doing tricks like
on places where they probably wasn't supposed to be. Same
thing with these boys, William. But guess what. They're not
bipping And if you all know what bipping is, I
mean your stuff is like not in your car, no more.
(48:14):
Like they're not running around just doing the things that
we all know kids do.
Speaker 2 (48:20):
Guess what.
Speaker 1 (48:21):
They're on their bikes every day and it's a lot
of them. So it's like when we do organized rideouts,
we got one hundred and twenty kids from opposite neighborhoods
because we all know how the gang energy is in
the city. So we have all these kids united for
one cause and that's a bike. And it's like, I
(48:46):
don't have the time to go back into the nonprofit space.
So my nonprofit is the Invisible Army. My job is
just to deliver the resources to the nonprofits. Yeah, so
I'm trying to get my guy Clayton to be the
executive director of Wills up ATL because he spends the
most time with them. We all know Chiliho's extremely busy
helping community outside of that, so I'm trying to get
(49:09):
him to step up become the executive director. That we
have pretty much a board already in place. We just
need the funds for the nonprofit. I have the Arthur
Blank Foundation ready to get involved. I just need commitments
from the adult that they're gonna run this nonprofit. I'm
gonna do the Invisible Army where I just raise funds
(49:29):
to get the bikes they need and action sports, and
I really want that to be bigger. I want, you know,
kids who can't afford skateboards, kids who can't afford their
bikes to do motocross, kids who can't afford BMX, kids
who can't afford to go on snowboard trips, kids who
can't afford the take surfing trips, all from at risk communities.
(49:50):
That's what the Invisible Army is is funding kids who
have alternative interests in sports. Right so now it's like
we need the structure because we realize that the boys
need mentorship, they need jobs, they need all these peripheral
things so that they don't revert back to what they
(50:11):
were doing, because we lost maybe three of them to
like violence. Yeah, they're currently in prison and on trial,
but we tried, you know, and maybe after that process
they'll come back and do better, you know, next time.
But we have a solid thirty kids that are committed, dedicated.
(50:34):
We have seen behavioral changes where assisting that they do
community service, so they do around the holidays, they do
clothing drives and they go and talk to the homeless,
and all this stuff is documented on the wheels up
at l Page Wills up with a Z. We're actually
partnering with Big Tigger. All the decks ride out with
(50:54):
the Atlanta belt Line. Because my thing is with the boys.
I keep telling them, like Willy and all crazy on
the belt line. You're making us look bad because swerving.
You know, like there's a trick where you ride you
Willy up to somebody and you just swerve out the
way real quick. That's that's that's really the top thing
that says you're the best rider, Like you're swerving. You
(51:16):
know how I used to swerve to swerve the car,
swerving the bikes. It's the top skill set that says,
you know, you're the best, and I'm like, you can't
do that on the belt line. But their kids, so
you know, if I'm around, they're not gonna do it.
If Clayton's around, they're not gonna do it. But if
we're not around, what they're gonna do, they gonna do it.
But I keep trying to tell them that you're you're
(51:38):
harming the communication that I have with the Beltline by
doing that, because now y'all looking like a bunch of tyrants.
It's like, y'all can swerve anywhere, just don't stop swerving
on the belt line, just if you're gonna willy willy straight,
you know, so the belt line. I am talking to them,
so don't feel like we're not. But we all gonna
partner with Big Tigger in the belt Line and do
(52:00):
a stunt show on the fourteenth down there at the
breweryes on Lee Street. Adupe Pedlars's gonna be there. There's
another bike group, pedal Pushers. They're gonna end. And these
groups also helped me mentor the boys Jay Reed pedal
Pushers Dom and then Dom is actually one of the
board members on Will's Up atl We have a mental
(52:23):
health therapist by the name is Sheila Leroy that rides
with the dope Pedlars Auntie. We call it Auntie. She
kind of helps out with the boys. So if we
can just get the commitments from the adults and get
the funding for the nonprofit and get some peripheral funding,
maybe some partnerships with a space. And we have a
black owned skate park, indoor skate park on Donald Lee Hollowell, Bankhead.
(52:48):
You know, like I didn't know that history about Bankhead.
You know, it's been floating around social media, but it's
right in the city. We have a black owned indoor
skate park, y'all. So we're gonna partner with them. So
we're gonna do pro rhyme out of that space because
we have an indoor space and Michi, who runs that property,
is gonna let me build ther jumps off the Beltline. Also,
(53:08):
I sit with the board with Rob Bronner from the
belt Line for the new West Side bike park that
they're about to build, which is a fourteen million dollar
bike park. So I'm gonna have the jumps. It's like,
you know what a skatepark is. We're gonna have the
biggest bike park really in the nation, Like we have
one of the biggest bike parks in the nation, especially
(53:31):
in the Southeast, so we're gonna have people to travel
to this park. They're putting a lot of money into it.
The founder of Melchimp is a big bike enthusiasts mount
Bike enthusiasts Ben Chestnut. Yeah, Chestnut family. Ben Chestnut shots
to him. So if you go to my Instagram, that's
who I'm talking to in that meeting. Great guy, selfless,
(53:55):
he attracted Coca Cola, he attracted the Arthur Blank Foundation
to help with this teen million dollar project, and some
others that I can't mention. And Mountain Bike Atlanta is
spearheading this with the Beltline MTB Atlanta if you want
to check them out, because Rob told me get the
word out, So I'm doing it now with you.
Speaker 2 (54:14):
And this is gonna be.
Speaker 1 (54:15):
Huge because it's gonna be the first accessible, multimillion dollar
bike park, and it's going to be skill leveled, so
you're gonna have stuff for the kids all the way.
Speaker 4 (54:26):
Up to the advance Let's doll man look.
Speaker 2 (54:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (54:30):
So I just wanted to put that information out there
and let the city know that we are doing some positive.
The creatives are partnering with the city to do some
the belt lines starting to get it. They're realizing that
the people who were there before, which were the creatives,
are kind of driving the beltline culture because you know,
(54:51):
in the beginning the belt line during COVID, the beltline
had a certain look. But now if you go down there,
it's very diverse, it's young, it's fun, it's cultural, it's safe.
We need to protect that energy. The belt line is
not going to be like the East belt Line. The
beltlines goals to have various experiences depending on what that
(55:14):
community wants. So say you might go to a certain
community you just want to be sity of the lake.
That's what the train is for it, so it can
I don't want to be in the sprawl of the
East Line. I want to just go chill the lake.
So you hop on the train, you go chill at
the lake.
Speaker 4 (55:30):
Yeah, this whole thing out man, Right.
Speaker 1 (55:32):
You might want to go up the to the west
Side and do like, you know, the west Side thing
or whatever the west Side wants to do, but it's
not going to be that overly developed energy that's on
the East Line. Each like Boulevard cross saying like that
new park they just built is very cool, you know,
(55:54):
and it's just like you can have different kind of
experiences I guess depending on your extraversion or extraversion level.
Speaker 3 (56:04):
Man, look man right Chili yo. I mean I appreciate
this thing. You've given a lot of context. You talked
about the history, how you've gotten here, all the work
you've done in the streets with the creative class, need
to Zoo, what the city needs to do. This is
a lot of good information. Man, Before we get out
of here, just first of all, thank you for the
work you do. You know what I mean, just you know,
for just doing that kind of work. I know it's selfless.
I know it takes a lot to show up in
(56:26):
those places and just make this thing work, especially because
you have your own things you want to work on
all that kind of stuff too. So for the folks
that don't know, man, how can they support you? How
can they support the things you're doing? How can they
you know, get the stuff, like, give them all the things.
Speaker 1 (56:39):
The way that you can support me is really taking
a look a real look at how the creatives are.
Because we get a bad rap because a lot of
people dress like us but if you're a real creative,
A real creative is about beautification. It's about improving quality.
That's why you have gardens. You see trade of communities
(57:00):
like paint on the wall gardens, Like we add positivity,
a real creative is going to add positivity to community.
So you can also support my clothing brand, chiliol dot com,
which is we made twenty years last year. So that's
a whole nother discussion on how we pioneered, how we
(57:21):
kind of crack the glass ceiling for streetwear for Atlanta
because they definitely was trying us and we had to
literally fight for our name in that space back in
like two thousand and one. And uh yeah, man, if
you could just really take a look at what we're
(57:41):
doing with the youth, because we all saying the youth
don't have anything to do. It's like we're not even
funded and we're just a group of volunteers that's doing
some dynamic things in that space. Please take a look
at how we are selflessly volunteering for that with no money,
and may we come up with some ideas on how
we can engage youth better because we all say there's
(58:06):
nothing for them to do, so just please, like really
rarely look at how to get programming for the youth
right now? That should be like one of the top
budget line items in the city fiscal budget.
Speaker 4 (58:21):
Oh for sure, man, for sure. Well, Yo, man, appreciate
you pulling up.
Speaker 2 (58:24):
Yeah for sure.
Speaker 3 (58:24):
Given some perspective, sharing needs to happen, and I hope
people take this and we learned some lessons from it.
Speaker 1 (58:29):
Man.
Speaker 4 (58:30):
Again, thank you for all the work you've been doing.
Speaker 2 (58:31):
It's like I'm not going nowhere.
Speaker 1 (58:34):
I don't even try. It's just hard for me to leave.
Y'all Like y'all don't got this, y'all got that up
kind of get back today.
Speaker 3 (58:42):
Yeah, well, look man, we appreciate you pulling up. Man,
Thanks again, and we out y'all. That's the pot, all right.
Speaker 2 (58:47):
Peace.
Speaker 3 (58:49):
You've been listening to button Nomics and I'm your host,
Brandon Butler. Got comments, feedback? Want to be on the show.
Send us an email today at hello at butteronomics dot com.
Butter Nomics is producing Atlanta, Georgia at iHeartMedia Byksey Pegram,
with marketing support from Queen and Nikki.
Speaker 4 (59:04):
Music provided by mister Hanky.
Speaker 3 (59:05):
If you haven't already hit that subscribe button and never
missed an episode, and be sure to follow us on
all our social platforms at butter dot Atl. Listen to
Better Nomics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts.
Host
Brandon Butler
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