Brian Knott, the last original founder and managing partner of Atlanta’s A3C Hip-Hop festival, orchestrates the annual shindig for all the right reasons. His organization of the event — the biggest of its kind in the Southeast — is reminiscent of the passion exuded by Michael Lang, a major planner of Woodstock. Well, how Lang is portrayed in Taking Woodstock, at least.
“I’ve been a fan of hip-hop for close to 30 years…since 1986 — that’s when I bought my first record,” Knott said.
For a hip-hop aficionado, A3C is quite the gift. Since 2005, artists like B.o.B, 9th Wonder, Curren$y, The Clipse, J. Cole, Murs, Wale, and Yelawolf — just to name a few — have been on the bill at one point or another.
But the festival offers more than that. Not only is it the potential big break for up-and-coming artists and a place where acts like Juice Crew can reunite for a one-off performance, but it’s also an educational institution for industry hopefuls. Producers, DJs and MCs can nurture and grow their prowess through panels and workshops specifically tailored to them.
When Knott described the meet-up as “an event where business gets done, networking gets done and people meet, and then also, [it’s] a big party,” I could almost hear him smile.
“The dream for us is to be the SXSW of hip-hop,” he said.
And though more than half of last year’s advance tickets were purchased by out-of-towners — a clear-cut sign of the festival’s progression — Knott admitted that A3C isn’t there yet: “We are five to 10 years away from being anything [like that].”
Knott also stressed the importance of fan-artist relations.
“We don’t like to have a huge division between the fans and the artists,” he said. “When you’re at A3C…one of the artists you saw onstage the night before, the next night he’ll be next to you, watching someone else on stage. This is something for people who are hip-hop heads, who care about the music and the culture and everything that goes along with it. This is a place where you can come and immerse yourself in it.”
Knott enlists the best-of-the-best in the hip-hop realm each year, from locals like Fadia Kader to the folks behind taste-making blogs like the Smoking Section and 2dopeboyz. Though this year’s lineup is still being debated, but Knott is enthusiastic about the final bill. Considering his genuine passion for the genre and for cultivating Atlanta as its focal point, Knott’s gusto will likely realize another stellar edition.
“I am more excited right now about hip-hop music than I have been at any other time,” he said.
No need to explain, dude — we can tell.
