Magic City
Company typeStrip club
Founded1985 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States
FounderMichael "Magic" Barney[1]
Headquarters
Atlanta
,
United States
Key people
Michael "Magic" Barney[2]
OwnerMichael "Magic" Barney
Number of employees
150 dancers and 20+ other[3] (2010)
Websitemagiccity.com

Magic City is a prominent strip club in Atlanta, founded in 1985[4] and currently owned by Michael “Magic” Barney.[1][2]

Hip hop and rap ties

Described by Dan Gartland of Sports Illustrated as a "legendary strip club that should be familiar to anyone who knows anything about rap music",[5] Magic City has well-documented ties with the trap and hip hop scene. The club has been associated with the early careers of Future[2][6] and Migos.[6] DJ Esco worked at Magic City.[7] DC the Brain Supreme of Tag Team was working at Magic City when he released the hit "Whoomp! (There It Is)".[8]

In popular culture

Several rap and hip-hop songs mention Magic City,[9] including "Strip Club" by The 2 Live Crew,[10] "Magic City Monday" by Jeezy[11] and "Magic" by Future.[12] The reference to "Monday" is because Magic City is "supposedly the Holy Grail of Atlanta strip clubs on Monday nights".[13] In July 2015, GQ released a documentary Magic City about the strip club, directed by Lauren Greenfield.[14]

Notable visitors and events

In addition to the artists mentioned in the § Hip hop and rap ties section, Magic City has been visited by 2Pac and Biggie,[2] and Michael Jordan.[8] In November 2018, Magic City was temporarily refashioned as "Future City" to celebrate Future's thirty-fifth birthday, and was visited by him, Drake, Lil Yachty, Jacquees, Pastor Troy, and others.[15] Drake allegedly had an armored truck deliver $100,000 in cash to the strip club.[15] In December 2018, Atlanta United FC players celebrated their MLS Cup victory at Magic City.[5]

Magic City's food menu includes "Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ" chicken wings, named after professional basketball player Lou Williams, who played for the Atlanta Hawks (2012–2014).[16] During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he was on an approved absence from the NBA Bubble to attend the funeral of a family friend in Atlanta.[17][18] Afterwards, he visited Magic City, where rapper Jack Harlow posted a picture on Instagram of him and Williams at the club.[19] Williams, who said he was at the club for food, was required by the NBA to undergo a 10-day quarantine before re-entering the bubble.[16][18]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Friedman, Devin (July 8, 2015). "Inside Magic City, the Atlanta Strip Club that Runs the Music Industry". GQ. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "In Da Club". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). September 23, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  3. ^ Joyner, Tammy (February 8, 2010). "Hard times push more women to strip clubs". AJC. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  4. ^ "Make it Reign: How an Atlanta Strip Club Runs the Music Industry". GQ. July 8, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Gartland, Dan (December 11, 2018). "Atlanta United: Magic City celebration with MLS Cup". Sports Illustrated. Danny Lee. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Dart, Chris (November 16, 2015). "Inside the Atlanta strip club that supposedly runs the music industry". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  7. ^ Lee, Christina (March 13, 2018). ""Atlanta" Is the Only TV Show That's Honest About Strip Clubs". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Lee, Christina (June 22, 2016). "How a Strip Club DJ's Death Marked the End of an Era in Atlanta Hip-Hop". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  9. ^ How an Atlanta strip club runs the music industry GQ India
  10. ^ 2 Live Crew - Strip Club, retrieved August 11, 2022
  11. ^ Legaspi, Althea (June 24, 2016). "Jeezy, 2 Chainz, Future Head to Strip Club for 'Magic City Monday'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  12. ^ Caramanica, Jon (September 5, 2012). "Business and Pleasure". The New York Times. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  13. ^ Blair, Elizabeth (December 23, 2010). "Strip Clubs: Launch Pads For Hits In Atlanta". NPR. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  14. ^ "Magic City". GQ. July 3, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  15. ^ a b Colburn, Randall (November 21, 2018). "Drake had an armored truck deliver $100,000 in cash to Atlanta strip club". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  16. ^ a b Wetzel, Dan (July 26, 2020). "What has been the biggest threat to the NBA bubble? Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ wings". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  17. ^ Powell, Shaun. "Clippers' Lou Williams in 10-day quarantine after returning to Orlando". NBA.com.
  18. ^ a b Helin, Kurt (August 4, 2020). "Lou Williams admits 'I probably could have made a better quality decision". Pro Basketball Talk. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  19. ^ Swanson, Mirjam (August 4, 2020). "Clippers welcome back Lou Williams against Phoenix". The Orange County Register. Retrieved November 7, 2022.

External links

33°44′53.9″N 84°23′50.3″W / 33.748306°N 84.397306°W / 33.748306; -84.397306

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