Atlanta, GA
Rich Homie Quan Is Gone. After So Much Loss, What's Next For Atlanta?
The Atlanta rap scene, like the rest of the music world, is still mourning the loss of Rich Homie Quan. Last week, the 33-year-old artist was found unresponsive in his girlfriend’s Atlanta home, leaving behind five children and an immense musical legacy. With hits like 2013’s “Type of Way” and 2015’s “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh),” there was a period where he looked like the next star out of Atlanta. By the late 2010s, label woes had stalled his climb up toward the pop culture stratosphere, and those in the know lament that he didn’t get the chance to fulfill his superstar potential.
In 2013, Quan began collaborating with fellow rising Atlanta star Young Thug. Though Rich Gang was never a formal group signed to a label, Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1 — the project they released under that name in 2014 — showcased their generational chemistry on syrupy, infectious songs like “Lifestyle” and “Tell Em.” Many agree with writer Jeff Weiss, who theorized, “If Young Thug was the rocket ship bending time and space at the speed of light, Quan operated as ground control, offering a raspy gravity and indelible counterpoint.” Even before his passing, Quan’s bond with Young Thug continued to be discussed up to this day; his last interview featured journalist Alanah Story asking him about unreleased Rich Gang music.
But as incredible as he was in Rich Gang, Quan also excelled on his own. His solo catalog, buoyed by projects like Still Goin In: Reloaded and I Promise I Will Never Stop Going In (both from 2013), demonstrated a knack for melody; feel-good, relatable themes; and ever-malleable vocals. Thanks to him, anyone could feel like the man when they “Walk Thru.” And anyone who’s watched his interviews has noticed his jovial nature and star quality. It all could have added up to a winning combination for solo superstardom.
In an interview last week about Quan’s loss, Wicked — a member of the ’90s Atlanta group Ghetto Mafia — bemoaned that he’s also still reeling from the recent death of Organized Noize producer Rico Wade at age 52. He’s not alone in grieving. Quavo posted a highly circulated Instagram story featuring a picture of himself a few years back with his Migos partners Offset and the late Takeoff, Young Thug, and Rich Homie Quan. The emojis posted over each man’s head hinted at the loss of both Takeoff and Quan, Thug’s current incarceration, and Quavo being on the outs with Offset (though they’ve since talked). His post read, “May God be with US[,] never saw this being apart of our journey.” In a fairer world, these five men, none of them older than their early thirties, would all still be dominating the charts. Instead, pictures like these evoke memories of what could have been.
Atlanta has been rap’s mecca for the better part of three decades, but now the bridge to the next generation feels unsteady, in part because of losses like these. Young Thug and YFN Lucci are both facing uncertain jail stints. And, unfortunately, there’s a long list of artists who have died: Takeoff, Bankroll Fresh, Trouble, Lil Keed, Lil Marlo, Slim Dunkin, Shawty Lo, and now Rich Homie Quan. We’ve also lost Atlanta elders like Rico Wade who still had game and insight to offer. Gucci Mane, luckily, credits his mid-2010s prison stint with waking him up before his career came to an unfortunate ending. But he’s also had trouble getting the next generation of 1017 off the ground because jail or prison terms have befallen so many of his recent signees. Atlanta isn’t losing its artistic mojo — it’s losing its talents.
Atlanta’s solidarity has been one of hip-hop’s most nationally understood facts of life for many years. Even if you didn’t know much about the city’s hip-hop scene, you knew that for the most part, those Atlanta guys stuck together and put each other on. It’s not just that Atlanta had a high concentration of talent, it’s that the artists there were accessible and intent on taking it upon themselves to help the next artist. We remember the video of a hungry Lil Keed rapping for Young Thug before he was famous. We recall the stories of Young Thug paying Lil Baby to get out of the streets, or a young Future being around Outkast in the Dungeon, or Gucci Mane putting on anyone who pulled up to his Brick Factory studio. The city attracted transplants like French Montana and even the Buffalo-based crew Griselda, who made various inroads there during their formative years. In time, the city has become a music factory, like a neo-Motown with lustrous diamonds. It was the place to be for Black musicians, and it still is. But now, with fewer beacons, there are fewer chances for the city to find its next stars.
To consider where the city is going, one must retrace the social and political factors that inspired Atlanta’s trap generation in the first place. In September 1990, the city won its bid to host the 1996 Olympics, and spent the next few years on an “urban renewal” campaign of destroying public housing, displacing thousands of residents and widening the city’s economic disparity. The first generation of trap rappers depicted the gruff realities of Atlanta’s left-behind neighborhoods, and younger artists followed behind.
Years later, Atlanta’s politicians are on a new displacement mission that has had similarly damaging cultural effects. Devin Franklin, an attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights, told Complex in 2022 that he feels the city brass is vying to gentrify many of the areas immortalized in Atlanta rap songs, noting, “There is absolutely a desire to rid Atlanta of this element that once upon a time is what made Atlanta cool in the first place. It’s like, ‘We used it, we got popular off of it, but now we got another level that we want to get to, so we need to get you all out of here.’” Fulton County’s district attorney, Fani Willis, has been relentless with RICO prosecutions that currently have Young Thug, YFN Lucci, and RX Peso incarcerated (with Hoodrich Pablo Juan doing five years from another RICO prosecution in nearby Upson County).
As in any “law and order” city, a focus on prosecution means the negligence of other institutions that make a city healthy. Structural racism breeds violent communities and the desire for escapism, whether that’s through doing the wrong thing in search of financial freedom or falling prey to addiction. These factors are nothing new for many communities of color, but seeing them decimate a beloved music community is sobering.
There are dire consequences looming over Atlanta’s cultural depletion. The rap industry is changing exponentially. In time, 2024’s “white boy summer” could turn into a “white boy year” or “white boy generation,” with more tone-deaf rappers like Ian doing their best impressions of Atlanta’s kings. We need the progenitors alive to bring the real, or at the least retell the stories to those looking to document this great movement. And the bridge from one generation of Atlanta rappers to another needs to stay stable. But with every city-shattering death like Quan’s, one more pillar is gone too soon.
Photograph by Ben Rollins
In the ’90s, when I was new to Atlanta, I found my way to the Atlanta Cuban Club in Doraville. On Saturday nights, it was a place to eat, dance, and listen to stories of life in Cuba before the Castro Revolution. The scene felt straight out of Miami, with a touch of Southern charm. But, about five years ago, the club closed its doors.
“I miss having a place that feels like ours,” my friend Karina Reoyo, a fellow Cuban American from Miami, tells me. “There’s nothing like that here anymore.”
Like me, Reoyo grew up in the Kendall neighborhood of Miami, where our Cuban roots showed in everything—from weekday meals to our parents’ stories about the island. She moved to metro Atlanta seven years ago, and I moved back in 2024, after first living here as a graduate student at Mercer University in DeKalb County. Now, without the Cuban Club to guide us, we’ve kept our roots alive the way we know best: through food.
And we’re not alone.
There’s a growing network of Cuban Atlantans crisscrossing the city like detectives on a hot trail, chasing down leads. We’ll drive 45 minutes for a proper pastelito, a flaky pastry filled with guava and softened, sweetened cream cheese; ground beef; or another classic rendition (like coconut). If they’re “just like they make them in Miami,” then we’ll share our finds with like-minded food sleuths we meet through friends, at PTA meetings, or even at the gas station.
If a Publix, like the one on West Paces Ferry Road, has stocked up on Materva (the sweet, slightly herbal Cuban soda made from yerba mate), then errands will be rerouted for an emergency grocery-store run. And, if Kroger, like the one on Dallas Acworth Highway in Paulding County, puts five-pound bags of frozen yuca—a starchy root vegetable served at most Cuban meals—on sale (which hasn’t happened yet this year), watch out! We’ll be there ready with two shopping carts, as if it’s Black Friday.
Photograph by Ben Rollins
Photograph by Ben Rollins
Photograph by Ben Rollins
It hasn’t always been this way. Havana Sandwich Shop co-owner Debbie Benedit says there was a time when few people in Atlanta were familiar with Cuban food. When she and her late husband, Cuban-born Eddie Benedit, opened their Buford Highway restaurant in 1976, Cuban fare was often mistaken for Mexican cuisine.
She says customers would ask, “Where are the tacos? Where’s the salsa? Why isn’t this spicy?” Then she’d have to provide a quick culinary lesson. “We’d explain that Cuban food isn’t spicy. It’s olive oil, garlic, beans, rice, citrus, and vinegar,” she says. Cuban cuisine blends Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences. It’s shaped by the island’s tropical climate and the ingredients that thrive there, including sour oranges, lemons, limes, root vegetables, and plantains.
“Things are different now,” Benedit says, adding that more Atlantans are seeking out Cuban flavors. The area’s growing Cuban population may explain the culinary shift. According to The Atlanta Regional Commission, Cubans are the fourth-largest Caribbean-born group in the area, and their numbers have more than quadrupled in counties such as Forsyth, Henry, and Gwinnett since 2010.
When Miami-raised Stacie Antich moved to Atlanta in 2007, she craved pastelitos, but there was a problem: “Pastelito recipes weren’t on Pinterest or Instagram,” she says. “You didn’t even know what was in them. I had to work from memory.”
Photograph by Ben Rollins
In 2016, she opened Buena Gente Cuban Bakery food truck, serving up her perfected pastelitos, empanadas, croquetas, and other favorites. Then, in 2020, Antich cut the ribbon on a brick-and-mortar bakery of the same name in North Decatur; the shop is bright and pink, just as her food truck was, with freshly baked pastries in a welcoming display case. “This would be considered a fancy bakery in Miami,” she says with a smile.
Buena Gente’s pastelitos are flaky, golden, and sweet, with delicate layers that break apart with each bite. And they come in a few distinct shapes: a circle for meat, a rectangle for guava, and a rolled cigar shape for cream cheese alone—an unspoken code for Cuban pastry lovers. The pastelitos de queso (cheese pastries), my go-to every time, are indeed just like the ones sold from the ventanitas (walk-up windows at neighborhood restaurants) in Miami.
Photograph by Ben Rollins
Photograph by Ben Rollins
In Roswell, Lazaro’s Cuban Cuisine offers a proper sit-down meal wrapped in nostalgia, with Cuban memorabilia throughout. A black-and-white photo of the I Love Lucy star Desi Arnaz (surely Cuba’s best-known expat) hangs directly across from the front door; I even found a bottle of Agua de Violeta in the bathroom, a nod to the abuelitas who douse the floral cologne all over babies.
Cuban-born chef and owner Lazaro Tenreiro, who once owned jewelry stores in the metro area, also says he missed the food he grew up with before he opened his own eatery. “When I opened the restaurant in 2012, it was really a passion project. I wanted food my kids and my family would eat—so it had to be good,” he says.
Lazaro’s frijoles negros (black beans) are exactly how I was taught to make them: rich with garlic, onions, and a hint of cumin. And the vegan picadillo (a clever twist on our traditional ground beef dish) is a tasty surprise, with ground green-plantain peel cooked with peppers, onions, and Manzanilla olives.
Photograph by Ben Rollins
Photograph by Ben Rollins
In Marietta Square, a popular spot to take my kids for a quick, authentic meal is D’Cuban Cafe, which has other locations around metro Atlanta. Colombian co-owner Nicolas Angel says his cousin, D’Cuban co-owner Lucas Mejia Angel, also from Colombia, fell in love with Cuban food during a trip to Miami and brought those flavors back to Atlanta.
Though the D’Cuban menu is fast-casual, everything is made from scratch daily. A bowl of ropa vieja (“old clothes” in Spanish) comes with shredded beef simmered in a garlicky tomato sauce, served alongside black beans, white rice, and perfectly sweet maduros (ripened plantains).
Of course, Papi’s Cuban Grill is still my top pick when Cuban relatives come to town. The Kennesaw location brings back memories of the casual spots we Miamians grew up with. When my family and I walk in the door, we’re transported to the famed Versailles restaurant on Calle Ocho as the aroma of sofrito—the base of most Cuban dishes, comprising the holy trinity of onions, garlic, and green peppers—fills the air. And the fried yuca appetizer, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, is even better than the one I grew up eating.
Meanwhile, in Paulding County, my friend Karina’s husband, Carell Rodriguez—who is also Cuban and from Miami—is reviving the spirit of the Cuban Club by guest-teaching rueda de casino, a form of Cuban salsa, at Rosa Negra restaurant in Dallas. “Rosa Negra is Latin-infused, and not necessarily Cuban food,” Rodriguez tells me. “I do, nonetheless, enjoy their chicharrones (crispy fried pork), empanadas, and tostones (twice-fried, smashed plantain slices). They remind me of home.”
After class, he unwinds with a mojito. “A mojito is basically Cuba in a glass,” he says. “It’s light, refreshing, and nostalgic.” His wife agrees, chiming in, “Their mojitos are better than the ones in Miami.”
I can’t vouch for their mojitos (not yet, anyway). But in many ways, Atlanta’s Cuban finds are better than what we left behind. Maybe it’s the chase that makes them more satisfying. Or maybe it’s just the joy of tasting home, right when you need it most.
This article appears in our April 2026 issue.
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ATLANTA – An Atlanta man faces a potential life sentence after a federal jury found him guilty of terrorizing two young children during his military service abroad.
What we know:
A federal jury found 39-year-old Adam Schlueter guilty on Friday following a four-day trial. He was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 12 and two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
Schlueter was stationed in Grafenwöhr, Germany, from 2009 until 2013 while enlisted in the Army. During this time, prosecutors say he physically, emotionally, and sexually abused two victims who were under the age of 10.
Both victims testified during the trial that Schlueter beat and choked them. One victim recalled an incident at age 8 where Schlueter pushed him through a second-story window and dangled him above the ground. Evidence also showed Schlueter threatened victims and witnesses who spoke about his crimes.
What they’re saying:
“When he should have been honorably defending our country with the utmost integrity, Schlueter instead spent years terrorizing his young victims through physical and sexual abuse,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said. “Excellent work by the prosecutors and investigators assigned to this case will ensure that Schlueter is suitably punished for his wickedness.”
What’s next:
Schlueter is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9. He faces a mandatory minimum of 30 years of imprisonment for each of the aggravated sexual abuse convictions and may be sentenced to life in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Leanne Marek and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower are prosecuting the case, with assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalise Peters.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from federal prosecutors with the Northern District of Georgia following the conclusion of a four-day federal trial.
Atlanta, GA
Philadelphia Phillies lose fifth straight game to end homestand, swept by Atlanta Braves
Michael Harris II homered and had three hits as the streaking Atlanta Braves defeated the slumping Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 on Sunday night to complete a three-game sweep of their NL East rivals.
Ozzie Albies hit an RBI double and Austin Riley also drove in a run for the Braves, who have won five in a row and nine of 11. It was Atlanta’s first series sweep of at least three games at Philadelphia in 10 years.
Kyle Schwarber went deep for the Phillies, who have lost five straight and 10 of 13. They were outscored 56-33 on a 2-7 homestand against the Diamondbacks, Cubs and Braves, leaving Philadelphia 6 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta in the division standings.
Raisel Iglesias escaped trouble in the ninth inning for his fifth save. Philadelphia put runners on first and second with one out, but Trea Turner struck out and Schwarber lined out to right field on an excellent running catch by Ronald Acuña Jr.
Tyler Kinley (3-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win.
Schwarber’s two-run shot in the first gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.
Harris homered leading off the third before the Braves went ahead in the fifth with three runs against rookie starter Andrew Painter (1-1) and lefty reliever Tim Mayza.
Painter was lifted after he opened the inning by allowing singles to Harris and Acuña. Mayza loaded the bases with a walk, and the Braves tied the game on Matt Olson’s groundout. Riley’s dribbler to third went for an RBI infield single, and Albies’ double to the left-field wall made it 4-2.
Riley saved at least one run while ending a Philadelphia threat in the bottom of the fifth with a stellar defensive play at third base.
Braves starter Grant Holmes allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings.
On a chilly night, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto sat out after leaving Saturday’s game with lower back tightness.
Up next
Braves: Begin a four-game series Monday night at Washington. RHP Bryce Elder (2-1, 0.77 ERA) opposes Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (1-2, 6.16).
Phillies: Open seven-game trip Monday night with the first of four games against the Cubs. RHP Aaron Nola (1-4, 4.03 ERA) faces Chicago RHP Colin Rea (2-0, 3.63).
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