Mapping the Culture: Joe Veazey’s Visual Tribute to Atlanta’s Hip-Hop Legacy

January 2025

Neel Bhatt

Joseph Veazey is a visionary creative director, designer, and artist based in Atlanta, Georgia. With a portfolio that includes projects with Adult Swim and the Tribeca Film Festival, he now serves as the art director for the branding agency id8. His work is defined by a deep appreciation for storytelling, visual experimentation, and the cultural forces that shape the world around us.

Joe’s connection to Atlanta is headlined by his passion for the city’s legendary hip-hop scene. Inspired by an illustrated map that featured Bruce Springsteen lyrics, he set out to create a visual tribute to the city’s rap legacy. At the time, no comprehensive map of this kind existed, making the project both a creative and cultural challenge. Joe spent a year immersed in research, listening to albums, analyzing social media discussions, and engaging with local fans and historians. He sought to pinpoint the places and references that Atlanta artists have famously “put on the map”.

Translating the research into a physical piece required a variety of modern and traditional artistic and design techniques. Joe layered acrylic paint on paper to depict Atlanta’s iconic landmarks and neighborhoods, then utilized digital tools like Adobe Illustrator to refine the details. The map’s illustration style allowed him to “bend reality,” ensuring it remained both engaging and geographically recognizable. The finished map is a unique visual representation of the intersection between music, place, and culture.

Joe sees this project as a way to preserve and elevate Atlanta’s creative and cultural engagement. He travels to share his work, using it as a platform to promote and celebrate the city’s rich culture and artistic heritage. His dedication to storytelling extends beyond the music scene, as he is currently working on a project for another cornerstone of Southern identity: barbecue. By documenting the history, flavors, and traditions of the southern barbecue culture, he hopes to again highlight the character of the region in its unique mediums.

For Joe, spreading culture isn’t just about making art—it’s about preserving and promoting the stories and traditions that define communities. He believes that these cultural narratives will not only honor the past but also inspire future generations. To further this mission, he donated all of his research on the ATL Rap Map to the Georgia State University Library, ensuring that others can build upon his work.

Through his art, research, and storytelling, Joe Veazey reminds us that design can be used to culturally engage communities and preserve stories for generations to come.