Rapper TI and producer Drumma Boy have teamed up for a short documentary film, “The Birth of Trap Music,” which will premiere at the Atlanta Film Festival on April 25th.
The film, directed by Christopher Scoler, is a limited series documentary that, according to a release, “explores how the architects who created this genre became a movement that captivated the entire world, forever influenced the way music is made, and gave space for forgotten voices to be heard.” TI and Drumma Boy serve as executive producers and co-star with DJ Toomp, Don Cannon, Young Dro, and more.
“You see, before it was just a pop culture buzzword, the trap was our reality,” TI said in a statement to Variety. “It was survival. We took on the struggle of living below the poverty line during the crack era, and used organs, snares, synths, hi-hats, and heavy 808s to give a voice to the voiceless. The Birth of Trap Music is more than just a documentary. It’s our history. It’s an era.”
Drama Boy added, “‘The Birth of Trap Music’ is much more than a documentary series, it’s a cultural time capsule. It brings together architects, innovators, and street voices to tell the truth about how trap was born and how it changed music forever. We wanted to tell a real story. This project is about paying homage to the sound, the struggle, and the legacy that we built from the ground up. Legends and pioneers come together to tell the truth. That’s what this project represents.
Additional executive producers include Christopher Scholar of Booc Studios, Brodrick Haygood of Moon Howler, Keithian Sammons of WorKs Entertainment Group, Bevin Brown of Booc Studios, Andre Lipscomb of Theory of Four Films, and Patrick MacDonald of 25/7 Management.
“‘The Birth of Trap Music’ is more than just a story about beats and rhymes or the sounds of a region. It’s a lens into survival, resilience, and how trauma can be alchemized into art,” Scoler said. “Trap was born from a region where opportunities were scarce, resources were withheld, and an entire generation was subjected to poverty and underpolicing. From that pressure came a sound of both pain and possibility that resonated beyond Atlanta and reshaped the global music industry.”
“This film is about more than music. It’s about inspiration, resilience, politics, triumph, and growth,” Sammons said. “And what I realized is that trap didn’t just influence the sound, it helped shape the culture that we live in today.”
