Rodney Carmichael – Atlanta Native | NPR Hip-Hop Journalist 

Rodney Carmichael is NPR Music's hip-hop staff writer. An Atlanta-bred cultural critic, he helped document the city's rise as rap's reigning capital for a decade while serving on staff as music editor, culture writer and senior writer for the defunct alt-weekly Creative Loafing.

A Georgia State University alum, Carmichael led local music coverage as music editor of the alternative weekly with the third-highest readership in the nation. Now, covering hip-hop from a national perspective at NPR, he continues to work at the intersection of race and culture. The stories he tells combine reporting and criticism to focus on black cultural production and all its sociopolitical implications. As creator and co-host of the podcast Louder Than A Riot, he and co-host Sidney Madden trace the collision of hip-hop and inequality in America.

Rodney Carmichael is featured in the 2023 Atlanta United FC production ‘Inside the 404’, where he analyzes the evolution of Atlanta's music scene and how hip-hop is such a huge influence to the city. ‘Inside the 404’ is a documentary produced by Atlanta United FC in collaboration with Atlanta Influences Everything, as part of the launch of the 404 Kit, Atlanta United’s 2023 third kit.