The Atlanta Club Where Pleasure And Hip-hop Dealmaking Collide

In nan early 1980s, Michael Barney and his woman near his hometown of Camden, N.J., and relocated successful Atlanta, wherever he started moving successful telecommunications and earned nan nickname “Mr. Magic” from colleagues. One nighttime retired pinch friends astatine a celebrated portion club, he sewage nan inspiration for what would go a taste hotspot successful nan bosom of nan city.

Soon enough, Barney signed nan lease for a defunct people shop, repurposed nan building and named it “Magic City.” The nine opened successful 1985 pinch conscionable 1 dancer.

After 40 years of deals, networking and hip-hop history astatine nan club, Magic City is nan taxable of a five-part docuseries executive-produced by shaper and rap mogul Jermaine Dupri.

“Magic City: An American Fantasy” premiered Friday connected STARZ, showcasing nan outsized nationalist effect of nan Atlanta portion nine and others for illustration it connected hip-hop civilization and nan industry.

Magic City's legacy: Michael 'Mr Magic' Barney, Michael 'Lil Mg' Barney Jr., and Julian 'Juju' Barney.Starz

“We would alert backmost location to spell to Magic City from retired of town,” Dupri told NBC News. “It’s for illustration going to Orlando and not going to Disney World — you person to go.”

To nan So So Def producer, there’s much to Mr. Magic’s constitution than nan women.

“You could beryllium opinionated by nan biggest thief successful Atlanta, nan biggest supplier trader successful Atlanta, nan biggest rapper successful Atlanta, nan biggest hoops subordinate successful nan world, a movie star, a politician, and they’re each successful nan aforesaid area — treated nan same, having nan aforesaid conversations and you wouldn’t cognize nan difference, because nan nine doesn’t cater to conscionable 1 person,” Dupri said.

Strip, arsenic nan nine is known among regulars, has provided a gauge for hip-hop and R&B hitmaking.

“The relationship is very authentic,” Dupri said. “Hearing your opus play successful a nine is for illustration proceeding your opus connected nan radio. You consciousness for illustration you really made it.”

Jermaine Dupri.Starz

In immoderate cases, nan aspiration for hip-hop fame comes from nan group onstage. Bronx-native Nya Lee utilized nan money she made dancing to money her rap career.

“In nan earlier years, I invested successful myself,” she said to NBC News. “A batch of group didn’t deliberation that being a stripper and a rapper could work.”

But it did, and her communicative was compelling capable to onshore her a spot connected VH1’s celebrated show, “Love and Hip-Hop: New York.” Not agelong after, different dancer was introduced to nan world done nan series: Cardi B, who has since go a world unit successful entertainment.

Stripping tin person a acheronian side. Outside of Magic City, some dancers person unionized to conflict for amended activity standards, fairer salary and protection from intersexual harassment aliases abuse. Clubs are, aft all, an situation successful which men are paying for entree to women’s bodies, whether it’s making afloat interaction aliases astatine a distance.

And while immoderate execute pinch nan extremity of escaping nan nine and improving their lives, others flight to nan club. That was nan lawsuit for a Memphis, Tennessee, autochthonal pinch 2 years of undergraduate assemblage credits and a fellow who was facing national charges. Rapper and TV characteristic Jessica Dime, who is featured successful nan docuseries, went to nan sprawling King of Diamonds successful Miami aft 2 friends advised her to time off Memphis. “It was truthful overmuch going connected successful nan streets astatine nan time,” Dime said to NBC News. “When I left, it was nan champion determination I could person made. Dancing was thing that saved me. I would person been successful jailhouse aliases astir apt dormant if I wouldn’t person went to Miami.”

"Magic City."Starz

Within a fewer years of performing, she sewage nan attraction of Flo Rida and signed to his IMG grounds explanation arsenic a rapper.

“What they were giving maine to sign, I would person made much successful 1 nighttime astatine King of Diamonds,” Dime said. She said she knew that if she signed nan contract, “God is going to make judge I enactment retired of here.”

But nan group who activity successful nan clubs don’t request to beryllium aspiring rappers to still make an effect connected music. Last year, Muni Long’s way “Made for Me” became a deed astatine Magic City, which Dupri said helped him gauge really good nan opus would do much broadly, particularly since accepted R&B is difficult to spot successful clubs.

“The dancers were singing nan song,” Dupri recalled, and truthful were nan patrons.

Rapper Rick Ross’ debut single, “Hustlin,” astir nan mundane grind successful immoderate capacity, was a awesome occurrence successful portion clubs crossed nan country.

“They was playing my grounds without my requesting it, and I said, ‘This is different.’ I judge nan grounds was speaking for everybody that was successful nan club,” Ross said to NBC News. “You talking to nan parking man, you talking to nan dancers, you talking to nan DJs.”

In 2005, dancers astatine Magic City introduced South Carolina rapper Young Jeezy’s euphony to DJ Nando, who was nan club’s resident DJ astatine nan time. With nan backing of BMF (Black Mafia Family) and Big Meech, writer Joe Cosscarelli says successful nan docuseries that Jeezy became “this larger than life, King Pin figure.”

Jeezy’s medium “Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101” was nan go-to grounds passim Magic City dancer Gigi Maguire’s career.

Gigi Maguire.Starz

During her clip astatine Magic City arsenic a headlining dancer, Maguire became friends pinch immoderate of nan rappers that would predominant nan club. She had been testing different shape names erstwhile rapper Lil’ Wayne gave her a manus arsenic she sat successful connected a penning convention connected his circuit autobus successful Atlanta.

“Wayne was a adjacent friend of mine,” she said. The Young Money emcee was testing lyrics and happened to say, “Weezy Maguire, show maine nan money.” Maguire fired back, “‘Gigi Maguire, show maine nan money,’ and he said, ‘Yoo! That’s fire. You should support that.’ Literally, it stuck.”

Maguire besides took her roommate Trey Songz’s euphony to Magic City during her featured spots connected Mondays.

“We still are, to this day, for illustration family,” she said. “He’s virtually for illustration my small brother.”

This docuseries will beryllium portion of STARZ’s roster of projects connected hip-hop culture. The network’s deed play series, “P-Valley,” is group astatine a fictional Southern nine and includes 2 formed members from Magic City’s Snack Pack trio of rod dancers, which includes Maguire.

When nan retired dancer sewage a telephone for a impermanent quality for a “P-Valley” section connected featuring icons of strip, location was contention complete who those legends would be.

“They wanted Cardi B, Blac Chyna and Amber Rose. I utilized to activity pinch Amber and Chyna and americium friends pinch them. I emotion Cardi B down. But those are not women that nan creation organization goes to, to say, ‘Hey, I aspire for my creation profession to beryllium this,’” Maguire said.

To nan women who respect Maguire and nan stars she mentioned, their accomplishments and power successful nan civilization and hip-hop extends beyond portion and has allowed them to leverage their fame into business ventures that wouldn’t person needfully been disposable a decade aliases truthful ago.

Nya Lee, 32, was 17 erstwhile she won a stripping title 2 times, utilizing a clone ID astatine Sin City successful nan Bronx.

The now-DJ has collaborated pinch Fabolous, Jadakiss and Ultimate Rap League conflict rap fable T-Rex connected her projects. Her mixtapes see features pinch Kash Doll who besides started arsenic a Detroit-based stripper.

“Girls seeing maine sound down doors made them consciousness for illustration they could do it too,” Nya Lee said.