In 2006, Atlanta hosted BET's first annual Hip Hop Awards at the famed Fox Theatre, an unofficially official announcement to the rest of the world that Atlanta all but cemented its place as the epicenter of rap. The nominees read like a list of local high school yearbook superlatives with Atlanta-based artists and producers present in each category, and those same artists accounted for more than half of the stage performances — with major label-backed hitmakers Jermaine Dupri, Jeezy, Ludacris, Lil Jon and T.I. all taking space, some of them appearing more than once. But it was the closing performance from an independent rapper and local party starter that appropriately stole the show: DJ Unk doing "Walk It Out."

For the VIP visitors in the crowd, who likely went from the plane to the hotel, maybe to the posh Lenox Mall, and then to the show, Unk's presence at the star-studded ceremony was among the most authentic showcases of the city they would get. Yes, Dupri and Luda performed the city's theme song, "Welcome to Atlanta," that night, and Jeezy brought Magic City poles and dancers on stage. But Unk called back to the city's rich dance and fashion histories and had dozens of people "walk it out" down each aisle, dressed in customized airbrushed and painted T-shirts, literally throwing the energy of Atlanta into everybody's lap.

On Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, Unk, born Anthony Leonard Platt, passed away in his sleep from a heart attack at 43, leaving people who still have memories of that performance and the time it represented heartbroken. A proud "Grady Baby" — the endearing term describing anyone born in Atlanta's largest hospital, Grady Memorial — Unk's rise to stardom started as a member of the Southern Style DJs, a collective that worked under the umbrella of respected indie record label Big Oomp Records, founded by street entrepreneur-turned-businessman Korey "Big Oomp" Roberson. Big Oomp released "Walk It Out" in 2006, and the song went top 10 on the Hot 100 and achieved platinum status. On the strength of "Walk It Out" and the follow-up single "2 Step," Unk became the biggest star the label ever had, standing as the brief but beaming culmination of its efforts. Together, they represented a hyperlocal grassroots movement that reflected Atlanta as well as anything else, even in shifting the national zeitgeist.

Inspired by the popular "Poole Palace" dance and produced by Big Oomp's in-house beatsmith DJ Montay, who also produced "2 Step" and Flo Rida's "Low," the synth-driven bounce of "Walk It Out" gave listeners a passport to the hoods and clubs of Atlanta, coming at a time when regionalism was still a thing in hip-hop. The blatantly Southern hip-hop track dropped in a year when local scenes across the country were pushing distinctive styles and sounds; fans were still able to get a sniff of West Coast G-Funk with Snoop Dogg's Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, a raw feel for mid-Atlantic street life on Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury, a taste of NYC hardcore through Mobb Deep's Blood Money, an earful of jazz-sampling soul from the midwest with Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor and hit of Bay Area hyphy through E-40's My Ghetto Report Card powered by the anthem "Tell Me When To Go" (ironically produced by Atlanta's own Lil Jon). Before the immediate accessibility of the internet played a part in spreading the culture wide, and flattening it in the process, "Walk It Out" was a shining example of how a song, and music video, could introduce you to a city and what the people in it actually sound like.

Unk released "Walk It Out" into a rap scene in the middle of a balancing act. Outkast was all but closing the book on their milestone career, releasing their final project, the movie soundtrack disguised as an album, Idlewild. (Another ode to the staying power of "Walk It Out": The song's 2007 remix is the last time both members of Outkast appeared together on record.) T.I. and (Young) Jeezy were taking the once-underground trap music genre mainstream, while Ludacris, an artist known for his cartoonish approach to rap, cut off his braids and went for a more serious tone to release his eventually Grammy-winning album Release Therapy. While rappers in Atlanta were still making hits, and on the cusp of shifting the hub of the entire culture south, the actual "fun" element of the music was starting to wane. With its hypnotic bass and synths, "Walk It Out" came with repeated instructions that put everyone in a trance. Unk's tunes helped keep the party going while many were deciding they were becoming too cool to dance.

As the songs exploded locally and then nationally, the hits on Unk's debut album, Beat'n Down Yo Block!, resuscitated Big Oomp Records as a model for self-sustained success. Throughout the 1990s, Big Oomp set a blueprint for how independent rap labels could thrive in a city known more for major label-affiliated R&B and rap artists. They broke artists on their roster by featuring them on Southern Style DJ mixtapes that were already widely popular for their meticulously produced remixes and added bass frequencies. These efforts were further supported by the DJs spinning the records at the many nightclubs they played, instantly connecting them with the streets. Add this to Big Oomp's direct-to-consumer model established behind various brick-and-mortar record stores and flea market vendor booths and you had a company with its own ecosystem.

After enjoying some local and regional success in the late 1990s and early 2000s — with artists like Hitman Sammy Sam, Baby D, Lil C, Loko and Intoxicated — the label all but disappeared as Atlanta's rap scene kicked into overdrive post-9/11. Much of this can be blamed on many of their artists facing legal troubles or dabbling in the streets, halting their outputs and limiting their visits to the studio. But the company stayed relevant through their Oomp Camp Live TV show on UPN affiliate Channel 69 and growing their record stores that carried hip-hop albums, mixtapes, DVDs and magazines that you couldn't find at your local Kroger or Best Buy. So even though their label side lay dormant for a spell, the infrastructure was in place to meet Unk's dance-inspired song in its moment, helping it take off during the peak of the "snap" era. Almost 20 years later, "Walk It Out" and "2 Step" are still guaranteed party starters, evoking a specific time in Atlanta. Staying prepared for the trendy marathon that is the music industry, Unk helped Big Oomp sprint to the top of the charts by staying in their lane.

Figures like Dupri, Ludacris, T.I., Jeezy, Gucci Mane, Future, Young Thug and Lil Baby presented themselves as rap incarnations of the city's long lineage of Black mayors, acting as a conduit between the city's music and the corporate interests looking to come in and capitalize. Visible, but not always touchable. But, as a company and crew, the always-independent Big Oomp Records was more akin to the late and beloved Atlanta activist Hosea Williams, who is often credited for creating the phrase "unbought and unbossed." Able to set their own pace and trends, Unk and Big Oomp maintained an eye-to-eye, hand-to-hand connection with the community they came from.

Copyright 2025, NPR