Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1184228
4 2 | M A C O N M A G A Z I N E F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 9 UNCONVENTIONAL and UNSTOPPABLE Rapper Bob Lennon and his manager Pink blaze their own path in Macon's musical legacy BY TRACI BURNS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT ODOM W e're understandably proud of our music history in Macon. We've nurtured and exported some true legends, and we especially adore rebels and rule-breakers. ink of dainty powerhouse Little Richard, who cut his musical teeth on gospel tunes, then went on to break rock 'n roll ground belting out "Tutti Frutti," a scrubbed-up version of a scandalously raunchy song. Or the Allman Brothers, angel-faced blonde hippies soaked in soul and R&B, who had a black drummer – Jaimoe – in their band, back in the day when that'd get you kicked to the curb at some clubs. Here, our icons are iconoclasts who transcend expected boundaries. Even our city slogan, "Where Soul Lives," resists easy interpretation. ere's soul as in the spiritual part of us all; soul as in emotional energy and intensity; soul as in black American culture. Hip-hop and rap is the defining, influential voice of that culture today. Angry, funny, boastful, political – the content varies, but at its core rap is pure, raw self- expression and ingenuity. Rhyming as communication always has been a human impulse, but rap surrounds those rhymes with dense and powerful cultural context. It's music largely made by marginalized people who refuse to stay in the margins, and demand the spotlight instead. Critics of the genre would do well to set aside preconceived notions and view the music on its own terms. It's exuberant, insightful and innovative, and it's no surprise that Macon is the incubator for some extraordinary talent in that area. PINK FINDS A HOME – AND A STAR Pink, aka Christy Martino-omas, is originally from Huntington, Long Island, and her trademark pink dreadlocks earned her the nickname she's had for 25 years. Pink lived in Atlanta for a decade before she visited Macon and fell for an "ol' country boy" who would become her husband and permanently settle her in the midstate. With a background in entertainment and club promotion, Pink liked Macon's vibe much better than Atlanta's, so she started doing the work she loved: throwing parties at urban clubs around Middle Georgia, bringing in hip-hop and R&B musicians, and promoting her up-and-coming clothing line. Macon "reminded me of where I'm from," said Pink, now 43. "I didn't feel lost in the crowd here." An entertainment entrepreneur's work life is wildly social, and Pink found herself traveling often to Atlanta to attend open mics and other showcases, hoping to get her merchandise into artist's hands for the free promo.