Pioneering “Dirty South” Rap Group’s Entry into Film Reflects Hip-Hop’s Growing Investment in Independent Filmmaking
Pineapple Cut Pictures announced today that Goodie Mob has joined the award-winning short film Thomasville as executive producers, marking the legendary hip-hop group’s first official move into film. The partnership comes as the Atlanta-set drama continues an acclaimed festival run and nears distribution, earning top honors at Oscar-qualifying festivals including Best Drama at the San Jose International Short Film Festival and Best African American Film at the Cleveland International Film Festival.
Written and directed by Atlanta native and multi-disciplined artist Alex Woodruff, Thomasville is a suspenseful drama that exposes Atlanta’s controversial Red Dog (Run Every Drug Dealer Out of Georgia) police era, gentrification, and generational trauma against the backdrop of the well- known, since-demolished housing project Thomasville Heights. Goodie Mob joins the producing team at a time when hip-hop artists are increasingly expanding their influence beyond music into independent film.
“We love how Thomasville puts a spotlight on public housing by incorporating Atlanta’s
Thomasville Heights neighborhood,” said Robert “T-Mo” Barnett of Goodie Mob. “The film’s
storytelling aligns with messages we’ve put out through our music for over 30 years, so it means
a lot for us to be part of something so special.”
T-Mo along with Willie “Khujo” Knighton Jr., Cameron “Big Gipp” Gipp, and CeeLo Green (Thomas
Callaway-Burton) comprise Goodie Mob. Much of what inspired Thomasville also shaped Goodie
Mob’s socially conscious lyricism for decades – music that helped launch the “Dirty South”
movement, elevate Atlanta as a global rap capital, and influence generations of artists.
“Thomasville is my love letter to Atlanta and my family,” said Woodruff, whose father grew up in
Thomasville Heights. “As an ATLien with deep family roots in Georgia, I’m sparked to write stories
that reflect our complex past and present. This film is a major milestone of tha t journey, and to
have Goodie Mob along for this ride is the perfect pairing.”
Starring Jay Jones (P-Valley) and Stephen Ruffin (Snowfall), Thomasville unfolds inside a rain-
soaked car outside an Atlanta hospital where a young man and his ailing father confront their fractured history tied to Thomasville Heights which once anchored the predominantly black community in Southeast Atlanta.
“Goodie Mob has always held an unflinching mirror up to the City of Atlanta and how it treats its
own people,” added Woodruff. “This is the same mission we had for Thomasville.” Thomasville is produced by Woodruff, Abijeet Achar (Myscore Magic), Kiah Clingman of KiahCan Productions (Color Book), Jake Casey (Sticker Movie), Ellis Sutton (Good Grief), and Landon Kovalick (Footnotes). Nick Incardone, Barry Booth, and now, Goodie Mob serve as executive producers.
