Atlanta hip-hop writers celebrate 10th anniversary of Facts Only Trivia
On the second Wednesday of each month, hip-hop enthusiasts meet at Westside Motor Lounge to compete for bragging rights.
They split into teams of no more than six people to play five rounds with five questions each. Contestants rush to jot down the year Outkast released their debut album or GloRilla’s full name. Meanwhile, their opponents struggle to figure out what historically Black colleges 2 Chainz (Alabama State University), Megan Thee Stallion (Texas Southern University) and duo Gang Starr (Prairie View A&M University and Morehouse College) attended.
Anyone who can recite the lyrics to Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day” or do the Dougie to Cali Swag District’s “Teach Me How to Dougie” might win festival passes or a complimentary cocktail while scores are tallied between rounds.
There are no sparklers, grass walls, valet parking or posing. Just sing-alongs to classic tunes, new bops and a quiz bowl.
This is Facts Only Trivia, which has turned hip-hop knowledge into community, friendly competition and cultural memory.
“We didn’t want people standing on couches, popping bottles or smoking hookah in the VIP section. I wanted to do something for us and our culture that wasn’t pretentious or full of bs,” Branden Peters, Facts Only Trivia co-founder and co-host, told UATL.
Facts Only Trivia is having its 10th anniversary celebration at Westside Motor Lounge Wednesday. The free event is moving from the main bar to an event space next door and costs $10 to enter.
Usually starting at 7 p.m. and ending at 9:30 p.m., Wednesday, it begins at 7 p.m. and ends at midnight.
For the anniversary, the first-place cash prize increases from $100 to $250.
Second place receives $150 and third $100. Competitors can also win concert tickets, event passes, custom merchandise and gift cards.
“It’s going to be a party and a great time. People have been seeing what we’re doing, pushing forward and want to be a part of it,” Peters said.
Co-host and co-founder Maurice Garland said the goal is to preserve hip-hop history in an age of social media and Wikipedia.
“Information was getting lost and not shared, and we wanted to offer some type of edutainment (in hip-hop) because generation gaps were forming, things were changing culturally, sonically and how it was being presented in media,” he said.
“We saw an opportunity to make sure people know about this culture that are either trying to participate, capitalize off it or getting introduced to it.”
The questions could range from music that is polyrhythmic, ’90s Southern bass, eerie 2010s-era trap music, rugged beats from the East Coast or funky tracks from the West Coast.
Bernard “Dusei Da Great” Adusei, Facts Only Trivia’s house DJ, selects music based on themes.
While Adusei doesn’t create set playlists, he’s intuitive, nostalgic and collaborative.
“I put my (DJ) instincts on and feel the crowd. Of course, I’m going to play the hits, but I want to home in on songs you forgot about,” he said.
“If it’s a round that’s ahead of my time, Maurice and Branden help me out on that. Whenever I can catch them off-guard with a banger they haven’t heard in a while, then that makes my night.”
Facts Only Trivia was born 10 years ago after Peters, a lifestyle journalist and host of music podcast Day 1 Radio, joined R&B singer Anthony David to play trivia at a dive bar on Edgewood Avenue. Peters, an Oakland, California, native, said he enjoyed it despite feeling he didn’t fit in with the crowd or answer questions correctly.
“It was corny, but I had a good time,” Peters said.
That night, Peters had an idea for a hip-hop trivia night. He ran the concept by marketing strategist Crystal Thomas, and she suggested he bring on Adusei as musical director.
Peters invited Garland, music journalist and Day 1 Radio co-host, to help them curate a fun and safe alternative to nightclubs or lounges.
On May 13, 2016, Peters and Garland debuted the game night, then called Hip-Hop Trivia ATL, at Slice Piedmont on Georgia State University’s campus. Fifty people attended.
The following week, Outkast member Andre 3000 showed up, giving Garland and Peters proof of concept. “He didn’t play. He was just kicking it but told us the questions were hard as hell,” Peters said.
Rappers Killer Mike, Yo-Yo, Pastor Troy, Backbone, former Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce and deejay Diamond D showed up to play at later events.
Hip-hop memorabilia collector Larry “Nuface” Compton has attended Hip Hop Trivia ATL since the first event.
“I’m able to share my love of hip-hop with strangers, friends and sometimes my favorite artists,” Compton said.
In August 2017, Hip-Hop Trivia ATL relocated to Jack’s Pizza and Wings after Slice closed. It was also held at 656 Sports Bar and Grille and Black Sheep Tavern and Oyster Room.
Decatur resident and retired champion Max-El Saffold started attending trivia when it moved to Jack’s. He said the event shows appreciation to hip-hop culture and its supporters.
“It provides a good time for good people while honoring the history, legacy and figures from the culture in Atlanta and beyond. The creators of the product show love to the consumer, and I give them love back every month,” Saffold said.
The trivia night became a virtual event three years later. Peters said COVID-19 expanded the event’s global reach.
“There were people online from Korea, and we didn’t know how they heard about it. Live Nation was putting it on their calendar because they weren’t having shows,” he said.
Adusei said their regular attendees continued to play while quarantined. “Our core supporters have followed us to every venue we’ve gone to,” he said.
In 2023, Hip Hop Trivia ATL was rebranded as Facts Only Trivia, an in-person event at Coda Food Hall. The change allowed the hosts to broaden the questions.
“Hip-hop is always the centerpiece of it, but it opens us up to include other aspects of it and Black culture,” Garland said.
Facts Only Trivia has been held monthly at Westside Motor Lounge since last year. Peters said the venue is convenient and accommodating.
“It’s centrally located for people to get there, has free parking and business is right. We don’t work with people who don’t understand the vision. You have to make sure your core is good and the new people come back as regulars,” he said.
The organizers would like to expand into selling merchandise and hosting events in other cities. Garland considers the trivia night “community service.”
“I’m just giving back to the culture that’s given so much to me,” he said.
Facts Only Trivia 10th Anniversary Celebration. 7 p.m.-midnight. Wednesday, May 13. Tickets are $10-$55.20. Westside Motor Lounge, 725 Echo Street NW, Atlanta. eventbrite.com.
About the Author
Christopher A. Daniel is a Black Culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is an Atlanta-based, award-winning journalist, cultural critic and ethnomusicologist. He previously taught courses at Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University and Georgia State University.