Hip Hop: fall 2025

Monarch HipHop Recommendations

GUCCI MANE
Episodes

Trap pioneer Gucci Mane delivers another chapter in his prolific career, offering fans a raw, unfiltered look at street life, survival, and legacy. Known for shaping the sound of Atlanta rap, he continues to balance gritty authenticity with polished production, blending heavy-hitting beats with sharp flows.

The album title suggests a series of lived experiences—moments of struggle, triumph, and transformation—told with Gucci’s trademark candor. As trap continues to dominate global hip-hop, Episodes reminds listeners of the movement’s roots and resilience, reaffirming Gucci Mane’s enduring influence as both an innovator and cultural mainstay.

KENDRICK LAMAR
Gnx (Deluxe Album)

With the GNX Deluxe Album (2025), Pulitzer Prize–winning rapper Kendrick Lamar expands his latest visionary project, reaffirming his role as hip-hop’s most profound storyteller. The deluxe edition deepens the album’s impact with additional tracks that explore themes of identity, legacy, and resilience, balancing sharp political critique with raw vulnerability.

Known for his meticulous wordplay and cinematic soundscapes, Lamar pushes boundaries while staying grounded in personal and cultural truth. GNX serves as both intimate confession and social commentary, cementing his reputation as a voice of his generation. The deluxe release offers fans a richer, more layered experience of his uncompromising artistry.

DJ KHALED
Aalam Of God

Superstar producer and hitmaker DJ Khaled returns with another larger-than-life project, blending his signature anthemic production with an ambitious spiritual and cultural vision. Translating to “World of God,” the album title signals his intent to elevate themes of faith, perseverance, and gratitude into a global statement.

Featuring an all-star lineup of hip-hop and R&B collaborators, Aalam of God balances blockbuster singles with messages of resilience and unity. Known for his unmatched ability to curate voices and craft crossover hits, Khaled delivers an album that is both celebratory and reflective, expanding his legacy within hip-hop.

MEGAN THEE STALLION
Megan Act Iii

Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion enters a new era of empowerment, artistry, and unapologetic truth. The third installment in her self-titled series reflects growth and resilience, showcasing her sharp lyricism, infectious energy, and signature confidence.

Known for blending Houston roots with global appeal, she offers a dynamic mix of hard-hitting anthems, vulnerable reflections, and club-ready bangers. The “Act III” title suggests both performance and transformation, marking her evolution as a woman and an artist. With Megan: Act III, Megan Thee Stallion reaffirms her place as one of rap’s defining voices.

RODDY RICCH
The Navy Album

Roddy Ricch returns with one of his most ambitious projects to date. Known for blending melodic rap with sharp street narratives, he crafts an album that feels both cinematic and deeply personal.

Featuring production from Terrace Martin, Turbo, and Omar Grand, the project includes standout singles like “Survivor’s Remorse” and “Lonely Road.” The title evokes loyalty, discipline, and unity—reflecting themes of resilience, struggle, and triumph. Balancing hard-hitting trap anthems with introspective moments, The Navy Album reaffirms Roddy Ricch’s place at the forefront of modern hip-hop.

SEPTEMBER GRAY
Proprietor of September Gray Fine Art Gallery

BIO 

Gray’s life’s work is a reflection of her enduring passion for the arts. Following a noteworthy career in the performing arts, Gray launched a successful fine art consultancy practice wherein she was celebrated for her ability to assist corporate and private collectors with articulating and executing single acquisition and long–term collecting strategies. Gray’s career in the arts and decade as an art consultant inform her role as gallerist. An avid collector, Gray has a talent for “speaking the language” of both artist and collector and a knack for connecting the gallery’s clients to works by artists whose vision and methodologies resonate with their individual tastes, complement their existing collections and honor their overall investment strategy and appetite for risk. Gray holds a B.A. in Art History from DePaul University. A committed art education advocate, Gray serves on a number of non-profit boards and is co-founder of The Gray Foundation, an organization committed to building a world of enriched life options for youth through the promotion of art and education. Gray shares art news and collection strategies in her electronic quarterly journal, The Gray Book.

https://septembergrayart.com/

JUSTIN SULIVAN, CFP
Senior Vice President Market Leader

BIO 

Justin oversees a team of professionals striving to achieve the highest level of client satisfaction. His top priority is that the team not only meets, but also exceeds the client’s expectations. Through Justin’s leadership and commitment, he helps ensure that the client benefits form a full complement of investment, trust, financial planning and private banking services to help them achieve their financial goals.

XAVIER DANIELS

BIO  

Paintings are influenced by his experiences with brotherhood at both Morehouse and as a firefighter. In creating his art, he is actively thinking about the perception of black men and attempting to be a catalyst for a different view on the black male experience. According to Daniels, the conversations happening in popular culture about black males leave them invisible in discussions about themselves. The portraits of black men Daniels creates are large in an effort to symbolically assert black male presence into those conversations. His work has been shown around the world through Almine Rech and Richard Beavers Gallery. Xavier lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia.

https://xavierdaniels.com/

MARRYAM MOMA

BIO

A Tanzanian-Nigerian visual artist based in Atlanta, GA, is renowned for her prolific exhibition history. Moma’s dedication to her art has earned her prestigious residencies at The Migration Artist Residency, Atlanta, GA, and a blended residency and teaching opportunity at The Swimming HoleFoundation in Upstate NY. The Hambidge Center for the Arts awarded her a Distinguished Artist Fellowship, enriching her narrative-driven solo exhibitions like “ICONoclasts.” This showing intertwines paper cut elements to celebrate and empower revolutionary Black figures. Moma continues to innovate within her practice, expanding her presence through murals, public art installations and exhibitions including an indoor mural for Clark Atlanta universities student innovation lounge sponsored by Dell Technologies and Home depot, ICONoclasts Atlanta building-wide public installation sponsored by Dashboard and If Not Us then Who public digital art mural sponsored by A&E Atlanta. 

https://www.marryammoma.com/

DL WARFIELD

BIO

Atlanta-based artist DL Warfield, a veteran artist who has consistently proven himself a talent of the highest caliber – one who has delivered at the highest levels repeatedly throughout his life and career. Yes, many artists are talented; DL Warfield is prolific.

Warfield’s body of work proves his instinctive knowledge and understanding of pop culture and has given him a permanent place at the cutting edge of the new and next. From St. Louis to New York City, Atlanta and worldwide, his talent, skill and endless creativity have taken him to the top of his field again and again, and he intends to push forward wherever a path to artistic excellence can be forged.

The following is a snapshot of his works and clientele. 

Nike, Sprite, Heineken, Anheuser-Busch, Geffen Records, Sony Entertainment, DreamWorks, Sony Music, OutKast Inc., Universal Records, Boys & Girls Clubs, HBO, Virgin Records, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Vibe Magazine, automotive giant Ford Motor Company. He designed the branding for the City of Atlanta’s Film and Entertainment office and at the same time, His fine art has been featured at national landmarks, including the Time-Life Building in New York City, and the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, KY, which he loaned two original pieces for three years.

https://dlwarfield.com/

EDDIE FONTNO

BIO

A native of the Bronx, New York, is most inspired by the brilliance and uniqueness of excellence within the African American culture. The subjects of his work have all possessed a transformative greatness, which paved the way and changed the lives of many, providing a guiding light for the world around them. Fontno takes a subtle approach and focuses on that “light” to capture the detailed nuances through his usage of graphite and oil paint (black and white) that enhances the contrast between light and dark. Fontno’s never-ending quest to find truth and beauty in its most natural form is reflective in the choice of figures in his pieces; paying homage to those who have in some way shaped his view of the world and positively affected his evolution as an artist, father and man. Fontno attended the High School of Art & Design in New York, New York and Howard University in Washington, DC. His work has been displayed in the White House (Madam Vice President Kamala Harris’ private office) and the much-acclaimed October Gallery in Philadelphia, Pa. He has also been commissioned for portraits throughout the Northeast region. 

www.eddiefontno.com

RSVP

We are no longer accepting RSVPs for the Art of Luxury Lifestyle Dinner, but you are welcome to RSVP Here for the Portrait Reveal Event from
9:30PM to 11:30 PM!

ROBERT KOOL BELL| LE KOOL CHAMPAGNE

BIO

For many years, Robert Kool Bell, Leader and Co-founder of Kool & The Gang, sought out Grand Cru Vineyards from owners that have been selling for generations and decided to work with Paul Berthelot a Multi-Vintage producer since 1884. Voila The Celebration Champagne was born! 

https://lekoolchampagne.com

EDDIE FONTNO

BIO

A native of the Bronx, New York, is most inspired by the brilliance and uniqueness of excellence within the African American culture. The subjects of his work have all possessed a transformative greatness, which paved the way and changed the lives of many, providing a guiding light for the world around them. Fontno takes a subtle approach and focuses on that “light” to capture the detailed nuances through his usage of graphite and oil paint (black and white) that enhances the contrast between light and dark. Fontno’s never-ending quest to find truth and beauty in its most natural form is reflective in the choice of figures in his pieces; paying homage to those who have in some way shaped his view of the world and positively affected his evolution as an artist, father and man. Fontno attended the High School of Art & Design in New York, New York and Howard University in Washington, DC. His work has been displayed in the White House (Madam Vice President Kamala Harris’ private office) and the much-acclaimed October Gallery in Philadelphia, Pa. He has also been commissioned for portraits throughout the Northeast region.

Website: www.eddiefontno.com