Amid Proposed MARTA Name Changes, A Look At The History And Cultural Importance Of 'Bankhead'

This past summer, MARTA was considering renaming five train
stations in Atlanta. It was an effort to keep up with changes in
the city and to reflect surrounding neighborhoods. Today, MARTA
says no decision on renaming stations has been made, but that they
are currently refining the process of making those decisions in the
future. One station proposed to be re-christened: Bankhead. The
area was named after the highway that ran through it, which was in
turn named after an Alabama family. But the Bankhead name is
perhaps more closely associated with the torrent of rap and hip hop
that grew from Atlanta's Westside and nearby neighborhoods. So,
what's in the name "Bankhead"?