(SPOILERS for this week’s Atlanta will be found below.)
It appears that the characters of Atlanta are getting spotlight episodes to close the final season of the series. Two weeks ago, we followed Earn and his family through a turbulent Sunday that included a battle between Earn’s mom and aunt over the care of their dad. Last week, we followed Vanessa through her time at a TV production studio. That resulted in her daughter Lottie getting several acting opportunities on set, but too many too fast for Vanessa’s liking. This week, Earn and Darius are back into the mix, but the spotlight is mostly on Paper Boi as the main character in the latest episode of Atlanta.
In this week’s episode, titled “Crank Dat Killer,” Earn and Darius notify Paper Boi about a murderer who’s been dubbed the “Crank Dat Killer.” The individual in question is so annoyed by the dances to Soulja Boy’s “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy),” as well as its remixes like “Crank Dat Super Mario,” “Crank Dat Batman,” and “Crank Dat Aquaman” (yes, these exist), that they decide to murder anyone they find who made a dance to it. Unfortunately, Paper Boi made one to a record called “Crank Dat Jimmy Neutron” and this is where things get wild. However, leave it to Earn and Darius to get into a mess of their own.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways that we have after season four’s sixth episode.
Soulja Boy Is The First Rapper To Have An Killer To Be Somewhat Named After Him
If you’ve followed Soulja Boy on social media over the past few years, you’re pretty aware that the rapper is the first to allegedly do a lot of things. Soulja Boy has long proclaimed that he is the first rapper to: be with Kim Kardashian, knock out Logan Paul, have his own game console, go to Atlanta’s Icebox jeweler, photobomb Kobe, take a selfie, and so much more (see the rest here). We can now add being the first rapper to have a killer to be ~somewhat~ named after him. In episode six of season four of Atlanta, Paper Boi learns about the “Crank Dat Killer,” and being that he made “Crank Dat Jimmy Neutron” a decade ago, is life is more or less at risk. Thankfully, he makes it out of the episode unscathed. But to have a whole killer named after your most popular song? Soulja Boy’s influence is there, for better or for worse.
If Soulja Boy Is Worried, You Should Be Too
It’s only right that Soulja Boy appear in the “Crank Dat Killer” episode, right? He checks in halfway into the episode when Paper Boi calls him for advice on the Crank Dat Killer. Real-life Soulja Boy isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone as we’ve seen him spar with Kanye West, The Breakfast Club (Draaake???), Tyga, and others. Despite all of this, Soulja Boy makes it clear that he has no intention of sticking around to meet the Crank Dat Killer as he quickly packs his things to move to somewhere safer. It’s at this moment that Paper boi realizes that the situation is much more serious than he initially thought. I mean, if Soulja Boy is worried, shouldn’t you be too?
It’s Okay, And Somtimes Better, To Say No
In “Crank Dat Killer,” Earn, Paper Boi, and Darius were all made offers to things that they didn’t really want to do. Paper Boi has been avoiding a rapper named Some Guy Named Doug who desperately chasing a feature from Paper Boi, who thinks Doug isn’t good enough for a song. Rather than just saying no, Paper Boi goes to grat lengths to avoid working with Doug. This includes pouring alcohol on the recording studio’s mxiing board to fry the system, as well as saying the WiFi in the studio went out. Paper Boi is successful in his attempts until Doug saves him from getting shot, leaving him no choice but to work with him on a song (which turn out to be a bad one).
As for Earn and Darius, they set out to buy a pair of Nike Miracles, and after a long search, they discover a reseller who has two pairs of the shoes in his van. Earn and Darius are more than ready to pay cash for the sneakers, but the seller requests that they kiss for eight minutes in exchange for the pairs. Earn is completely against it, but Darius really wants the shoes, so the two decide to kiss for a reduced time despite Earn’s strong objections. It all proves to be pointless as the seller is shot and killed by the same person that was chasing Paper Boi. Long story short, it’s okay to say no.
It Could Always Be Worse
This phrase is pretty much one you can say after every wacky episode of Atlanta. This week, Earn, Darius, and Paper Boi were all pushed to do things they really didn’t want to. Luckily for them, they made it out unscathed. Paper Boi gets chased down and shot at by someone that we initially assume is the Crank Dat Killer, but at the end of episode, Paper Boi reveals that it was actually someone from high school that he had beef with. Earn and Darius have to kiss for some Nike Miracles, but luckily for them, the length of their kiss is cut short when their reseller is shot and killed in front of them. It was a pretty wacky day for the Atlanta, which pales is comparison to Vanessa’s day with Lottie, from last week, and for that the trio should be a bit grateful because it could’ve been much worse.
FX’s ‘Atlanta’ airs on Thursdays at 10:00pm EST.
