“United We Roar” was originally meant to be a short reference track for a docuseries about Atlanta’s soccer culture. But when the first version landed, the reaction was pretty immediate: Wait. Why is this only a minute?
“So the song originally was supposed to be a minute,” DJ Eu said. “When we sent you guys the first reference, everybody was like, no, this actually needs to be a song song.”
And just like that, the assignment got bigger.
The result is “United We Roar,” a genre-bending track that pulls from Atlanta hip-hop, HBCU drumlines, Dembow, salsa, cumbia and the many cultures that make up the Atlanta of today.
Co-produced by DJ Eu, Chunky and Joey Casanova, the song features Butch Vega, Calderoky and a voice that needs little introduction in Atlanta: Waka Flocka Flame.
The mission? Make something that sounds like the city.
Simple enough, right?
Not exactly.
It Starts with the City
Chunky Sounds, DJ Eu and Joey Casanova, co-producers of “United We Roar”(Photo by Andrew Clark)
First, DJ Eu, official DJ for Atlanta United FC, was tasked with the project, but he quickly pulled in Atlanta music producers Chunky Sounds and Joey Casanova.
They came into the studio with a big idea but no exact blueprint.
“Bridge old Atlanta to New Atlanta with the international melting pot that Atlanta is today,” DJ Eu said.
That was the vibe.
But figuring out exactly what that sounded like took some experimentation.
“We really had no idea what those sounds were, but it really was that direction,” he said.
The first ingredients started coming together in the studio through sampling, with a drumline helping set the tone. The choice was intentional: a nod to Atlanta’s HBCU culture and the unmistakable energy of a drumline in full force.
From there, everyone brought their own superpower.
Chunky handled the drum programming. Joey Casanova helped shape the ideas, recording and overall sound. DJ Eu helped steer the creative direction and bring all the pieces together.
“Chunky’s a monster with the drum programming,” DJ Eu said. “Joey’s super sick with just putting all the ideas together and recording and doing what we needed.
The squad was complete.
Well, at least behind the boards.
Add Some Trap, Salsa, and Maybe a Trumpet.
Chunky Sounds and DJ Eu (Photo by Andrew Clark)
The production team knew one thing: If they were making a song about Atlanta in 2026, it couldn’t sound like Atlanta from just one perspective.
The city is global. The music needed to be, too.
With Puerto Rican and Colombian influences in the room, Latin sounds naturally found their way into the production.
“I think us in the production room just coming together and us being Puerto Rican, you know, it’s like we gotta add that influence, that Dembow, you know, that salsa,” Chunky said.
So they did.
Dembow rhythms. Salsa. Cumbia. Reggaeton influences. And because, apparently, the song still wasn’t flavorful enough, they brought in live trumpet to give the track even more sabor.
The point was to make diverse sounds part of the same conversation.
Once the production had its groove, the team needed voices that could match it.
First up: Butch Vega.
“To bring in that Atlanta rap element, but with the Latin flair, there’s only one guy in the city, and his name is Butch Vega,” DJ Eu said.
For Vega, the opportunity was a chance to represent what he sees as new Atlanta while still respecting the city that helped create the sound in the first place.
His lyrics are packed with Atlanta references, including Chick-fil-A, Waffle House, Atlanta United and Arthur Blank.
Vega brings the rap history, the attitude and the city’s raw energy to the track.
Then there’s Calderoky, the Colombian artist who calls Atlanta home, who brings a Spanish-language twist to the song.
Together, the two artists represent different versions of Atlanta, and that was exactly the point.
Butch brings the Atlanta rap DNA. Calderoky brings melody, Spanish and Latin influences.
Here’s the wild part: They didn’t even write their sections together.
Both artists worked independently, without sitting in the same room or building off each other’s lyrics in real time. But when the song was finally assembled, the two parts clicked. Like they had planned it that way all along.
Vega didn’t hear Calderoky’s contribution until the song started coming together, but the melody became one of the pieces that helped tie everything together.
Different voices. Different approaches. Same track.
Very Atlanta.
But Something Was Still Missing
Waka Flocka Flame recording “United We Roar” (Photo by Sheretha Bell)
The beat was there. The Atlanta references were there. The global influences were there. But the producers felt like the song was still missing one thing.
And then someone threw out a name: Waka Flocka Flame.
What might have started as a bit of a “What if?” quickly became real. And it actually made perfect sense. Waka isn’t just one of Atlanta’s most recognizable hip-hop voices. He’s also a real fan of Atlanta’s soccer culture.
“He’s also a super fan of the Atlanta soccer culture,” DJ Eu said. “He goes to the games, he’s a fan. So it was just perfect to bring him into a song that represented the Atlanta soccer culture because he loves it. He’s behind it.”
Waka Flocka and the producers in the studio recording “United We Roar” (Photo by Sheretha Bell)
Waka came in and added ad-libs and chants, bringing that unmistakable Atlanta energy without turning the track into a five-minute song.
“Trap with salsa?” said Waka. “Yes, I have to do a track with trap and salsa.”
Combining genres was a plus for Waka. “There is more depth to Atlanta,” said Waka. “Because when we start separating music, we start separating people. So, in Atlanta, we have to make [genres] coincide with each other.”
For Butch Vega, getting the chance to work with him was a full-circle moment.
“If you would have told 12-year-old me, 13-year-old me that I’d be working with Flocka when I grew up, crazy,” Vega said. “So, like, milestone in my career for sure.”
Not bad for a song that was supposed to be one minute long.
From Atlanta to the World
Calderoky shooting the music video for “United We Roar” (Photo by Daniela Cintron)
“United We Roar” accompanies a docuseries that follows Atlanta United’s six largest supporter groups and explores how soccer has become a meeting point for communities across the city.
That’s important because Atlanta’s soccer story isn’t just about what happens on the field.
It’s about the people in the stands.
The supporters’ groups. The chants. The jerseys. The families. The lifelong Atlanta residents and newcomers. The people who grew up with Atlanta hip-hop and the people who brought their own cultures and sounds with them.
Soccer became the common language.
“United We Roar” captures something bigger than a sporting moment.
It captures a city that has decided soccer belongs here.
“United We Roar” Takes the Stage
Now, the track is getting ready for its next chapter.
“United We Roar” will be performed live for the first time at the Sound + Vision event at Loom by The Goat Farm on Sept. 12, bringing the producers and artists behind the song together onstage.
For Butch Vega, that’s where the excitement really kicks in.
“Excitement. Excitement,” he said. “And just the fact that we get to be on stage together. It’s been a while since we’ve all been on stage together as a group, so it’s like, this is going to be a huge milestone for us.”
And honestly, that’s kind of the perfect ending—or maybe the beginning.
Daniela Cintrón is an award-winning journalist, editor and producer passionate about storytelling at the intersection of food, art, and culture. She is the senior content manager and editor for Discover Atlanta and has contributed to publications like the Los Angeles Times, Atlanta Magazine and Eater.
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