When I hear 1990s, the first thing I think about is my time at Howard University and that high-top fade hairstyle I used to have. I had to work really hard at it too. You had to find a barber who could cut it just right. It was the decade Atlanta really became a force in the music business—folks like Rico Wade, the Dungeon Family, Outkast, Goodie Mob, and TLC. At Howard, when you turned on the radio, it was very likely you’d hear an artist from home.
I graduated from law school in 1995, had my first job and was looking for my first place. I was a lawyer just getting started. I used to get to work really early. My dad was fanatical about this. He told me, “You’ve got to be there before anyone else.” So one morning, I’m reading the newspaper at 5:30 or 6, and there was a Colony Square condo listed for, I think, $72,500. I picked up the phone to make sure they weren’t joking. I wanted to shut this thing down. I was in full baby lawyer mode. I couldn’t practice my way out of a paper bag yet! I put the earnest money down and bought it that day. I still own it. My mother lives there now. It turned out to be a pretty good investment.
As told to Richard L. Eldredge
