Panther Lattimore

 Panther Lattimore is a living picture of why Soul Food Cypher exists: to pass the culture from one generation to the next. A true student of Hip Hop, Panther embodies the mission of Soul Food Cypher as a young leader entrusted with carrying that work forward.

As an artist, historian, researcher, DJ, and community leader, he has devoted himself to Hip Hop’s history and the traditions that have shaped it. In many ways, he is carrying the torch for his generation in the same spirit his mentor and Soul Food Cypher founder, Alex Acosta, did for his own.

Born in Cincinnati, OH and raised in Atlanta GA in Bankhead, Panther grew up with five sisters,  surrounded by music. His family introduced him to ’70s and ’80s legends, while his obsession with Guitar Hero 3 led him to pick up guitar, piano, and drums. Hip Hop entered the picture through car rides with his mom, who played clean versions of Eminem’s Recovery, Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III, and Kanye West’s Graduation. In sixth grade, Panther wrote and performed his first rap at a school talent show, but it wasn’t until high school that he began to dive deep.

From 10th through 12th grade, Panther joined the rap collective Project Fame and found himself surrounded by people who knew Hip Hop far beyond the hits. When a member asked him his favorite album, Panther realized he didn’t really have an answer—he knew the songs, but had never taken the time to sit with a full album. He started with J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive and Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city.

The obsession began.

Panther spent the next several years working through four decades of Hip Hop—studying its artists, albums, lyrics, and history. In the process, he became more than a fan, he became a scholar.

At Georgia State, that study took him into the Atlanta Rap Map, a digital map documenting the places referenced throughout Atlanta’s rap history. He helped trace hundreds of lyrical references, connecting artists, songs, albums, years, and locations across decades of Atlanta rap. The deeper he went, the more he began to see how the map reflected changes in the city itself—from the concentration of references in the inner city during the ’90s and 2000s to their gradual spread outward through displacement, gentrification, and Atlanta’s growth.

The project eventually brought Panther to one of Atlanta’s most historic Hip Hop spaces: The Dungeon. In November 2023, while presenting the Rap Map at the Dungeon, he crossed paths with Soul Food Cypher founder Alex Acosta. Impressed with the presentation, Alex invited Panther and his friend TK to the Cypher.

What Panther discovered at the Cypher was something he hadn't realized still existed.

It felt nostalgic—like being transported back to high school and into a culture he thought was disappearing. Panther didn't even know people were still freestyling. He had assumed freestyle rap and DJing were dying arts for his generation. Instead, he found a community actively practicing and preserving them.

Within months, Panther became SFC’s Community Manager, helping with communications, events, and community building. In April 2024, he traveled with Soul Food Cypher to France, presenting the Atlanta Rap Map at a museum while also facilitating a Cypher with SFC.

Panther quickly dove into his role as an organizer, but another pillar of Hip Hop soon found him.

When Panther told Alex he wanted to learn more about sampling, Alex introduced him to DJing. Panther had never considered it. Alex gave him an iPad and challenged him to learn. Two weeks later, Panther was DJing a members-only SFC Cypher. MC’s were stunned when they found out he was only 2 weeks into spinning. 

Today, Panther is one of Soul Food Cypher’s most beloved DJs and a vital leader in the community. He continues to write, make beats, study music, support SFC NEXT, teach kids at Kindezi, help organize events, and contribute wherever he is needed.

For Panther, that work is about service and stewardship—recognizing that Hip Hop is something he inherited from people who came before him and that he has a responsibility to care for it while creating space for those who come after him.

That perspective has been deeply shaped by Alex’s mentorship.

Panther speaks about Alex’s investment with a gratitude that is difficult for him to put into words. Alex saw things in Panther that he couldn't yet see in himself, opened doors, challenged him to grow, and continually put him in positions to succeed.

When Panther wanted to repay that investment, Alex gave him a simple answer:

“Don’t pay me. Just pay it forward.”

Panther has taken those words to heart. 

Today, he is a vital part of Soul Food Cypher’s continued growth and its mission to carry its vision into the generations to come. What began as a personal love for Hip Hop has grown into a life deeply connected to its history, its people, and its future. Through his service and stewardship as a Community Leader, DJ, and historian, Panther continues to honor that investment by preserving the traditions of freestyle rap and DJing for his generation and generations to come.