Photo: Bita Honarvar, bhonarvar@ajc.com
Dancer Simone Neal applies makeup before performing at the Magic City club in Atlanta. These days, “The regulars aren’t so regular,” said Neal, 27, who drives from Florida to dance here. “I have to watch my money more closely now.”
From AJC:
She’s stunning, even in sweats. But Leilani Burkhead’s got her work cut out for her. It’s 9 p.m. on a weeknight, time to hit the stage at Atlanta’s Magic City strip club.
She slips out of her sweats and half-jokingly mumbles something about getting geared up to work the room.
It’s an about-face from a few years ago when money rained down on dancers at this and other Atlanta adult-entertainment clubs like free-flowing Dom Perignon. Like the rest of the economy, adult dance clubs feel the pinch. The sluggish economy and closer police scrutiny have put about a dozen out of business in the past decade. And the regular patrons aren’t so regular anymore.
But that hasn’t slowed the would-be dancers lining up to apply for the $350 permit to work in the city’s 19 clubs, Atlanta police say. Among the usual aspiring actresses and dancers, there are more college students, single mothers trailing toddlers, health and office professionals and even a few age-defying grandmothers — all looking for well-paid work in a city with unemployment above 10 percent.
“We have them coming in daily looking for work,” says Michael “Lil Magic” Barney Jr., the 28-year-old general manager of Magic City, a downtown Atlanta fixture founded by his father.
For Simone Neal, another Magic City dancer, club work is her ticket to becoming the first in her family to go to college. Essentially working as an independent contractor, she estimates she earns $50,000 after paying a nightly fee to the club and tips to DJs and the house mother.
“I love to dance,” said Neal, a petite 27-year-old who drives four hours from Florida to dance in Atlanta. “I thank God for everything I make.” Read More…
Photo: Bita Honarvar, bhonarvar@ajc.com
Magic City dancer Leilani Burkhead (seated) talks to another dancer in the lounge and dressing area. Burkhead, a single mother with a day job at an orthodontist’s office, works here to pay bills including her 9-year-old son’s school tuition. “I didn’t want to dance, but you’ve got to do what you have to do,” she said. Atlanta police report a rise in applications for the $350 permits required for strippers.
Photo: With Brook Lynn in Mind
Magic City dancer Brook Lynn has a book deal and is busy preparing for the release of her paperbook novel “With Brook Lynne in Mind”. In between twirling on the pole for her regular customers on Magic City’s busiest nights, she promotes her book on Twitter while raising her son. Brook’s boyfriend, a popular local DJ and music producer, has no problems with his girlfriend dancing for ballers.
Two thumbs down.
:omg: and
*clutches pearls*
skrippers
Iscream wrote a book :coffe: ………..
I think it’s very funny that people try to justify their sexual deviances by the likes of excuses such as ‘paying bills’.
.why does Leilani Burkhead look like Natalie(a little) with a mini surf board chin ….
LOL @ VI
I have a daughter named Leilani. I love to play What NOT to do with her. We will be reading this tonight!
S/N @ Simone Neal: Maybe its that makeup? Your “regulars arent so regular” and your makeup isnt either… #directcorrelation?
This post made me want to go and get a Donald Goins (sp) book.
& maybe they can’t get no money because there aren’t any straight men in Atl to make it rain on them. I bet you the shim strip clubs aint complaining…
@VIBaby
Unless the author is swinging from poles like a monkey in the zoo with their birthday suit on….. yeah you gets no post on here.
Damn! So u mean to tell me that the only thing you can go is strip? Shit if I lose my job I’ll be at Mickey D’s before I let some nasty man defile me.
(thanking my mother for stressing education to my sister and I growing up)
I thought Brook doesn’t work at Magic City anymore Sandra?
I come in here looking for “magic city” pics and you then posted this long azz story…I save my reading for class (sigh)
@Civil tell us why u mad son
Brooke is tweeting on twitter right now about she cant believe sandra rose said that was her boyfriend!! lol but who even cares who her boyfriend is! who is brook anyway? brook who?
You can do other things beside stripping to get thru college or send your son to school, GET A JOB!
WOW!! When in doubt, go strip!! Becuz it will “pay ya bills”.. My advice, Pray,Pray, Pray- you dont need to run to no strip club!! God will help those that help themselves!! I swear that’s just weak, lazy excuse, and very self degrading .. No matter what bills need to be paid, its not worth your soul… I really feel bad for these women, if that’s all you got to offer..
Unless the author is swinging from poles like a monkey in the zoo with their birthday suit on….. yeah you gets no post on here.
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I’m not judging them for making quick cash. I’m hoping that they will either use this as a temporary crutch or spend the money wisely. Like, buy a house and pay off your nice cheap Honda…don’t fall into the trap of becoming a broke stripper.
@Nikki B
Question. (Don’t take offense)
How can you say who is Brooke in one breath and admit to following her on twitter in another?
I’m so thankful my parents made me go to college!! MOM and DAD I love you and happy anniversary!!!
Is it just me or are these people afraid to file for financial aid…shooo i did, I was able to get grants too and scholarships. Sure I have to pay some back but I got that ish consolidated and I make more them them at an office with my clothes on…just saying.Folks need to stop acting like they too good to borrow and get on that FAFSA website!
Amen @cheeks!! Sallie Mae will be on my payroll for a while though
heyyyy CE!
@ civil…mine too but hey, they set it up to where u pay a certain amount each month…I pay more when I have a little more (i.e if i work overtime in the office or i have a lil extra money) ..shooo that loan ain’t going nowhere, they already gave me my degree…also, as long as you pay it they are not trippin, you can chage the due date and all lol!
Make that money hoe; don’t let it make you
any excuse it’s called overnight or part time job but to each it’s own I guess I don’t want to share all my goodies with the world but that’s just me. And I went to the strip club and they were not making it rain. I ain’t popping my monkey for 1$ bills when I can get a man and pop it for him and get his check…Thanks for the knowledge grandma”….
I used to want to be a stripper. #dontjudgeme
I guess it was the lifestyle, and at the time, I loved dancing. I think everyone expresses themselves differently and through different ways. I respect women that can get up there.
wasn’t Chardonnay, the chick from Ray J’s show from ATL?
I think it’s just a pride thing why women strip; some people wouldn’t be caught dead behind a McDonald’s counter and stripping is more ‘respectable’ intheir eyes. Like most said, upbringing has a lot to do with decisions we make but at the same time, there IS and will always be a demand for strippers…It’s a dirty job but somebody’s gotta fo it.
I follow Brook on twitter b/c I am super nosey. Anyway, two nights ago she was beefing with somebody from the club about this chic by the name of Loma?? She stated that this Loma person got her fired. Sandra do you know the scoop on that? I get the impression b/c she is steping outside the “stripper box” some may be a tad bit jealous? Meaning her stripper peers, IDK just a thought. I also didn’t know she had a son, I am not sure she ever mentioned him on twitter. She also did a interview on baller alert a while back talking about her life. She stated that she’s working on the completion of her book and has enrolled back in school. Lol, following a variety of folks on twitter, makes up for the days when there isn’t crap on tv. #nojudgementhere!
BROWNSUGAPOET Says:
wasn’t Chardonnay, the chick from Ray J’s show from ATL?
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I believe she was from ATL. She was sooooo pretty to me. I hope she doesn’t strip anymore.
You can dress it up, package it however you want. The bottomline is that they are selling ASS simple and plain, no different from prostitution. You can get money however you want just don’t “expect” people to have to respect you. A lot of the strippers have mentality that you don’t have to like what they do and it really don’t matter to them, and everybody has to accept it. The reality is that nobody “has” to except anything anybody does, they need to accept the repercussion that comes with doing what they do.
The same way drug dealers and everybody else. I never understood how people put strippers or jump off on a pedestal. I knew A LOT of dancers back in the day and majority of them were f**ked up indivduals that would sell you out if the price is right, and price would fluctuate depending on what the financial situation was like at the time. Sometimes you could some p**y for $100, but when the money is good you may had to pay $5000. I wouldn’t trust anybody that doesn’t have a problem selling themselves, they would definitely sell you out! Holla
The whole stripping and paying for school thing will never sit well with me…thats just me though. My mom said do what you gotta do to get where you wanna get but don’t do anything that you’re gonna be ashamed of if it shows its head in public.
Hey BROWN
@cheeks…I’ve heard that about student loans. Just wish I would have finished before my scholarship ran out but the last 2 years have been way more interesting than the 2 years I was in biochemistry and premed at that…what was I thinking!!
I remember being at Club Nikkis one time, and there was this dude, that held one or two dollar bills and he told the stripper on stage, bend over, open the p**y up, put in finger in it, play with urself. And she did all of it and then he dropped the 2 dollar bills on her like he did something. I thought it was funny.
dblaq Says:
I remember being at Club Nikkis one time, and there was this dude, that held one or two dollar bills and he told the stripper on stage, bend over, open the p**y up, put in finger in it, play with urself. And she did all of it and then he dropped the 2 dollar bills on her like he did something. I thought it was funny.
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@Ms.kaylamomma-I won’t judge you….. just give you a *SEOD*
@Sandra
Is this the same Leilani that was a real estate broker in the Warren Sapp post? If so…SMH…that recession ain’t no joke…
Heyyyyyyyyyyyy Civil…I see you got your man-candy pic back up….
@dblaq I went and this girl had a glass dildo and the dude was using it on her all will dropping 1$ bills and he got up to 20$ and stop. I’m like wtf I can get more out of my baby daddy if I let him rub his fingers across it.
It ain’t for me but I ain’t knocking em, that shyt is for he birds if I’m twerking this cat I need some big chips….
Hey renegade!! Just for you…it’s temporary though until I load some new pics to my computer
ATL_Reese Says:
WOW!! When in doubt, go strip!! Becuz it will “pay ya bills”.. My advice, Pray,Pray, Pray- you dont need to run to no strip club!! God will help those that help themselves!! I swear that’s just weak, lazy excuse, and very self degrading .. No matter what bills need to be paid, its not worth your soul… I really feel bad for these women, if that’s all you got to offer.
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AMEN Brother! These women obviously don’t trust in God or something. Have no Faith in God whatsoever! Stripping and showing my ‘stuff’ is NOT worth me burning in H*ll!!
and is it really that smart to burn your gas out driving to ATL what Rick Ross the boss ain’t dropping them singles in MIA????
@ civil I did the same thing except I started out as a MIS major…after that statistics class and the devil worshiper who ran it scared me away from that major I switched teams to marketing and international business…I still had some of the grants and scholarship money left so I basically only have to pay my last 2 years back…u where a pre med major huh…well aren’t u the smart one, u stuck with engineering i see so ur good…keep on keeping on, it pays off in the long run…trust!!!
Nichelle, I got stories for days, I mean these chicks would eat eachother our for FREE, they would serve dudes in VIP or in the back of the corner. A chick kept popping pool balls out of her cooch and a apple, that shit looked really disgusting.
I knew some dudes that would go to the strip club with long shirts pull their wieners out while strippers were lap dancing, some didn’t care as long as there was extra!
lmao. one of my friends said he saw a chick shoot dice with her cooch! damn, if i up and shot some dice for my husband he’d probably leave my ass!
hmmmmmm $50,000…….that number doesn’t sound right, TELL ME deez females make MORE money than that!! I don’t want to believe they expose and de-value themselves for 50,000 GRAND A YEAR….somebody explain….is it 50,000 in 3-6 months…like for real, I know that could get a job….hell A NAIL TECH, and HAIR STYLIST could make more than that!!!!! Stripping ain the only job you could have and create your own hours and still make enough money to PAY BILLS, SPLURGE, AND GO TO SCHOOL….they need to come up with better excuses.
If you like to show azz and get paid in the process of doing so, just say that…..YOU WANT TO SHOW YA AZZ, GET PAID, AND LIVE VICARIOUSLY THROUGH THE LIVES OF THE RICH PEOPLE WHO FREQUENT THE CLUB, because thats as close as your going to get with $50,000 a year.
I also don’t understand the strip to pay for school thing. I am on my third degree and striping never entered the picture. Like others have said there is FASFA, grants, and scholarships to help u out.. I will be knee deep into debt but at least I went about it the right way, there will be no skeletons in my closet…
@krysi j.
i agree. i get so confused as to HOW this is a viable option. i guess they’re not in a logical state of mind…stripping would be THE last thing i’d consider as an job opportunity.
@cheeks…I try. If I was really smart I would’ve started in engineering. I just don’t have the mind for impractical thought. I need to see the point of it all and teaching me evolution, the big bang theory and how we all started as bacteria just never seemed feasible
And I believe what you said, it’ll all work out in the end…as soon as I get across the stage
Oh and statistics is just not interesting and I think all the Drs of Stats have to be weird in some form. Mine was just annoying as hell but atleast he didn’t worship the devil
Aint nothing new about stripping. I don’t hate on those that choose to shake their asses for a dollar. That’s on them. But glad I was raised to stay away from such professions.
I don’t hate on stripping at the end of the day, it’s a way to make ends meet. I personally don’t know anyone who slides down a pole to make a living, I take that back I do know a firefighter lol. But I’m most definitely not knocking these young ladies’ hustle, although I know they are making nowhere near what they used to make.
@ 47 That whole “stripping to pay for school” shtick is a cop-out. A girl who graduated from my high school who used to strip did it because she likes to keep her hair done, her nails done, and $125 sneakers on her feet. Most of the women who strip while in college do it to maintain a certain lifestyle. I’m currently in college, but my family is financially stable enough to be able to provide me with spending money, plus I’m on a full-ride scholarship. But it’s a few girls on campus that I know who are here with financial aid paying for everything, that are doing “extra” stuff on the side to maintain their lifestyle.
@ civil…yeah i got cha on the “evolution theory” stuff. I had to take biology and for our final project we where asked to bacically put own own twist on an area of study we covered during the semester. My group got evolution…it was a few black people in the class and we all decided to do our final project together (like 4-5 of us). We proceeded to discuss how we believed that although the theory of evolution was well thought out with significant evidence we believed that the God all mighty greated us (man) and what not…it was quite a risk but we ended up with the highest grade :)…it was funny how we all basically went to church on the whole thing in the lecture hall….gotta love livin in the Bible belt…
I actually used to believe that some women stripped to pay their way through college until Chris Rock’s comedy routine. Even the chick above says she’s stripping because she wants to be the first one in her family to go to college. That sounds like she hasn’t started yet. She’s 27. What’s she waiting for? And am I the only one in the world who qualifies for student loans? I didn’t have to strip to go to college.
$50K could sound about right in todays environment. If you think about it. Most strip clubs boast at 75+ strippers on the weekend with about 10 – 15 clubs that means about a 1000 strippers gotta get paid!!! Thats a payroll for ya ass.
I hate to say but we never even looked at strippers as a women per se, they were more like toys that you could do whatever you would never dare to do to your own woman. It was fun to tell a chick to stick her finger in her booty hole because you knew you tell your girl that you in trouble ha and don’t let it be a bottle.
What the hell ever, as a college student I was broker than broke itself and I never resorted to stripping or turning tricks. I didn’t have financial support from my family because all they could afford was moral support, so I took that & I got myself a regular little work study job, along with my unpaid internships and lived within my means.
So all these women who want to prostitute themselves first by stripping, can stop lying to the public and themselves about why they’re doing it. If times are so hard, you scale down, give up a few things, not take of your clothes as a first option.
I get it, it seems like easy money to get close to bucket nekkid and shake something. I guess they figure they do it for free for some dudes anyways, so they might as well get paid for it right? However, how many strippers easily transition to full out hoes… uh i mean escorts (they’re classier right?) I dare say over 80%. And why not? I mean you’re already naked and they pay is usually a bit higher and you do less work than all that gyrating and acrobatics on stage for a couple of dollars.
These chicks act like their actions in the present don’t determine your future or affect it in any way. This is not some phase you’re going through, it’s a lifestyle that you enter and few people end up like Brook Lynn who still whores around BTW, even though she claims she makes “good money” off her offers. I suspect like most women who strip she has gotten addicted to the lifestyle and no amount of cash in hand will replace that rush she gets from selling herself.
Good luck becoming pseudo hookers to make it through this recession, folks like me give up premium cable, dine out twice a month max, clip coupons and buy only essentials and somehow make it without showing our tiddays to anyone who doesn’t deserve to see them
what do we know?
go to school and learn a damn trade its so easy for bitches to take they damn clothes off and dance around like hoes all night..lazy asses.no ambition to do anything worth while..
Maybe these ladies should consider school. Why is stripping an option? they make $60,000 or less a year, they might as well go to corporate america. These are all excuses to shake they ass in a mans face. And Brook is aight. I’ve read her blog but her grammar is pretty bad.
@Kara Z – Not close to bucket naked – they ARE bucket naked and show off their uterus as well!
My thing is if they choose to be THAT, then don’t run around demanding respect because you don’t respect yourself. If guys smack them on the ass or try to stick their fingers in their cooch, hey thats what they are there for.
I mean if you go to a buffet you don’t expect just to get one plate of vegetables. Do you?
Strippers fill a need, just like crack does.