A Tip Top, Bus Top, Hip Hop Tour

It all began with a vague enquiry from a production company that had spotted my profile and decided I, Lee Cooper—a London black cab driver with a quirky streak and a deep-seated love for the city’s history—might be a good match for the cast of the hit American reality show, Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. The details were sparse at first; I was simply told that a group of lively, social media-savvy Americans needed a guide for a bit of sightseeing on an open-top bus. While I am usually found navigating my taxi through narrow backstreets to show off London’s hidden churches, nothing quite prepared me for the scene waiting for me at the Southbank. When I arrived, it was absolute chaos—a whirlwind of film crews, sound technicians, lighting rigs, and, of course, the stars of the show themselves.

Among the group were Lil Scrappy, a major figure in the Atlanta rap scene often called the "Prince of the South," and his partner Bambi. Despite the high-energy environment and the cameras following their every move, they were genuinely nice people. There was an entertaining bit of a "story" playing out between the two of them during the tour, and as their guide for the day, I couldn't help but lean into the moment. As we rolled past the magnificent Gothic towers of Westminster Abbey, I made sure to mention the royal history of the site. Given Scrappy’s regal nickname, it felt only right to connect the "Prince" to our royal traditions, especially as Bambi began playfully inquiring about the possibility of getting married in such a grand, historic setting.

The atmosphere on the top of the bus was electric. It wasn’t long before the London public began recognising them, leading to a chorus of shouts and waves between the stars on the deck and the fans on the street. It was all great fun, seeing the intersection of gritty Atlanta hip-hop culture and the traditional landmarks I know so well. After a few hours of navigating the city and sharing my knowledge of our capital's heritage, we eventually dropped them off at their hotel so they could get on with their hectic filming schedule. We stopped for a few photos and said our goodbyes, leaving me to reflect on what was, to say the very least, an entirely unexpected day out. One moment I was a tour guide chatting about architecture, and the next, I was right in the middle of a Hollywood production.