At one point, Detroit wears a pair of earrings with the phrases BURY THE RAG and DEEP IN YOUR FACE. These are lyrics from "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" by Bob Dylan, which is a protest song about a poor African-American woman murdered by a wealthy white man. ("Bury the rag deep in your face/ Now's the time for your tears".)
Donald Glover originally planned to play the lead role of Cassius Green, but was unable to do so due to scheduling conflicts with Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). He recommended his Atlanta co-star LaKeith Stanfield for the role instead.
Director Boots Riley wanted to credit the claymation film within the film to Michel Gondry as a tribute to the director. Because the film was a parody he didn't legally have to clear the use of Gondry's name, but decided to reach out to him anyway to make sure he was comfortable with the homage. Gondry wanted stipulations put on the use of his name and after Riley agreed he received a message from Gondry's agents denying him permission to use his name anyway. Riley then changed the name of the director to Michel Dongry as an insult to express his frustration with him and announced he would continue insulting him in future movies until Gondry responded.
Boots Riley was the lead vocalist for the hip-hop group The Coup. He made the album "Sorry to Bother You" in 2012, which he then used in the movie, meaning he effectively made the soundtrack 7 years before the film.
Over 60 scenes were shot in 28 days.
Mistah F.A.B.: Bay Area rap legend Mistah F.A.B. makes a cameo as the passenger that drives by laughing at Cassius Green.