By Morgan Severson, CNN | Photographs by Austin Steele, CNN

Atlanta (CNN) — Over the past two decades, this city has reimagined its industrial past by transforming former railway corridors into the Beltline — a 22-mile loop of mixed-use trails now woven into the fabric of city life.

Lined with parks, shops, restaurants and public art, Atlanta’s Beltline has become much more than a path for foot traffic. It’s a hub for the city’s community — a place where skateboarders zip past street performers playing makeshift drums and couples push strollers past murals of rappers.

Bustling and brimming with life, some parts of the trail are so popular, it’s hard for most cyclists to weave their way through the crowds. Among the over 2 million visitors the trail attracts each year, few are as unique as Beltline Kevin.

Kevin Randolph, 61, visits the Beltline almost daily, gliding past pedestrians in his rollerblades while smiling and singing.

The former long-distance runner with bad knees took up rollerblading during the pandemic to stay active. He added singing to his routine when he said it seemed like people were afraid to interact after quarantine.

“The Beltline is not a place to be tense,” he said. “You could feel the tension — cut it with a knife.”

In his early days of performing on the Beltline, Randolph said people didn’t understand what he was doing.

“Now they come up to me and sing with me, dance with me,” he said. “This is what we used to do in the South. That’s part of why I do it now, just so people can get back to being nice to people.”

Randolph sings a range of songs from artists like Celine Dion to Gwen Stefani. One of his favorites to perform is “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus because he said everyone knows it.

“I was singing The Beatles yesterday, and someone told me to create a playlist on Spotify,” he said. “I’d say I have a good 100 songs that I really, really like, and then probably 20 of them are my favorites.”

Randolph said he spends two to three hours a day rollerblading, covering over 300 miles a week. His usual gear for a skating session: a tank top, shorts, his favorite roller blades with rainbow laces and headphones covered with Ziploc bags. He uses the bags to prevent his sweat from damaging his headphones.

“I’ve gone through three or four pairs of $200 Beats not putting the plastic bag on,” he said. “So, I’m like, I don’t care what it looks like.”

His body is used to all of the physical activity — so when he takes a day off, it’s to rest his voice.

“I’ve always been a performer, dancer, singer,” he said. “My minor was ballet in college.”

Randolph might be the most educated street performer on Atlanta’s Beltline: he has an undergraduate degree in computer science and a master’s in math education. He was a middle school teacher and taught courses in the Navy. Yet, he’s always found a way to entertain others: he once sang in a gay men’s choir, performing at weddings, funerals and church services.

But, he explained, it didn’t always come easy.

“People would never believe that I was introverted and a nerd,” he said.

A Chicago native turned Atlantan in the 1990s, Randolph is considered an icon of the city, particularly on social media. He said he changed his Instagram username to beltlinekevin after local business owners started to call him “Mr. Beltline.”

Now, TikTok and Instagram users record their Beltline Kevin sightings.

TikTok user tara.abdi posted a video of herself walking on the Beltline and waving to Randolph as he passed by singing. She captioned the video: “this guy makes my day every time i go on the beltline :’) ILYSM kevin!!”

Another TikTok account with the username _kaydani posted a video of Randolph with overlaying text that says: “What’s the beltline without running into the beltline king?”

“I get approached by people looking for me on the Beltline and they come from other cities and countries,” he said. “The last time someone posted me, they got 3 million views.”

Randolph is among the wave of personalities that have found fame on the city’s Beltline.

Jack Naunau gained popularity on TikTok for his recommendations of Beltline shops and restaurants.

Celebrity barber Victor Fontanez, aka VicBlends, has racked up millions of followers for his inspiring videos on the Beltline, sharing life advice to strangers while giving them free haircuts. VicBlends even made a video giving a haircut to Randolph.

But despite all of the buzz about him on social media, Beltline Kevin said he doesn’t do any of it to be recognized.

“It’s sometimes lonely to be yourself because me, being so unique, there’s no club or clique or anything,” he said. “It takes an act of faith, it takes courage to not wear the clothes that everyone is wearing, to follow these set rules.”

Randolph has become a beloved figure in the community. To Randolph’s surprise, artist Matthew Jerome Simpson painted a Beltline Kevin mural on a pillar next to the trail.

“I’m not the average rollerblader,” he said. “I’m not the average person. I’m just Kevin.”

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