Over the phone, Druski fondly recalls his childhood in metro Atlanta. The comedian, born Drew Desbordes, remembers dancing with friends to Soulja Boy’s cult classic “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” when it debuted in 2007. He laughs when reminiscing about wearing big white T-shirts as a student at Shiloh Middle School in Snellville.
It was the snap era of Atlanta music that saw the rise of D4L, Travis Porter and Dem Franchize Boyz.
“We would wear these white T-shirts that were bigger than life over some blue jeans,” the 29-year-old said. “I think our parents were confused by it, but we felt like we were going to school as the coolest people on earth. And for me, it was even dumber because our school had a policy about tucking in shirts, so we had to tuck these big shirts into our jeans and try to make it look cool. Those were the days.”
Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
The Gwinnett County native aims to bring that same candy-coated nostalgia to his upcoming Coulda Fest. The inaugural music and comedy event will be held at State Farm Arena on Sept. 7.
Hosted by Druski and fellow Atlanta comedian DC Young Fly (Druski says he “couldn’t have done the event without him”), Coulda Fest will feature comedy sets and performances from Lil Baby, Kai Cenat, Soulja Boy, Waka Flocka Flame, Yung Joc, Young Dro, Roscoe Dash, Travis Porter, Baby Drill, Baby Kia, DJ Fresh and more. Special guests will also make appearances throughout the night.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
The star-studded event took a year to plan. Druski, who got his start by making viral sketches in 2017, said his satirical label Coulda Been Records partially inspired the festival. Launched in 2019 as an anti-talent show on Instagram Live, Coulda Been Records skyrocketed Druski to fame. The laugh-out-loud sessions feature Druski embodying the spirit of a no-nonsense label head (think Suge Knight or Birdman) who struggles to scout quality talent.
But what started off as a joke is creating a pipeline for other content creators to have the same viral success, said Druski.
Credit: Robb Cohen/Invision/AP
Credit: Robb Cohen/Invision/AP
“It is a comedic record label, but at the same time (it’s) also giving real opportunity to a lot of our artists. One of them is Ugliest Rapper Alive, who was on my (YouTube) show ‘Coulda Been House.’ He’s done some great things on his own without even any real help from us. He’s around big-name rappers now, we of course have him on the lineup.”
The label now has nearly 1 million followers on Instagram. Since then, he’s appeared in the music video for Drake’s “Laugh Now, Cry Later” and collaborated with other A-listers like Jack Harlow and Kevin Hart. Last year, he made his acting debut in Peacock’s “Praise This,” which starred Chloe Bailey.
With the festival, Druski wants to celebrate the city that continues to influence his career. Growing up in Atlanta impacts nearly every facet of his artistry ― from the way he approaches comedy to his fashion sense. He credits Atlanta’s dance and snap era for really shaping who he is as a comedian, which is reflected in the lineup for Coulda Fest.
Almost all of the artists are huge staples in Atlanta culture.
“Atlanta is just everything to me. I grew up in Atlanta from when I was 1 year old. I think Atlanta is like the mecca of everything — all entertainment, Black entertainment, music, dance, culture, comedy. I could go on for days. I have to give Atlanta a lot of pieces of my success, just because if I grew up anywhere else, I don’t know if I would be the same person.”
Credit: Abiel Esau Garcia
Credit: Abiel Esau Garcia
Atlanta is also responsible for one his most recent viral moments. In June, he appeared on a joint livestream with Kevin Hart and Kai Cenat from the latter’s Atlanta home. The stream garnered over 700,000 viewers.
Druski said he has plans to announce a big project with Hart and Cenat soon, but, in the meantime, he promises Coulda Fest will be a night to remember.
“There will be lot of laughs, a lot of surprise moments, a lot of random special guests and a lot of big, huge moments. It’ll be all over social media that night.”
IF YOU GO
Coulda Fest
7 p.m. Sept. 7. $39-$275. State Farm Arena, 1 State Farm Drive, Atlanta. 404-878-3000. statefarmarena.com.
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