Awful Records celebrates 10 years of music on June 15 at Terminal West in Atlanta. The label was founded by rapper and producer Father.
Father attended Georgia State as a student before deciding he wanted to launch a group of creatives who he believed could make it far. In the summer of 2014, Father released a song called “Look At Wrist,” which featured KEY! and ILoveMakonnen. KEY! was a former member of the Atlanta collective Two-9. Makonnen was a fellow underground artist at the time as well, months before releasing the track “Tuesday.”
“Look At Wrist” blew up — and so did Awful Records.
The group featured a host of artists, highlighted by Playboi Carti and ABRA. Since then, Carti has become a superstar in music. But the Awful’s success doesn’t stop there. In the era of the Awful Records blow-up in the mid-2010s, Atlanta had a surge of underground rap artists that had the youth in a chokehold.
Many of the artists worked with and performed shows together. Father went to Georgia State, the same school creatives like OG Maco and Mike WiLL Made-It went to around the same time. OG Maco blew up in the fall of 2014 with the single “U Guessed It,” which featured Key! Maco’s label, OGG, signed Doja Cat in 2015. 2015, Key! had a number of creatives record music in his family’s house on the East side of Atlanta in 2015, like 21 Savage and Post Malone.
Fast forward to 2024, Malone performed at the Super Bowl, while Doja Cat and 21 Savage have also become music superstars who headline arena tours. Doja Cat also headlined Coachella this year.
Illustrator Zack Fox was also a part of Awful Records. Fox has since become a successful artist, comedian, DJ and actor on ABC’s “Abbott Elementary.” Fox is also currently working on an anime series with Donald Glover.
Ahead of the Awful Records’ 10-year anniversary show, Awful member Coodie Breeze stopped by rolling out to reminisce on a special, short period in the Atlanta underground that launched the shape-shifters of mainstream pop culture a decade later.
What should people expect from the anniversary show?
First of all, 10 years is crazy. I’m grateful to be a part of the show, the brand and a movement for 10 years. Even before that because we were all friends before [Awful Records].
I don’t know what you should expect from the show. It’s going to be unpredictable, but it’s going to go up.
Awful Records, 10 years?
I look at it also being about everyone else that was around during that time, too. They’re also going to be able to be there to celebrate with us because they were also on the come-up. Anything anybody was doing — whether it was fashion, videos, photography — we all saw each other come up around that time.
Poudii, who’s a YouTuber with over a million subscribers, was a videographer around the city at that time.
Everything that was underground at that time. Ten years later, a lot of those people are big now.
Is Playboi Carti going to show up?
I don’t know.
Everyone should expect a lot of surprises. Even if it’s not going to be Playboi Carti …
As much as I’m ready to see everyone perform. I’m just ready to cut up and laugh with everybody because n—- are really hilarious. I hope Keith Charles comes back.
Some other artists might pull up. … Younger artists who are popping right now might be brought to the stage. You don’t know.
