ATLANTA — For more than two decades, actor and comedian known professionally as Kelly K-Dubb, has built a career through stand-up comedy, acting and writing.

Born in Cleveland, Mississippi, raised in Memphis, and an Atlanta staple for 25 years, K-Dubb has used comedy to connect with audiences throughout his career.

K-Dubb’s passion for performing started early in life when he was named class clown in high school.

“I got class clown in the ninth grade,” K-Dubb said. “So that kind of like sparked everything, that class clown thing. And I just kind of chased it from that point on.”

K-Dubb said his mother’s love for comedy also played a foundational role in inspiring his path.

“I kind of did comedy for my mama,” K-Dubb said. “Laughing was part of my mother, and laughing became part of me. It makes me younger, makes me happy, makes my mama happy.”

A high school teacher named Mr. Brown encouraged K-Dubb’s creativity by asking him to bring new jokes to class every day. Shortly after graduating in 2001, K-Dubb moved to Atlanta to pursue entertainment full time.

Over the years, comedy became more than just a career for K-Dubb. It became a vehicle for personal growth and opened doors throughout his journey.

“Comedy gets me through doors that I’d have never got through being myself, being me,” K-Dubb said.

Throughout his career, K-Dubb has performed on major comedy platforms and television shows, including HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, P. Diddy’s Bad Boy of Comedy, Shaquille O’Neal’s All Star Comedy Jam, Wild ’N Out, and All Def’s Roast Me, while touring all over.

Family remains one of the biggest influences in K-Dubb’s life. He credits his father, grandfather and uncles, many of whom worked as mechanics, for shaping his perspective and work ethic.

That background directly influenced his acting, particularly his role as Jimmy the Mechanic in the film franchise Da’Partments and its sequel, Da’Partments Part Two, which was released earlier this month. Rather than relying on stereotypes, K-Dubb drew motivation directly from his upbringing.

“My dad was a mechanic, my uncles were mechanics,” K-Dubb said. “It wasn’t the oil, it was the demeanor that they had. So I can play this character forever.”

Much of his performance on screen comes down to raw instincts and improvisation.

“Everything I did, 100 percent of everything I did, maybe 99.99 percent of everything I did was ad-lib,” K-Dubb said.

Early in his Atlanta journey, K-Dubb developed a solid friendship and creative partnership with hip-hop icon, actor and philanthropist T.I. The two met in 2001 when T.I. was an emerging rapper before rising to international stardom.

K-Dubb recalled T.I. having a genuine passion for comedy from the beginning, often asking about comedy shows and opportunities around the city decades ago. Years later, K-Dubb introduced T.I. to the stage for his first stand-up comedy performance.

“Man, I said, ‘Coming to the stage, y’all give it up for comedian TIP Harris!’” K-Dubb said. “I knew he could go on stage and tell jokes because that’s all he ever cared about around me.”

That moment grew into years of stand-up tours, open mic performances and film collaborations between the two, including the 2019 film The Trap, “Da Partments’. Da Partments Part Two was released earlier this month.

Watching T.I. develop in stand-up gave K-Dubb a firsthand look at his evolution as a performer.

“Sitting in the back of the room listening to Tip, I realized he really had something,” K-Dubb said. “Then he went on to do things comedians have never done, putting together specials, movies and tours.”

Even after decades in the industry, K-Dubb embraced returning to the basics to sharpen his material.

“Tip made a tour out of it and got us back out there,” K-Dubb said. “I found myself doing open mics again in 2022, twenty one years after I first started doing standup, and it was an incredible experience.”

In addition to his work with T.I., K-Dubb is a key presence alongside members of the HaHa Mafia, including Tyler Chronicles, Erica Duchess, Ronnie Jordan, Navv Green, and Jayski. K-Dubb also played a role in connecting talent across the Atlanta comedy scene, including introducing actor and fellow comedian DC Young Fly to T.I. in 2014.

For K-Dubb, working within the collective provides a creative sounding board while allowing everyone to push the boundaries of their craft.

“Working with them has been an advantage,” K-Dubb said.

After more than two decades in entertainment, K-Dubb remains grounded in who he is and grateful for his journey.

“I don’t care about all that because I already live good,” K-Dubb said. “I’ve been blessed.”

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