This Friday, January 12, four of comedy’s funniest voices—Cedric “The Entertainer,” Eddie Griffin, D.L. Hughley and George Lopez—are hitting the Barclays Center stage. To celebrate, we’ve dug up each of the four performers best hip-hop moments.
Although you might not even know it, chances are you’ve been a Cedric “The Entertainer” fan for as long as you’ve been a hip-hop fan. Aside from building a resume longer than Lil Wayne’s complete mixtape runtime, which includes hosting It’s Showtime at the Apollo and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, as well as starring in a handful of hit films, including 2002’s Barbershop, Cedric’s stand up can be found on the interludes of Nelly’s debut Country Grammar and JAY-Z’s Black Album.
In case you’re still not sold, however, his bit on the shocking difference between dirty and clean versions of hip-hop songs will likely do the trick. As it stands, Cedric is almost always ready to get down with a brand new hip-hop record; that is until a song goes from some clever, melodic whispering to an offer to see someone’s dick.
“I got in the car with my nephew and heard the real [“Wait (The Whisper Song)”],” Cedric recalls, exasperated. “I was like, ugh, I ain’t know they said that shit, man, damn! No wonder they whispering that is terrible. I got my little boy in the backseat, in the car seat saying ‘Wait till you see my dick.’ Hey! You got a choo-choo, you got a choo-choo.”
Actor-writer-producer-Tupac-lookalike Eddie Griffin will also be taking the stage this Friday and during his almost three-decade-long comedy career, Griffin has starred in numerous films, including Undercover Brother, Scary Movie 3, and Going to America, for which he won Best Actor awards at both the Los Angeles International Film Festival and San Francisco Global Movie Fest.
When he’s not appearing in Mariah Carey’s music videos or featuring on Dr. Dre’s 2001 or The D.O.C.’s Helter Skelter, Griffin has delivered great bits about the misunderstood paradox of gangsta rap. “The two don’t go together, it’s an oxymoron,” he assures his audience. “The first code of being a gangsta is what? Silence. If you a rapper, you talk too goddamn much. Homeboy, you never shut up! You telling all the damn business in the damn song!”
While amusing, Griffin’s commentary is also spot on. Some of the best gangsta rappers pen vignettes so vivid, it wouldn’t take more than an amateur detective to blow up an artist’s spot. “You name dropping motherfucker!” Griffin cries out. “Now we got to kill yo’ ass!”
More than a bit, Griffin’s stand-up can be read as a hilarious cautionary tale.
George Lopez’ name usually means comedy success. Following the success of his self-titled sitcom, Lopez hosted a late-night talk show entitled, you guessed it, Lopez Tonight. Most recently, though, he signed on to star in yet another sitcom, entitled Lopez, which is currently airing on TV Land. Are you noticing a theme here?
Last year, Lil Yachty made a guest appearance on Lopez, where he was busted for using the set without permission. Executing a bit with Lil Yachty makes George Lopez for the children, and nothing smells like Teenage Emotions more than this picture of George Lopez puffing on a cigar while rocking Lil Yachty tour merch.
Aside from starring in a score of films and his own namesake sitcom, The Hughleys, D.L. Hughley is also the author of the satirical Black Man, White House: An Oral History of the Obama Years. If the book’s title wasn’t enough of a clue, Hughley specializes in brazen political humor.
In that same breath, Hughley recently made an appearance on Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee, the latest album from the legendary Wyclef Jean. Behind the static crackle of “Double Dutch,” we get a taste of Hughley’s poignant and subtly ribalding political commentary. A sample from the We The Gods podcast, we hear Hughley speak of Jean’s being pulled over the by police and wrongfully treated like a criminal.
“Then I was reminded, in January, where [Wyclef] said… He basically alluded to the fact that all lives matter,” we hear Hughley recount on the song. “So, in January he was tweeting, all lives matter, but in March, he realized how hard it is to tweet when you’re handcuffed in the back of a police car.” From this quick sample, we see that Hughley’s humor is appropriately measured, but never dull.
Longtime fans already know that all four comedians have a deep love and appreciation for hip-hop culture, but for those previously unfamiliar, The Comedy Get Down is the perfect opportunity to play catch up. If these gems surprised you or made you laugh, make sure to pick up a ticket (or five) to Friday’s show.