One of the hottest places for comedy right now is Atlanta and last night was no exception as over 30 local comedians recorded audition sets for Russell Simmons All Def Digital hour special. There are so many talented comics in Atlanta that one night is not enough to feature all of those worthy of a shot at a much-coveted television appearance (second round will be held on August 17th).
As I took a few moments to interview the majority of the comics that were taping there was plenty of anxious, nervous energy from the newer comics and a quiet confidence from the more seasoned veterans. Auditions were taped in front of a sold out, live audience and the energy of the crowd kept going as each of the comedians gave their best 4 minutes. Comedienne Ms. B is no stranger to taping in front of a live audience you can see her on season 2 of Bounce TV’s Off the Chain. She opened the show and proudly spotlights her Haitian roots whenever she hits the stage. Backstage I was able to get a few moments with the host of the show, Cory “Zooman” Miller, whose first television appearance was on Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam. Miller credits Russell Simmons not only with giving him TV credits but also inspiring him to practice yoga. He demonstrated a few poses for me as he joked about doing yoga in the bank so that he didn’t have an altercation with the teller that was taking too long to cash his check. Comedian/actor Rod Minger, who recently appeared on an episode of Survivor’s Remorse on Starz, said he was responsible for setting the tone as he was going up early on the roster.
While most of the comics I interviewed kept it light there was a serious moment with Comedienne Dirty South as she talked with me about her over 17 years of doing comedy and how she was there for a shot at redemption. Dirty South says this time around she won’t let drug use get in the way of her career. A somber moment that passed quickly as she always makes light of any issues she’s had. I sat down with Kareem “Plug” Chapman, a name you may not know yet but you will, he will be featured on Kevin Hart’s new Comedy Central series coming in the fall/winter of 2016. He said, “It’s another night of work for me.” That sentiment was echoed by comedian/actor Hank Denson as we chatted about his career and how he’s had some videos go viral (over 6.3 million views) and created some trending hashtags #thejokedealer and #payteachersmoremoney. You can see him show off his acting chops in the latest installment of the Barbershop series, Barbershop 3: The Next Cut. He was humble as he thanked Atlanta Comedy Theater for providing the opportunity to keep putting Atlanta on the map as a place where your comedy career can take off. With entirely too many amazing and aspiring comedians in the building to mention them all basically, as Andre 3000 said 20 years ago, “The South got something to say.” It was about hip hop then, it’s about comedy now.
While most of the comics I interviewed kept it light there was a serious moment with Comedienne Dirty South as she talked with me about her over 17 years of doing comedy and how she was there for a shot at redemption. Dirty South says this time around she won’t let drug use get in the way of her career. A somber moment that passed quickly as she always makes light of any issues she’s had. I sat down with Kareem “Plug” Chapman, a name you may not know yet but you will, he will be featured on Kevin Hart’s new Comedy Central series coming in the fall/winter of 2016. He said, “It’s another night of work for me.” That sentiment was echoed by comedian/actor Hank Denson as we chatted about his career and how he’s had some videos go viral (over 6.3 million views) and created some trending hashtags #thejokedealer and #payteachersmoremoney. You can see him show off his acting chops in the latest installment of the Barbershop series, Barbershop 3: The Next Cut. He was humble as he thanked Atlanta Comedy Theater for providing the opportunity to keep putting Atlanta on the map as a place where your comedy career can take off. With entirely too many amazing and aspiring comedians in the building to mention them all basically, as Andre 3000 said 20 years ago, “The South got something to say.” It was about hip hop then, it’s about comedy now.
By Alithfya “Leele” Fraction
