October 22, 2024 • 25 mins
Shawnnell Brown, the vibrant comedian and DJ lighting up Richmond, Virginia, joins us to share her incredible story from law school to the comedy stage, inspired by the likes of Chris Tucker. Chanel brings her unique flair and passion to the mic as she discusses her mission to create a thriving community for local comedians with her upcoming comedy mixer. Her journey serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of pursuing your passions and the joy of finding humor in the everyday. We also touch on the multifaceted nature of entertainment careers, exploring how comedians like Paris Sachet and Michelle Buteau are making waves across platforms including Tubi and Max.
Our episode wouldn't be complete without a shoutout to DJ Nelly B, who's ready to shake up the DJ community with her energy and beats. Listen in as she shares her excitement for the upcoming mixer in Richmond, a chance for DJs and music lovers to connect and groove. Nelly B's eagerness to collaborate shines through, whether she's spinning tracks or encouraging listeners to book her for their next event. From comedy to music, this episode is packed with insights and opportunities that highlight the vibrant tapestry of creative careers.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode
of the no id podcast.
This is your host, rome davis.
We're on a new season here.
I have music connoisseur,comedian host, producer, podcast
host mc.
You've seen at the dc improv.
She's got to work with peoplelike tony rock the one and only
chanel brown.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
How you doing hello, okay, few corrections.
Okay, I am not a musician, I ama dj, although some people say
that I should stop saying thatbecause djs are musicians, so
maybe I should embrace thatlet's embrace it yeah, okay,
let's.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Yeah, okay, how are you feeling?
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I feel great yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Okay, I came.
Well, I saw your post in theRichmond Virginia group.
I see that you have a comedymixer coming up and you're
putting on shows, trying tobring, I guess, a network of
comedians together as one.
How did that idea come about?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Okay, so I am originally from this area, this
Richmond, chester, virginia area.
I moved to DC after college and, after a long stint in Atlanta
for work, I started doing comedyin DC, which was really cool,
really fun.
(01:26):
But then I moved back to thisarea and I felt like, okay, I
have to build the community.
I don't know any comedians andcomedians to me are the best
people in the world likeliterally, hands down, so I,
(01:49):
hands down, so I usually I canbuild my community just going to
open mics and things like that.
But you know, I'm one of thoseI like to get things done.
So I said, let me just do amixer.
I don't have time to waste.
And this would be really goodbecause then I'll be able to
meet a lot of comedians and thenwhen I start producing my shows
at the top of 2025, I'llalready have a list of comedians
(02:10):
, kind of already have mynetwork and we can just get
rocking and rolling.
So that's basically why I'mdoing the mixer.
And then, of course, it's goingto be fun when we have some
good music, some food.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Are you DJing?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
You know what I was thinking about it.
And then I said I don't want to, I don't like.
I already have this stereotypeof doing too much.
And I said maybe I should leaninto it and then like DJ and do
like a little comedy set andthen like run around and plan.
And then I said you know what?
I'm not Cause I am, I am teamtoo much and I thought that
would just be too much Team toomuch.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Sometimes it's not.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
I'm on team too much.
Sometimes I could do the mostLike doing the most.
I think DJing would absolutelyhave been doing the most, but I
thought about it.
The fact that I even thoughtabout it says a lot about, I
think, my personality.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I think you should do it as a.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
DJ.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Yeah so.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I think you should do it.
I get a DJ.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
While I'm hosting.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah, you should be like yeah, coming to the stage
and he's like DJ.
And then you started doing yourset and he was like now we're
about to mix it up, ficky andboom, just bring it in.
And obviously I'm not a DJ,cause nobody makes a figgy figgy
noise anytime they beat you, Ido the air horns and then run up
on stage and run back.
Yeah, Hold on Intermission.
(03:29):
I got to go back to my set.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
No, don't do that, because I will.
And I have to calm down.
I got to stop Because I'll doit and then I'll blame you, and
then that's like one other thingthat people are going to say
that I'm just like I do the most.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Definitely.
How long have you been doingcomedy?
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I thought you were going to say how long have you
been doing the most.
No, I've been doing comedysince 47, the end of 20, so,
yeah, 2018.
Let's say, 2018.
What made you get into it?
Oh, my gosh, gosh.
So I've always wanted to be astand-up comic like.
That was my dream.
The first time I fell in lovewith comedy was when I watched
(04:14):
friday and I know, and christucker's character, um, smoky
right, yeah, I was likefascinated, and that was the
first time I actually like, like, was fascinated by comedic
timing and I didn't know what itwas.
At the time.
I was just like he is reallyfunny, like I don't, what is it?
(04:37):
I mean, obviously, chris Tuckeris a funny dude, but it was
something more like, um, therewas more of a science to it that
I noticed, I think at an earlyage, that I didn't.
I was like this isn't justregular comedy, this is
something he's like, there's,there's something to it.
And so I started studying itand I just used to watch that
movie, like back to back, and soI was like I want to be a
(04:59):
comedian, like I want to get onstage and just make people laugh
.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
And then my mom was like, my dad also was like girl,
what no?
So yeah, so I went to lawschool.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I can't make you laugh, but I can get you out of
jail.
That's pretty much what we'retalking about here.
I could do that, which isactually not funny.
But yeah, I find humor ineverything.
It gets me in a lot of trouble.
It has gotten me in some littletrouble, but I laugh.
I find the funny in everything.
And then so after law school, Igraduated in 2015, moved to DC
(05:44):
and I was like it always was inme.
I said I got to get on stage.
I have in 2015, moved to DC andI was like it's always was in
me.
I said I got to get on stage.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
I have to do this.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
So I went to like this little workshop thing and
did my first show and then justlike started doing more shows.
And then I got, I was affirmed,I think, by people who were
doing comedy for a while andthey told me you are a natural.
And I was like I don't thinkthey would say that if they, if
it wasn't true, and I keephearing it and I'm like I don't
(06:11):
think people would just lie,Cause I don't think the the
community that I would say this,the comedy community is very
nice.
I have noticed that we are.
We're very nice to each other,we support each other, but we
don't really lie to each other.
So, um, I didn't.
I was like, well, they can't belying, All these people can't
be lying.
Maybe I am a natural.
(06:32):
So then that's what gave methat confidence to keep going.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
You remember the first time you got on the stage.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yes, I do, and it was nerve wracking because I think
I'm naturally an anxious person,so I think.
But I also heard that that'snormal to feel that way and
that's actually a good thing.
But I was very, very anxious,very nervous, but also it felt
like I was at home.
(07:00):
That sounds very cliche, but Ifelt like in control, like I had
my mic, you know, but I felt incontrol.
I had my mic, I just felt incontrol.
I liked it.
I liked the feeling.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Do you remember the first time you bombed?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Um, okay, um, here's the thing.
All right, I hope this doesn'tsound but crazy.
I am a perfectionist, so I II'm not gonna say every set I've
done with good was good,because I've had some sets where
(07:37):
I don't think they were great,um, and I had a set where I just
completely forgot everything,which is maybe that was where I
bombed.
It was at the DC Improv Loungeand it wasn't the best set, but
I don't think I've bombedbecause necessarily, in the way
that we know what bombing means,it's because I over-prepare,
and that's honestly why Istepped away from comedy,
(08:00):
because it gave me so muchanxiety, because I over, like I
do, like I when I like, daysbefore my shows, I'm preparing
and preparing, and preparing andpreparing so that I don't bomb,
you know.
So I don't know if thatanswered your question.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
I had a bomb one time .
They threw a chicken wing at me.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
I don't believe you.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
I'm telling the truth .
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Were they black?
Okay, I get it passed.
You can't be white and throw achicken wing at a black man.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
No no no, it was at a bar.
The stage was in a corner.
The lady was at the bar.
For three weeks she keptmessing with me.
For three weeks I didn't saynothing.
Week four chicken bone.
She said something.
We started going back and forth.
(08:52):
Then they cut the lights offfor me, cut the mic off for me,
played music and I left.
I took a month off from comedy.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
I started podcasting, see see, we all have our story.
That's it.
That's what a chicken wing.
That's all it took.
Was it a big?
Speaker 1 (09:16):
one.
It wasn't a chicken wing, itjust I don't know.
I pride myself on being okay.
I was okay, I was okay.
I was still a fan of my voice.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
I think I was like maybe like four or five months
in oh, that's super early andyou got, and that's when I had
all and this is before we knewlike the etiquette of an open
mic.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Like I thought, at an open mic you had to do new
material.
At every open mic it was like,nah, man, you can do some old
stuff.
I did not know that.
My old yeah, I think I said Idon't even tell the joke, no
more, I ain't gonna get canceled.
But it was like you could findme at christian mingle
ass-Alaikum and boom, chickenbone.
(10:01):
And I was like all right, Isaid let me do a podcast.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Here's the thing, like this, being a comedian is
not easy because we don't knowwhat's about to happen when we
say this joke.
We don't know what.
Like we know when we say it toourselves.
It's funny when we write it inour little comedy journal.
It's funny.
Our little book is funny whenwe say it in the mirror.
It's funny when we get out andtest it.
(10:34):
It could like be the worst.
This is hard because you reallydon't know what the audience is
going to think and the only wayyou could get the joke out and
test it is by performing it.
You can't test it in practice.
We don't even get to practice.
We have to test it in anaudience setting.
(10:55):
That's tough.
Like, honestly, anyway, goahead, get it off your chest.
No, I'm saying like, honestly,anyway, go ahead, get it off
your chest.
No, I'm saying like I respectall comedians because it's hard.
You're up there, you're tellinga joke that you wrote, that you
care about, and you don't knowwhat is about to happen after
you say it.
(11:15):
And this is from Kevin Hart allthe way to the person who just
started.
Like we all have to test ourstuff and we don't know what's
going to happen, you know.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
I got a cheat system.
I test mines out of thecreative space every Thursday,
so I treat that as my open mics,then I treat my old mice as a
showcase, then I treat theshowcases like I'm at a comedy
club, and so on and so on.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
I didn't have enough chicken bones and breadsticks
thrown at me in five years whatare you saying?
Speaker 2 (11:48):
I gotta go to your show.
When are you performing again?
I gotta see why you're gettingstuff thrown at you I didn't
throw anything at me you neverhad nobody throwing.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
I had a boo, I had a chicken bone.
Uh, I had one guy this wasrecently, wasn't even bombing,
we was having fun and he wasdoing crowd work and I said
what's your name?
So he said bang, bang.
I said you know what?
You have a blessed day, sir youin the trenches you out there.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
I was in the trenches you out there.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
I was in the trenches .
Speaker 2 (12:21):
I was out there.
That's good.
That means that you're, thatmeans you're not scared, you're,
you're doing, you know You'renot playing it safe.
That's a good thing.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
What do you get your inspiration from when it comes
to your jokes?
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Um, everyday life.
So, like I said, I find thefunny in like basically
everything and um I anythingthat that I think is funny, I'll
just put it in my comedy bookand I'll just write it and then
I'll just think about it.
But yeah, everything at my lifepeople, uh, relationships like
(13:01):
friendships, you know any sortof relationship it could be
coworkers, whatever and my lifeis quite interesting, I think.
So I have a lot to pull from,fortunately, and unfortunately I
(13:21):
have a lot to pull from andwhatever makes people laugh.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
That's what I'm here for, I guess who are some of
your favorite comedians, likethose ones that you gravitate
towards.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
I gravitate towards Dave Chappelle, his mind, his
genius.
I like Tony Rock, I think he'sreally great.
I personally really like WandaSykes.
I've watched her old stuffbefore when she was like you
know, she had that long hair,she was more.
(14:00):
And then I've watched her liketransition and she's been like
funny throughout the whole, likeher whole process, her whole
transition from when she firststarted to now.
She's been solid, um.
I like Paris Sachet.
She's a DC comedian.
(14:21):
I I mean so funny.
I follow her Instagram.
It's like the jokes never endwith her.
And Michelle Buteau, Igravitate to her as well.
And then, sorry, sam, you know,sam, she opened up for Dave
Chappelle in DC.
Am I saying her name right?
And she was on Netflix.
Anyway, her name is somethingSam or Sam something.
(14:45):
She's dope Sam.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Sam.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
For the listeners out there.
I'm going to let Ms Brown knowI don't have Netflix.
I am a Tubi person, personplease tell me you lying no, I'm
not.
I don't have netflix.
I watch to be because of thestand-up specials, so I might
get like tk kirkland, hannibalburr ash, jasper reed I get
(15:10):
those.
Um, I don't have netflix.
I canceled netflix probably acouple years ago, uh, so
whatever came out on netflix, Idon't know.
I usually watch tubi.
I do have max because I like towatch the old uh 30 minute
specials when they had like, uh,what's the name?
Bob goldcat, damon wayans, youknow, like those.
(15:34):
But tubi gets those independentcomedians.
That's not like on Netflix andstuff like that, or they tried
to pitch to Netflix and theydidn't make it.
So that's what I usuallygravitate towards.
I do not.
I am Tubi.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
You're proud, you sound proud.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
I am.
I'm proud.
I don't watch the dumb shit.
They were like Plug, love andall that mess they watch.
I don't watch the dumb shit.
That was like Plug, love andall that mess they watch.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
I watch it for stand up so good so you've never had
like someone give you theirNetflix password or you never
asked for it is there a?
Story.
I feel like there's a storybehind this Netflix we gonna
unpack.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
I used to get new email addresses to actually get
new netflix.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
30 days, here we go, here we go but they stopped
doing the 30 day trials.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I wait the black friday before they drop a
special on something, wow.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
So I keep an email on deck, but you, you haven't ever
watched um love at first sight.
I mean, sorry my bad.
Uh, what's that little showlike you wouldn't know it anyway
, I guess.
But the little show love isblind.
No, man, you just out here.
Man, you, just out here, youjust out here.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
We think I'd be capping.
I just got social media back in2019 when I started comedy.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I don't I'm not mad at that, I'm not mad at that at
all, actually no.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Now you said Tony Rock is one of your favorite
comedians, right?
Yeah, and you got to work withhim before too, right.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
I've met him.
I never worked with him, butI've met tony behind.
Uh, I went into um green roomone time when I performed or he
performed at dc improv and hegave me some really good like
pointers and advice.
Talked about right every everyday, you know right, he just
gave me really good advice andthat was early on in my career
(17:38):
as a comedian and so I took thatand and um just ran with it and
then you know he's cool, he'scool, I know him.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
So he's cool, yeah, but I never worked with him
texting and stuff.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
You're like hey no, don't do that what am I doing
too much?
Speaker 1 (17:58):
yes I'm sorry, apologize.
You have a podcast as well too,so I'm trying to be.
I'm, I'll be.
I studied your page.
I'm not giving it out my page.
I'm a coney rock.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
He knows that.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Okay, I've studied your page.
I looked at your page.
I saw the DJ and stuff.
I really was in the trenches onyour page when we first
followed each other and I'msorry if it sounds creepy, but I
was really in the trenches.
I was like, okay, let's seewhere it goes and everything.
Let's see where it goes, let'ssee, because I'm talking about
(18:38):
like.
I was like, okay, she fitness.
I think you did something withchilies or fridays.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
I told you, I told you, I gave you the disclaimer
that I do the most oh, that'snot doing a follow.
He's no way to look at my pageand know like who I am.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
I'm everything but you're a brand though what is my
brand?
Speaker 2 (18:57):
what is my brand to you?
Speaker 1 (19:01):
it's like this podcast.
There's no id, you doeverything, it's doing the most.
Dj producer.
Mc host.
Uh podcast host producer.
You just got a lot of hats andfrom previous people that I've
talked to, like one of mymentors before he passed d
(19:21):
militant, told me in this gameyou cannot have one hat, you
have to have multiple hats intothis yeah you got to have
multiple hats.
So, okay, most people get intocomedy, but they may end up
podcasting and writing producing.
Like a lot of us comedians, weend up writing for some of your
(19:41):
shows that you never would thinkthat we work for.
You know, we had a couplecomedians writing for uh, bubble
guppies.
You didn't know that, did you?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
we write we write.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
We write all the time .
Um, some of us go into mentalhealth.
We got comedians that do musicas well too.
We produce music.
You just see a lot of it.
It's just you have multiplehats.
I don't think it's doing toomuch.
I think you're just doing whatyour brand is right yeah it may
not make sense to somebody, butit makes sense to you that's all
(20:16):
that really happens.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
But you know my nine to five.
Obviously I'm an attorney and Ido take that profession very
seriously.
I think I do really good work.
But, um, but I think who I amat my core.
I'm an advocate.
Okay, I'm gonna call outinjustice, but I'm also, like, a
creative.
I just have to be, I have tocreate.
(20:37):
I don't like to just consume.
I get I feel anxious if I'mjust consuming other people's
work and I'm not creatingsomething.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Yeah, I agree.
I agree, you just gotta keepgoing.
I don't know how old you are,we're not gonna get into that,
but just keep going good jobgood job.
Yeah, good job.
Thank you so much for that.
Um pat on the back good job.
(21:08):
Um well, I'm gonna keep itshort because the listeners do
not your listeners have shortattention spans.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Is that what you're trying to say about them?
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Okay, the listeners do not really rock with anything
over an hour Around the25-minute mark.
I like to wrap it up.
If you can give any advice toany creative out there, what
(21:40):
would it be?
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Listen to your internal, listen to your heart,
listen to what's going oninternally and not externally in
terms of what it is that you'resupposed to do, because nobody
knows you but you, and it'sgoing to be a really difficult
(22:05):
journey.
If you're listening to whateverybody else is telling you to
do, it's going to be reallyhard, and then you're.
What's going to end uphappening anyway is you're going
to end up like you want.
You're want to go through thisjourney of doing what other
people tell you to do and you'restill going to end up doing
what you want to do in the end.
So you might as well just dothat from the beginning and just
listen to your heart and stayconsistent and you'll be fine.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
I agree, just to add on don't chase the fame or the
money, just chase the experience.
I can't tell you who I met orwhat rooms I've been in, but I
can tell you that I didn't haveto pay and my ego didn't get in
the way and I remained humble,and it's allowed me to build
relationships with some of thesepeople that I grew up on.
(22:52):
Write every day.
Be consistent, be persistent.
Some of these people that Igrew up on right every day.
Be consistent, be persistentand show respect to those that
actually come on your platformor you.
They allow you to come on theirplatform, vice versa.
This is it stay humble andhungry and keep god first, but
uh, if they want to follow youor see any shows, updates, are
(23:14):
we allowed to give out yoursocial media?
Because I was a little hesitantabout it.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Why, what, why?
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Because you know we had a conversation.
People that's listened to noidea watched it.
Oh, ok, ok.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
OK, ok, so sure, attorney Sean B.
I'm not with the shenanigans,though, so I agree.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Follow me at Comedian Rome.
All social media platforms, noID media TV, Sorry.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Go ahead no.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Snow ID Media TV um this branch.
Sorry, go ahead, you sneeze no.
Snow ID.
Media TV on YouTube andInstagram and Facebook.
Um.
Next show will be the October26th.
I'll be at Cape Ola inWilliamsburg November 2nd.
I will be at Maryland okay,maryland Bowling Williamsburg
November 2nd.
I will be at Maryland okay,maryland.
(24:20):
I got some more stuff coming up, but all you guys gotta do is
just follow the page, that's all, and I do follow back, so just
keep supporting creatives,especially black creatives and
black media.
She's not with shenanigans, soif you do decide to slide in her
DMS, be respectful.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Yes, so that's attorney Sean S H A W N B.
And yeah, I'm always looking tocollaborate.
I was looking to work onprojects especially like film
projects.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
No some people I can get you in touch with.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Thank you, yeah some people I can get you in touch
with.
Thank you, yeah, and then I'mready to DJ.
If you have something you wantto book me, come on, let's go.
Look, don't go, wait.
Look, look here my djcontroller.
(25:38):
So I'm ready.
Um, I don't d.
Nelly B, also on Instagram, djN-E-L-L-Y-B.
And let's go, let's get to work.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Yeah, I look forward to seeing you.
What the 16th for the mixer?
Speaker 2 (25:46):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
I'll be there, yes.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Seven o'clock At the center in Richmond, virginia,
shit.
ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode
of the no id podcast.
This is your host, rome davis.
We're on a new season here.
I have music connoisseur,comedian host, producer, podcast
host mc.
You've seen at the dc improv.
She's got to work with peoplelike tony rock the one and only
chanel brown.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
How you doing hello, okay, few corrections.
Okay, I am not a musician, I ama dj, although some people say
that I should stop saying thatbecause djs are musicians, so
maybe I should embrace thatlet's embrace it yeah, okay,
let's.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Yeah, okay, how are you feeling?
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I feel great yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Okay, I came.
Well, I saw your post in theRichmond Virginia group.
I see that you have a comedymixer coming up and you're
putting on shows, trying tobring, I guess, a network of
comedians together as one.
How did that idea come about?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Okay, so I am originally from this area, this
Richmond, chester, virginia area.
I moved to DC after college and, after a long stint in Atlanta
for work, I started doing comedyin DC, which was really cool,
really fun.
(01:26):
But then I moved back to thisarea and I felt like, okay, I
have to build the community.
I don't know any comedians andcomedians to me are the best
people in the world likeliterally, hands down, so I,
(01:49):
hands down, so I usually I canbuild my community just going to
open mics and things like that.
But you know, I'm one of thoseI like to get things done.
So I said, let me just do amixer.
I don't have time to waste.
And this would be really goodbecause then I'll be able to
meet a lot of comedians and thenwhen I start producing my shows
at the top of 2025, I'llalready have a list of comedians
(02:10):
, kind of already have mynetwork and we can just get
rocking and rolling.
So that's basically why I'mdoing the mixer.
And then, of course, it's goingto be fun when we have some
good music, some food.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Are you DJing?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
You know what I was thinking about it.
And then I said I don't want to, I don't like.
I already have this stereotypeof doing too much.
And I said maybe I should leaninto it and then like DJ and do
like a little comedy set andthen like run around and plan.
And then I said you know what?
I'm not Cause I am, I am teamtoo much and I thought that
would just be too much Team toomuch.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Sometimes it's not.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
I'm on team too much.
Sometimes I could do the mostLike doing the most.
I think DJing would absolutelyhave been doing the most, but I
thought about it.
The fact that I even thoughtabout it says a lot about, I
think, my personality.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I think you should do it as a.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
DJ.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Yeah so.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I think you should do it.
I get a DJ.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
While I'm hosting.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah, you should be like yeah, coming to the stage
and he's like DJ.
And then you started doing yourset and he was like now we're
about to mix it up, ficky andboom, just bring it in.
And obviously I'm not a DJ,cause nobody makes a figgy figgy
noise anytime they beat you, Ido the air horns and then run up
on stage and run back.
Yeah, Hold on Intermission.
(03:29):
I got to go back to my set.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
No, don't do that, because I will.
And I have to calm down.
I got to stop Because I'll doit and then I'll blame you, and
then that's like one other thingthat people are going to say
that I'm just like I do the most.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Definitely.
How long have you been doingcomedy?
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I thought you were going to say how long have you
been doing the most.
No, I've been doing comedysince 47, the end of 20, so,
yeah, 2018.
Let's say, 2018.
What made you get into it?
Oh, my gosh, gosh.
So I've always wanted to be astand-up comic like.
That was my dream.
The first time I fell in lovewith comedy was when I watched
(04:14):
friday and I know, and christucker's character, um, smoky
right, yeah, I was likefascinated, and that was the
first time I actually like, like, was fascinated by comedic
timing and I didn't know what itwas.
At the time.
I was just like he is reallyfunny, like I don't, what is it?
(04:37):
I mean, obviously, chris Tuckeris a funny dude, but it was
something more like, um, therewas more of a science to it that
I noticed, I think at an earlyage, that I didn't.
I was like this isn't justregular comedy, this is
something he's like, there's,there's something to it.
And so I started studying itand I just used to watch that
movie, like back to back, and soI was like I want to be a
(04:59):
comedian, like I want to get onstage and just make people laugh
.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
And then my mom was like, my dad also was like girl,
what no?
So yeah, so I went to lawschool.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I can't make you laugh, but I can get you out of
jail.
That's pretty much what we'retalking about here.
I could do that, which isactually not funny.
But yeah, I find humor ineverything.
It gets me in a lot of trouble.
It has gotten me in some littletrouble, but I laugh.
I find the funny in everything.
And then so after law school, Igraduated in 2015, moved to DC
(05:44):
and I was like it always was inme.
I said I got to get on stage.
I have in 2015, moved to DC andI was like it's always was in
me.
I said I got to get on stage.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
I have to do this.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
So I went to like this little workshop thing and
did my first show and then justlike started doing more shows.
And then I got, I was affirmed,I think, by people who were
doing comedy for a while andthey told me you are a natural.
And I was like I don't thinkthey would say that if they, if
it wasn't true, and I keephearing it and I'm like I don't
(06:11):
think people would just lie,Cause I don't think the the
community that I would say this,the comedy community is very
nice.
I have noticed that we are.
We're very nice to each other,we support each other, but we
don't really lie to each other.
So, um, I didn't.
I was like, well, they can't belying, All these people can't
be lying.
Maybe I am a natural.
(06:32):
So then that's what gave methat confidence to keep going.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
You remember the first time you got on the stage.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yes, I do, and it was nerve wracking because I think
I'm naturally an anxious person,so I think.
But I also heard that that'snormal to feel that way and
that's actually a good thing.
But I was very, very anxious,very nervous, but also it felt
like I was at home.
(07:00):
That sounds very cliche, but Ifelt like in control, like I had
my mic, you know, but I felt incontrol.
I had my mic, I just felt incontrol.
I liked it.
I liked the feeling.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Do you remember the first time you bombed?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Um, okay, um, here's the thing.
All right, I hope this doesn'tsound but crazy.
I am a perfectionist, so I II'm not gonna say every set I've
done with good was good,because I've had some sets where
(07:37):
I don't think they were great,um, and I had a set where I just
completely forgot everything,which is maybe that was where I
bombed.
It was at the DC Improv Loungeand it wasn't the best set, but
I don't think I've bombedbecause necessarily, in the way
that we know what bombing means,it's because I over-prepare,
and that's honestly why Istepped away from comedy,
(08:00):
because it gave me so muchanxiety, because I over, like I
do, like I when I like, daysbefore my shows, I'm preparing
and preparing, and preparing andpreparing so that I don't bomb,
you know.
So I don't know if thatanswered your question.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
I had a bomb one time .
They threw a chicken wing at me.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
I don't believe you.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
I'm telling the truth .
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Were they black?
Okay, I get it passed.
You can't be white and throw achicken wing at a black man.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
No no no, it was at a bar.
The stage was in a corner.
The lady was at the bar.
For three weeks she keptmessing with me.
For three weeks I didn't saynothing.
Week four chicken bone.
She said something.
We started going back and forth.
(08:52):
Then they cut the lights offfor me, cut the mic off for me,
played music and I left.
I took a month off from comedy.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
I started podcasting, see see, we all have our story.
That's it.
That's what a chicken wing.
That's all it took.
Was it a big?
Speaker 1 (09:16):
one.
It wasn't a chicken wing, itjust I don't know.
I pride myself on being okay.
I was okay, I was okay.
I was still a fan of my voice.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
I think I was like maybe like four or five months
in oh, that's super early andyou got, and that's when I had
all and this is before we knewlike the etiquette of an open
mic.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Like I thought, at an open mic you had to do new
material.
At every open mic it was like,nah, man, you can do some old
stuff.
I did not know that.
My old yeah, I think I said Idon't even tell the joke, no
more, I ain't gonna get canceled.
But it was like you could findme at christian mingle
ass-Alaikum and boom, chickenbone.
(10:01):
And I was like all right, Isaid let me do a podcast.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Here's the thing, like this, being a comedian is
not easy because we don't knowwhat's about to happen when we
say this joke.
We don't know what.
Like we know when we say it toourselves.
It's funny when we write it inour little comedy journal.
It's funny.
Our little book is funny whenwe say it in the mirror.
It's funny when we get out andtest it.
(10:34):
It could like be the worst.
This is hard because you reallydon't know what the audience is
going to think and the only wayyou could get the joke out and
test it is by performing it.
You can't test it in practice.
We don't even get to practice.
We have to test it in anaudience setting.
(10:55):
That's tough.
Like, honestly, anyway, goahead, get it off your chest.
No, I'm saying like, honestly,anyway, go ahead, get it off
your chest.
No, I'm saying like I respectall comedians because it's hard.
You're up there, you're tellinga joke that you wrote, that you
care about, and you don't knowwhat is about to happen after
you say it.
(11:15):
And this is from Kevin Hart allthe way to the person who just
started.
Like we all have to test ourstuff and we don't know what's
going to happen, you know.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
I got a cheat system.
I test mines out of thecreative space every Thursday,
so I treat that as my open mics,then I treat my old mice as a
showcase, then I treat theshowcases like I'm at a comedy
club, and so on and so on.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
I didn't have enough chicken bones and breadsticks
thrown at me in five years whatare you saying?
Speaker 2 (11:48):
I gotta go to your show.
When are you performing again?
I gotta see why you're gettingstuff thrown at you I didn't
throw anything at me you neverhad nobody throwing.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
I had a boo, I had a chicken bone.
Uh, I had one guy this wasrecently, wasn't even bombing,
we was having fun and he wasdoing crowd work and I said
what's your name?
So he said bang, bang.
I said you know what?
You have a blessed day, sir youin the trenches you out there.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
I was in the trenches you out there.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
I was in the trenches .
Speaker 2 (12:21):
I was out there.
That's good.
That means that you're, thatmeans you're not scared, you're,
you're doing, you know You'renot playing it safe.
That's a good thing.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
What do you get your inspiration from when it comes
to your jokes?
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Um, everyday life.
So, like I said, I find thefunny in like basically
everything and um I anythingthat that I think is funny, I'll
just put it in my comedy bookand I'll just write it and then
I'll just think about it.
But yeah, everything at my lifepeople, uh, relationships like
(13:01):
friendships, you know any sortof relationship it could be
coworkers, whatever and my lifeis quite interesting, I think.
So I have a lot to pull from,fortunately, and unfortunately I
(13:21):
have a lot to pull from andwhatever makes people laugh.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
That's what I'm here for, I guess who are some of
your favorite comedians, likethose ones that you gravitate
towards.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
I gravitate towards Dave Chappelle, his mind, his
genius.
I like Tony Rock, I think he'sreally great.
I personally really like WandaSykes.
I've watched her old stuffbefore when she was like you
know, she had that long hair,she was more.
(14:00):
And then I've watched her liketransition and she's been like
funny throughout the whole, likeher whole process, her whole
transition from when she firststarted to now.
She's been solid, um.
I like Paris Sachet.
She's a DC comedian.
(14:21):
I I mean so funny.
I follow her Instagram.
It's like the jokes never endwith her.
And Michelle Buteau, Igravitate to her as well.
And then, sorry, sam, you know,sam, she opened up for Dave
Chappelle in DC.
Am I saying her name right?
And she was on Netflix.
Anyway, her name is somethingSam or Sam something.
(14:45):
She's dope Sam.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Sam.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
For the listeners out there.
I'm going to let Ms Brown knowI don't have Netflix.
I am a Tubi person, personplease tell me you lying no, I'm
not.
I don't have netflix.
I watch to be because of thestand-up specials, so I might
get like tk kirkland, hannibalburr ash, jasper reed I get
(15:10):
those.
Um, I don't have netflix.
I canceled netflix probably acouple years ago, uh, so
whatever came out on netflix, Idon't know.
I usually watch tubi.
I do have max because I like towatch the old uh 30 minute
specials when they had like, uh,what's the name?
Bob goldcat, damon wayans, youknow, like those.
(15:34):
But tubi gets those independentcomedians.
That's not like on Netflix andstuff like that, or they tried
to pitch to Netflix and theydidn't make it.
So that's what I usuallygravitate towards.
I do not.
I am Tubi.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
You're proud, you sound proud.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
I am.
I'm proud.
I don't watch the dumb shit.
They were like Plug, love andall that mess they watch.
I don't watch the dumb shit.
That was like Plug, love andall that mess they watch.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
I watch it for stand up so good so you've never had
like someone give you theirNetflix password or you never
asked for it is there a?
Story.
I feel like there's a storybehind this Netflix we gonna
unpack.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
I used to get new email addresses to actually get
new netflix.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
30 days, here we go, here we go but they stopped
doing the 30 day trials.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I wait the black friday before they drop a
special on something, wow.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
So I keep an email on deck, but you, you haven't ever
watched um love at first sight.
I mean, sorry my bad.
Uh, what's that little showlike you wouldn't know it anyway
, I guess.
But the little show love isblind.
No, man, you just out here.
Man, you, just out here, youjust out here.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
We think I'd be capping.
I just got social media back in2019 when I started comedy.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I don't I'm not mad at that, I'm not mad at that at
all, actually no.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
Now you said Tony Rock is one of your favorite
comedians, right?
Yeah, and you got to work withhim before too, right.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
I've met him.
I never worked with him, butI've met tony behind.
Uh, I went into um green roomone time when I performed or he
performed at dc improv and hegave me some really good like
pointers and advice.
Talked about right every everyday, you know right, he just
gave me really good advice andthat was early on in my career
(17:38):
as a comedian and so I took thatand and um just ran with it and
then you know he's cool, he'scool, I know him.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
So he's cool, yeah, but I never worked with him
texting and stuff.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
You're like hey no, don't do that what am I doing
too much?
Speaker 1 (17:58):
yes I'm sorry, apologize.
You have a podcast as well too,so I'm trying to be.
I'm, I'll be.
I studied your page.
I'm not giving it out my page.
I'm a coney rock.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
He knows that.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Okay, I've studied your page.
I looked at your page.
I saw the DJ and stuff.
I really was in the trenches onyour page when we first
followed each other and I'msorry if it sounds creepy, but I
was really in the trenches.
I was like, okay, let's seewhere it goes and everything.
Let's see where it goes, let'ssee, because I'm talking about
(18:38):
like.
I was like, okay, she fitness.
I think you did something withchilies or fridays.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
I told you, I told you, I gave you the disclaimer
that I do the most oh, that'snot doing a follow.
He's no way to look at my pageand know like who I am.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
I'm everything but you're a brand though what is my
brand?
Speaker 2 (18:57):
what is my brand to you?
Speaker 1 (19:01):
it's like this podcast.
There's no id, you doeverything, it's doing the most.
Dj producer.
Mc host.
Uh podcast host producer.
You just got a lot of hats andfrom previous people that I've
talked to, like one of mymentors before he passed d
(19:21):
militant, told me in this gameyou cannot have one hat, you
have to have multiple hats intothis yeah you got to have
multiple hats.
So, okay, most people get intocomedy, but they may end up
podcasting and writing producing.
Like a lot of us comedians, weend up writing for some of your
(19:41):
shows that you never would thinkthat we work for.
You know, we had a couplecomedians writing for uh, bubble
guppies.
You didn't know that, did you?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
we write we write.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
We write all the time .
Um, some of us go into mentalhealth.
We got comedians that do musicas well too.
We produce music.
You just see a lot of it.
It's just you have multiplehats.
I don't think it's doing toomuch.
I think you're just doing whatyour brand is right yeah it may
not make sense to somebody, butit makes sense to you that's all
(20:16):
that really happens.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
But you know my nine to five.
Obviously I'm an attorney and Ido take that profession very
seriously.
I think I do really good work.
But, um, but I think who I amat my core.
I'm an advocate.
Okay, I'm gonna call outinjustice, but I'm also, like, a
creative.
I just have to be, I have tocreate.
(20:37):
I don't like to just consume.
I get I feel anxious if I'mjust consuming other people's
work and I'm not creatingsomething.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Yeah, I agree.
I agree, you just gotta keepgoing.
I don't know how old you are,we're not gonna get into that,
but just keep going good jobgood job.
Yeah, good job.
Thank you so much for that.
Um pat on the back good job.
(21:08):
Um well, I'm gonna keep itshort because the listeners do
not your listeners have shortattention spans.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Is that what you're trying to say about them?
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Okay, the listeners do not really rock with anything
over an hour Around the25-minute mark.
I like to wrap it up.
If you can give any advice toany creative out there, what
(21:40):
would it be?
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Listen to your internal, listen to your heart,
listen to what's going oninternally and not externally in
terms of what it is that you'resupposed to do, because nobody
knows you but you, and it'sgoing to be a really difficult
(22:05):
journey.
If you're listening to whateverybody else is telling you to
do, it's going to be reallyhard, and then you're.
What's going to end uphappening anyway is you're going
to end up like you want.
You're want to go through thisjourney of doing what other
people tell you to do and you'restill going to end up doing
what you want to do in the end.
So you might as well just dothat from the beginning and just
listen to your heart and stayconsistent and you'll be fine.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
I agree, just to add on don't chase the fame or the
money, just chase the experience.
I can't tell you who I met orwhat rooms I've been in, but I
can tell you that I didn't haveto pay and my ego didn't get in
the way and I remained humble,and it's allowed me to build
relationships with some of thesepeople that I grew up on.
(22:52):
Write every day.
Be consistent, be persistent.
Some of these people that Igrew up on right every day.
Be consistent, be persistentand show respect to those that
actually come on your platformor you.
They allow you to come on theirplatform, vice versa.
This is it stay humble andhungry and keep god first, but
uh, if they want to follow youor see any shows, updates, are
(23:14):
we allowed to give out yoursocial media?
Because I was a little hesitantabout it.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Why, what, why?
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Because you know we had a conversation.
People that's listened to noidea watched it.
Oh, ok, ok.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
OK, ok, so sure, attorney Sean B.
I'm not with the shenanigans,though, so I agree.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Follow me at Comedian Rome.
All social media platforms, noID media TV, Sorry.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Go ahead no.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Snow ID Media TV um this branch.
Sorry, go ahead, you sneeze no.
Snow ID.
Media TV on YouTube andInstagram and Facebook.
Um.
Next show will be the October26th.
I'll be at Cape Ola inWilliamsburg November 2nd.
I will be at Maryland okay,maryland Bowling Williamsburg
November 2nd.
I will be at Maryland okay,maryland.
(24:20):
I got some more stuff coming up, but all you guys gotta do is
just follow the page, that's all, and I do follow back, so just
keep supporting creatives,especially black creatives and
black media.
She's not with shenanigans, soif you do decide to slide in her
DMS, be respectful.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Yes, so that's attorney Sean S H A W N B.
And yeah, I'm always looking tocollaborate.
I was looking to work onprojects especially like film
projects.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
No some people I can get you in touch with.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Thank you, yeah some people I can get you in touch
with.
Thank you, yeah, and then I'mready to DJ.
If you have something you wantto book me, come on, let's go.
Look, don't go, wait.
Look, look here my djcontroller.
(25:38):
So I'm ready.
Um, I don't d.
Nelly B, also on Instagram, djN-E-L-L-Y-B.
And let's go, let's get to work.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Yeah, I look forward to seeing you.
What the 16th for the mixer?
Speaker 2 (25:46):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
I'll be there, yes.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Seven o'clock At the center in Richmond, virginia,
shit.
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