@UncleRUSH @COMEDYCENTRAL #DefComedyJam
Its been over 13 years since the (original incarnation) of the groundbreaking HBO gut-busting 1/2 hour series, Def Comedy Jam last aired.  There was a brief but forgettable attempt to exhume the series in 2006 but that was short-lived.  Realizing the following it garnered and the void in the market for quality Urban Comedy, immortal Hip Hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons is teaming with a new network partner, Comedy Central to launch “Stand-Up at the El Rey,” this summer

The series which will once again be produced by Simmons’ and his longtime partner Stan Lathan’s company Simmons-Lathan Mida Group is said to launch July 11th will be less stand-up comedy and more of a “hip-hop show with a stand-up vibe.” Comedian JB Smoove (Curb You Enthusiasm/ SNL) has been tapped to host the show.

“We have to understand hip-hop as a cultural movement,” Simmons said in a statement on the company’s website. “Beyond just music, and as a generation of multicultural young people that have been influenced by pop culture of the 70s and 80s, but through technology and diversity have evolved into a singularly unique generation that values each person is individuality, while at the same time being comfortable remaining connected to a larger emotional community.”

Now who would I be to doubt Russell Simmons.  He is one of my heroes in business and perhaps the icon in Hip Hop.  Could we truly have gotten where we are without his leadership and directive?  One of the things I’ve always admired about the man was his ability to recognize his many limitations and account for variables by following a formula for success.

However, I fear in this venture he may have severely miscalculated.  While Comedy Central has been a haven for edgy, controversial programming it is missing the freedom that HBO afforded its talent…the ability to curse and speak freely.  It ingrained in the fabric of what Hip Hop was built on and without it, the material has always been lacking and presents as unauthentic.  Just look at BET’s “Comic View”  While it cultivated much of the same talent as Def Comedy Jam, the language restrictions cut it off at the knees and eventually would lead to the shows demise.  

On the other hand, Def Comedy Jam met its match as well, the white viewer.  While originally intended to be an outlet for comedians to use the daring white audience as available material for its stand up routines it would eventually have the opposite effect, drawing more “mainstream” viewers who one would guess were gluttons for punishment.  The influx was soon represented in the watered down talent pool and subdued audiences and Simmons and Lathan pulled the plug in ’97.  We can only hope their Def Comedy Jam remix will experience half the success despite its obvious limitations.  I don’t know but lets enjoy some of the good ole days while we wait to find out.


Bernie Mac