Photos Courtesy of The Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center continued to pay homage to Hip Hop when the latest show in The Roots Residency was the night's entertainment on Saturday, November 12. This time the theme was comedy as Black Thought Presents...Delirious made its D.C. debut. Since its inception in 2017, the series has seen stops at Just for Laughs Montreal and Clusterfest.
The exciting comedy series was created and curated by Black Thought, the MC of the legendary Roots crew. Delirious explores popular culture and society through a humorous yet poignant lens. The lineup for my show included the talents of comedians and special guests Joe Clair, Nore Davis, Von Decarlo, Eddie Bryant, and Walker Hays.
The first comic to open the show was Eddie Bryant. The D.C. native's set encompassed jokes about gentrification, one-night stands, and dating. All of the jokes landed, and it was a great start to the show. Baltimore-bred comic Walker Hays was up next. The punchlines for Hays's time on stage were mainly comprised of innuendo and male anatomy. It took her a few minutes to find her rhythm, but once she did, it was a rapid fire of laughter.
The third comic of the night was Nore Davis. The show's MC gave Davis a lively introduction, and he took the stage confidently. Davis's set included political jokes and pop culture references. For the most part, Davis was sharp. However, during the last fifteen minutes, he wasn't looking at the audience but toward the side. It was a bit distracting and took away from his moment.
Before our headliner, Mr. Joe Clair, took the stage, Von Decarlo, had a chance to showcase her talents. For the material, Decarlo used her bi-racial background and stories from her dating background. Most of her jokes landed, and she was the perfect appetizer for our headliner.
Growing up, I was always a fan of Joe Clair when he hosted Rap City. Clair's set used his musical knowledge and old man wisdom to give the audience a HILARIOUS close to the night. Given the vulgarity of Clair's material, I won't repeat his joke here. However, I will say I'll support him whenever he has a show.
Black Thought came out and thanked the crowd as the night came to a close. I was hoping the legendary MC would kick a freestyle, but that didn't happen. Nonetheless, it was a great night out filled with talented comics.
Final Grade: B+
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