Mike Epps: Heartfelt Hilarity

The world of comedy has very few big-name performers that most people know about, such as legends like Richard Pryor and George Carlin. Most stand-up comedians occupy the underground scene for their entire career and have a small, extremely devoted audience that supports their shows. This is the case with comic/actor Mike Epps, who started his career with Russell Simmons’ and Stan Lathan’s comedy show Def Comedy Jam during the 1990’s on HBO.

According to an interview with Metromix, Epps, originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, was known for his comedic personality from a young age. He was so fond of practical jokes that one involving super glue sent him to a juvenile detention center. However, after moving to Atlanta from his hometown of Indianapolis, he found work at the city’s Comedy Act Theater. According to celebrity website Starpulse, Epps moved to New York following his time in Atlanta and began working as a featured guest on Def Comedy Jam. He performed alongside other up-and-coming black comedians such as Dave Chappelle, D.L. Hughley and Ricky Harris. Epps’ success performing stand-up led to another career in acting, and his second on-screen role was as the infamous stoner side-kick “Da-Da” Jones in Next Friday. Since former Friday actor Chris Tucker decided not to reprise his role as Smokey, writer and fellow actor Ice Cube penned a new part for Epps as his character’s cousin.

The movie was a phenomenal success at the box office, and playing “Da-Da” gave Epps opportunities to play similarly written characters. Epps also co-starred with Ice Cube in the action comedy “All About The Benjamins” while continuing to take smaller roles for films such as “Resident Evil: Apocalypse,”  “The Fighting Temptations,” and “The Honeymooners.” Although Mike Epps still stars in several movies each year, his focus is always on touring and performing stand-up. In an interview with entertainment website The Well Versed, Epps confessed that doing stand-up is highly therapeutic for him. He revealed, “If I wasn’t doing standup, I’d be sitting in a room talking to a psychiatrist every weekend. This is my therapy. I get to go on stage and crack jokes out of things that usually would hurt my feelings or situations that I normally wouldn’t be able to say in casual conversation. I do it for so many reasons.”

His jokes range from the ridiculous to poignant with topics such as differences in culture, parodies of love songs and President Obama’s stance on marijuana. Implying that Obama himself smokes pot, he does an impression of the President. “His lips are purple. He’s smoking Grape Swisher Sweets!” Although Epps certainly keeps a busy touring schedule, he still makes sure to take time to give back to communities across America, particularly in his native state of Indiana and more recently in Atlanta. Epps regularly speaks at high schools in Indiana to try motivating teens to stay out of trouble and find success in their lives. In the same interview with The Well Versed, he said, “I’m always trying to do stuff for kids, man. I’m trying to be some kind of voice of hope for them. If they see me and hear me, I might be able to change one or two of them.”

Mike Epps is also active in philanthropic fundraising efforts through he and his wife’s foundation called The Michael & Mechelle Epps Foundation, as well as the Atlanta-based Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation. Both organizations are aimed at helping children who come from poverty or troubled families, and there is a strong emphasis on helping youths cope with their situations through artistic endeavors. Though the stage is where he deals with his own problems in life, Mike Epps is equally passionate about affecting others in positive ways. Even the life of show business can’t make him forget his roots, and his dedication to helping people is a rare quality in a modern celebrity.

-Taylor Burns