Comedy Central is teaming up with Def Comedy Jam producer Russell Simmons and his partner Stan Lathan, to bring you Russell Simmons Presents Stand Up Live at the El Ray. This isn't your parents stand up show. Russell Simmons is making sure to bring you the hottest breakout talent in comedy, all done with a hip hop flair. The show will debut with a special hour-long block of episodes on Sunday, July 11th.
Comedian JB Smoove will be taking stepping out of his shoes as Leon Black from HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm" and taking the role of the master of ceremonies. Smoove will kick off each episode with some of his killer comedy, then introduce three comedians, each of whom bring a unique, fresh viewpoint to the stage. DJ Cassidy will keep the energy high, spinning original tracks for the crowd in each episode.
The debut episode will feature funny man Smoove giving warnings of "raggedy ass" clubs, while breakout comedians Tony Robert and Dante Nero talk about Danny Glover female lookalikes and being a hit with Mesopotamian women.
The second episode, airing immediately after the premiere, keeps it going with comedians Mike Vecchione, Calise Hawkins and JJ Williamson. This season also showcases comedians Kurt Metzger, Smokey Suarez, Fahim Anwar, Ray Lipowski, Felipe Esparza, Lil Rel and Rachel Feinstein.
Leading up to each on-air premiere and throughout the new season, Jokes.com will feature preview clips and highlights from each episode, never-before-aired footage, exclusive backstage video and blog interviews featuring all of the comedians from the series. In addition, Jokes.com will have exclusive video featuring JB Smoove.