The laughs were plentiful on Friday, September 17th, when legendary comedian Bruce Bruce graced the stage of the Improv in Washington D.C. I have been a fan of the comedy styling of Bruce Bruce for nearly two decades, and my first time getting hip to Bruce Bruce goes back to his days as the host of New Orleans 10th Anniversary Party Gras edition of BET’S Comic View.
Ira Coleman served as the MC of the night and Bruce’s opening act. Coleman took the stage around 7:40 and instantly won the crowd over with his rapid-fire jokes about his non-celebrity status, in addition to jokes about topics ranging from growing up down south to his parenting skills. Coleman impressed me so much with his comedy that I instantly followed him on the gram once his set was complete.
It was then time for the man of the hour to grace the stage. Bruce Bruce was met with thunderous applause and let the crowd know he was happy to be back in the DMV area. Throughout a 90-minute set, Bruce Bruce touched on numerous topics.
Joke topics included his weight, politics, and Hollywood. He even gave a TED talk to the men in the audience about the art of chivalry. This show was my first time seeing Bruce Bruce live, but it will not be the last. The next time he’s in town, I highly encourage you to check him out.
Final Grade: B
You know the voice. The moment Michael Marshall starts singing the hook in Luniz’s “I Got 5 on It,” anyone who grew up in the nineties knows exactly what time it is. However, nearly a decade before that 1995 hip-hop classic, Marshall was already responsible for another instantly recognizable vocal.
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.