Black History Month Special: 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians

[Go Getter]

Top 3

3. Red Foxx
2. Eddie Murphy
1. Richard Pryor

[L.Kizzle]

Top 3

3. Red Foxx
2. Eddie Murphy
1. Richard Pryor

LOL at number 2, Eddie is not that high up. And my number one will surprise you ...

[iamgine]

It's gotta be Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle.

Wayne Brady's pretty good too.

[bret tha ripper]

LOL at number 2, Eddie is not that high up. And my number one will surprise you ...

he is for me, delirious even to this day is still the funniest stand up ive seen

[L.Kizzle]

It's gotta be Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle.

Wayne Brady's pretty good too.

Wayne Brady didn't make the list ... more about Wayne and why he didn't later on in the list.

[L.Kizzle]

20. David Alan Grier

David Alan Grier stand up

Another assemble from the cast of “In Living Color.” As a Yale graduate, he went into comedy after being a theater major. At a New York city club in 1982, his first night doing comedy, he met Keenen Ivory Wayans. He said Keenen was the only comic that was nice too him and taught him many things he uses on his show today. By 1984, he was acing in the hit A Soldiers Story, their he met Robert Townsend, another inspiring comic at this time. In between sets, he would do his act, and so fourth. By the mid 80s’ David started doin’ stand up more and more, appearing on It’s Showtime at the Apollo in 1987. The next year he was back with his buddies Robert Townsend and Keene Ivory Wayans in their movies and specials. By 1990, he was on the hit TV show, In Living Color and was now headlining across the country. He would appear over the years in many television shows and awards shows as host or presenter. HE was on Saturday Night Live 3 times, (hosted twice.) In 2001, Premium Blend put him on as host. Two years later, gave him his first hour long special The Book of David: The Cult Figure's Manifesto, a hilarious special that I have not scene since 2002. That same year, his buddy from In Living Color, Jamie Foxx put him on his series Laffapalooza. Later in the decade he came out with the criminally underrated series, Chocolate News and last year, Comedy You Can Believe In on TBS.


19. Bernie Mac

Bernie Mac stand up

‘Who You Wit!’ Bernard McCullough started his comedy career in his hometown of Chicago in the mid 70s‘ as a street performer. Along the way, he did odd jobs around the city along with his comedy to make ends meet. It finally paid of in 1989 when he won the Miller Genuine Draft Comedy Search hosted by Damon Wayans. After, he was opening for the likes of Dionne Warwick, Natalie Cole and comic Redd Foxx. By 1991, he was performing on Def Comedy Jam and things were on the up and up. Damon Wayans remember h and put him in his film Mo Money s a doorman and he was back for the second season of Def Jam in 1992. In 1994, he put together the Who You Wit! Tour that went across the country featuring a band and dancers. It was so successful, HBO made a short live series out of it titled “Midnight Mac.” In 1997, he joined the Kings of Comedy Tout with Harvey, Ced the Ent and D.L. At the time the film was released, he was the only member to not have a television show (though he was a frequent star on Moesha.) The Bernie Mac Show premiered in 2001 and ran until 2006. In 2008, he decided that was gonna be his last year of stand up comedy. He was to release the stand up concert “The Whole Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me Mac.” Sadly, it would be his final year of stand up, s he passed away that same year.


18. Nipsey Russell

Nipsey Russell stand up

One of the first mainstream comics of the 1950s’. Nipsey was born in 1924 and by the age of six, was performing his act (singing, dancing, mc.) He attended University of Cincinnati, where he found out he loved poetry. He started out in the 1940s’ and by the 50s’ he was playing the “Catskills” or white audiences. He also played he chitlin’ circuit which included the grand Apollo Theater so he worked on his craft at both white and black clubs. He didn’t want to be known as “just” a black comic. He joined with the great Mantan Moreland as part of a successful stage show. He started getting major work in the late 50s’ and early 60s’. He released many albums during this times, As co-host on The Les Crane Show in 1965, Nipsey Russell was the first black emcee on a national television program. He is famous as a game show performer, appearing on everything from Family Feud to the Pyramid to Hollywood Squares to the Match Game. He was also very consistent in roasting the best on many of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast. His poetry is one of the reasons he’s considered one of the first rappers.


17. Robert Townsend

Robert Townsend stand up

A member of the famed “Black Pack.” He changed the game in 1987 With his film Hollywood Shuffle. He was born in Chicago in 1957 he got his start early. His first credit in 1971 was The Great American Dream Machine. He started performing stand up sometime in the mid 1970s. He did things here and their in the 70s and early 80 (the only one worth mentioning is A Soldiers Story where he met David Alan Grier.) 86 was a decent year, he performed his stand up on Evening at the Improv, a Rodney Dangerfield special from HBO and was a rotation host on the Late Late Show (which his ‘Black Pack‘ buddy Arsenio Hall took over …) But he found out I was harder and harder for a black man to get a decent role in a film unless it was a pimp, a hood or a rapist. His “Black Pack” buddy Keenen Ivory Wayans was experiencing the same thing, so hey put their brilliant minds together and came up with Hollywood Shuffle, an unsuspected hit. Also that year, HBO came aboard and gave him many specials, Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime. Take No Prisoners and The Mutiny Has Just Begun followed both in 1988 and Playing the Nutroll, his last of the series in 89. These series were the front runners for In Living Color and Def Comedy Jam and included the Wayans, DAG, Tommy Davidson and Robin Harris (his best friend). He got with Wayans again for The Five Heartbeat in 1991 and in 93, Townsend Television (I would love to see some footage on this!!!) premiered on Fox. Robert performed his comedy on the 1987 HBO special Uptown Comedy Express and That‘s Adequate, he recently returned to stand up last year.


16. Robin Harris

Robin Harris stand up

Along with Charlie Barnett, he’s one of the unsung great comics who just didn’t get that time and the spotlight. Robin, like his best friend, was born in Chicago and moved to Los Angeles in the 60s’. After attending college, he started performing comedy around 1978 in small beat don clubs in the hood. By 1985, Robin was the MC for the newly opened Comedy Act Theater on Crenshaw owned and ran by Michael Williams who first met Robin five years prior. He knew Robin would be perfect for this spot, and he was right. This Theater housed the best in black comedy across the country. In the first week their, he met future friends and comics Damon Wayans and Robert Townsend. Him and Robert came real close, and Robin was hanigin’ with ‘the Black Pack’; Townsend, Damon and brother Keenen, Arsenio, Paul Mooney and the ring leader, Eddie Murphy. Robin Harris was like an urban legend, everyone heard of him, but yet never scene him, that’s because he wasn’t Hollywood (yet.) By 1988, his best friends and performer at the CAT put him on his Mutiny Has Just Begun III special in 1988, his first time on television. Keenen that put him on I’m Gonna Git U Sucka! And Eddie and Arsenio were next, on Harlem Nights and performing on late night TV. 1990 was gonna be the year of Robin. He co-starred in the it House Party, HBO gave him his own One Night Stand. It was over by then, movies, One Night Stands, comedy albums and death … Robin died unexpectedly after a sold out show back home in Chicago at the Regal. In production, three movies with Paramount, two television series, one produced by Robert Townsend. Oh, one of those films would be Bebe’s Kids. Oh, the other series was to be Def Comedy Jam, he would have been the original host as Russell Simmons got the idea from the Comedy Act Theater.

[Timmy D for MVP]

Bernie Mac for me is top-15. Unless we're talking stand-up only, then I agree with where he is here.

[Gundress]

Top 3

3. Red Foxx
2. Eddie Murphy
1. Richard Pryor

You're getting close.


It gotta do with Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy etc. Again, we all have different opinion.

[L.Kizzle]

15. Eddie Griffin

Eddie Griffin stand up

One of the first breakout stars from Def Jam. He was the first Def Jamer to have an HBO One Night Stand (after a Def Jam performance.) Eddie was born in Kansan City, Missouri in 1966 and by 1984, was a married man. At a club, he started his stand up career as a dare, it worked as he

[Gundress]

D.L. Hughley??


Are you f*cking serious?

[L.Kizzle]

D.L. Hughley??


Are you f*cking serious?

You don't think he's top 100??

[Gundress]

You don't think he's top 100??

So are you telling me that he's better than Paul Mooney?

Paul Mooney wrote his own work, for writing for his longtime friend, Richard Pryor.


He isn't better than Beanie Mac.

[L.Kizzle]

So are you telling me that he's better than Paul Mooney?

Paul Mooney wrote his own work, for writing for his longtime friend, Richard Pryor.


He isn't better than Beanie Mac.

Yes, he's slightly better than Paul, it could go either way though.

DL write his own work also, and is Paul Mooney better than Richard, he wrote some of his material? Hell, did you see the list of who Paul wrote for. Comedy is not all about writing, could you see Paul doin' Eddie's "Ice Cream" bit, Damon's "Anton" character, Richard's "Mafia" material ...

He's better than Beanie Mac, lol.

[Gundress]

Yes, he's slightly better than Paul, it could go either way though.

DL write his own work also, and is Paul Mooney better than Richard, he wrote some of his material? Hell, did you see the list of who Paul wrote for. Comedy is not all about writing, could you see Paul doin' Eddie's "Ice Cream" bit, Damon's "Anton" character, Richard's "Mafia" material ...

He's better than Beanie Mac, lol.

You know what...I am done with your bullsh!t.

You actually believe that people will read all that sh!t?

Have you seen the "Why We Laugh" documentary?

[L.Kizzle]

You know what...I am done with your bullsh!t.

You actually believe that people will read all that sh!t?

Have you seen the "Why We Laugh" documentary?

What bullshlt? I watch it a few times a week on Showtime.