Beats, rhymes and life are three of the corners where hip hop intersects. Few other TV shows have been able to cover all of these angles in-depth and authentically quite like REVOLT TV’s “Drink Champs,” which thrives on its candid conversations with the biggest and most influential figures in the game. In honor of such a one-of-a-kind show, REVOLT will be recapping each weekly “Drink Champs” episode, so you can always catch the gems that are dropped in each lit interview.
This week, actor/comedian Marlon Wayans paid “Drink Champs” a visit to crack a few jokes with hosts Noreaga and DJ EFN. In his first appearance on the podcast, the youngest Wayans brother delved deep into a myriad of topics including the state of comedy and his transition into stand-up. After scoring small roles in I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and The Best of Robert Townsend & His Partners in Crime, Marlon’s career began to take off in 1992 with a supporting role in the film Mo’ Money. Joining the “In Living Color” cast that same year, Marlon spent two seasons on the show before teaming up with his brother Shawn Wayans to co-create the show “The Wayans Bros.” Running for five seasons on the WB network, “The Wayans Bros.” was one of the most popular shows in hip hop culture and helped establish Marlon as a star. In addition to his success on the small-screen, the comedian also appeared in classics like Above the Rim, Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, The 6th Man, and Senseless. However, his star shone the brightest during the aughts with his work on the Scary Movie franchise, and films like White Chicks and Norbit. These roles established him as a bankable star and power-broker.
With three decades worth of acting credits under his belt — and no signs of slowing down anytime soon — Marlon’s comedic chops ranks with the best and his resume speaks to the breadth of his excellence.
To help give fans a recap of the conversation, REVOLT compiled a list of nine highlights from the Marlon Wayans episode of “Drink Champs.” Take a look at them below.
‘Drink Champs’ | Marlon Wayans (Full Episode)
1. Christmas In The Wayans Household
One of the first topics of conversation during Marlon’s sit-down with Noreaga and DJ EFN was life in the Wayans household, particularly the holiday season. “I was fortunate and blessed, man. My brother Keenan and my mom always made sure we had a dope Christmas. We laughed a lot and Keenan and Damon, they got us Atari. And me and Shawn was just blessed to have dope ass big brothers and sisters that cared and loved us… after they tortured us.”
2. Shawn Wayans Really Wasn’t A DJ On “In Living Color”
Fans of the hit ’90s comedy sketch show “In Living Color” may recall Shawn Wayans serving as the in-house DJ under the name SW1. However, Marlon revealed that the whole set-up was a ruse. “I’ma tell you something, back in the day, Shawn was like the Milli Vanilli of DJing. He was lip-syncing DJ moves. But now, my brother Shawn is a DJ. He’s doing parties all over the place and blowing up. I want SW1 to be like the new Asian dude that jumps up and down: Steve Aoki.”
3. Why He Feels Damon Wayans Is Underrated
Marlon’s older brother Damon Wayans was one of the most successful comedic actors of the early ’90s with a slew of classic roles on television and on the big screen, which immortalized him in urban culture. However, when Noreaga asks if he feels Damon is underrated, the Scary Movie star reveals that he feels his brother hasn’t truly gotten his just due. “Damon is severely underrated because when I look at comedy and when I judge, Damon is a guy that can do characters. He can tell the joke, he can show you the joke, he talked about his pain and made that funny. He talked about his truth, he talked about his life and then, he did things that was innovative. When he twisted up his arm to play Handi-Man, I’ve never seen nobody do that. I’ve never seen nobody say, ‘What if I commit suicide and lived?’ And the images this man would create even as a little boy; a man, an artist, Damon Wayans is that dude. And I’m just blessed to have been raised in a house with a legend like him and a legend like Keenan.”
4. Beef In Comedy
One tidbit from the “Drink Champs” conversation with Marlon that was noteworthy was his feelings on beef between comedians, which he says he has no time or tolerance for. “I don’t work in hate, I work in love. I grew up in a fraternity, which is my brothers. So, for me, comedy is a fraternity. So, I look at every one of [my] comedians friends as, ‘Y’all my brothers.’ I don’t wanna hate on you, I don’t need you for nothing.” While Marlon admits that tensions do arise between peers in the world of comedy, he makes it clear that he’s not with airing grievances in public and is not opposed to handling issues physically if cooler heads fail to prevail. “It be beef in comedy. I’m just not a dude that’s gonna be a part of beef. Either we gonna fight or we ain’t, but what I’m not gonna do is sit there and talk over airwaves. Either we fight or we ain’t. If not, then let’s not play this, let’s just be cool and call it a day. I got nothing but love for everybody in comedy, everybody. I don’t like when other people talk bad about anybody.”
5. How He Deals With Hecklers
When Noreaga asks Marlon how he deals with hecklers at his stand-up comedy shows, “The Wayans Bros.” co-creator reveals that he lives for the sport of it all and that he shows no mercy when issuing a comeback. “They don’t wanna do this,” he warns. “Nigga go home. First of all, I got the mic. I’m already winning because of clarity, my nigga. And then, you look stupid and you drunk, and you got your girl with you and she look funny, ahh, my nigga, you losing tonight. You losing. What’s your bill, nigga, what did you eat? Nigga, you losing. I’mma look at your life, nigga. What’s them shoes look like? Yo, put the light on them shoes. He can’t put the light on me, I already got the light on me. I’ll throw out everything funny about me. Now ’cause I’ve disarmed you, what do you got nigga? I’mma get into your pain, I’mma talk about your daddy issues, nigga. And that’s why I say don’t fuck with a comedian because if we have to kill your whole city, if there’s a terrorist in this city, I’m blowing up the whole city. I gotta get him, he’s in that bunker over there. I know there’s gonna be casualties, but that nigga, he gotta go.That’s just the way it goes.
6. Why He Likes Bombing
A comedian’s worst nightmare is not having their jokes connect with the crowd and being booed off stage. But, Marlon isn’t your typical comedian, as he reveals that he actually revels in having one of his performances going down in flames. “I like to bomb, here’s why, because I’m growing. If I go to a show and I’m there, and I’m not getting paid… it’s one thing if I’m doing a show and y’all come, and see me and you’re paying $45 – $50 a ticket. I’mma give you a show. If I’m going up to, like, Ha Ha Cafe [Comedy Club], Laugh Factory, I’m going up there to grow in some way. Allow me to use the stage for my progression in comedy. If jokes don’t work, that’s alright, not everything you think is funny or great. It’s not gonna happen, it’s part of the process. Not every rhyme you write is gonna be hot. But, when you say that one and you see the Puerto Rican go, ‘Word,’ you know when you said something hot. So, it’s the same thing in comedy. You gotta try stuff out, you can’t be scared to fail. Bombing is a part of comedy and I feel bad for the new guys that come out, and they bomb and they get backstage, and you see suicidal thoughts going through their head. They hurt. But, when you’re a G in the game, just go, ‘Nigga, I’m just trying shit, I’mma see how it goes.’ And sometimes, for me, a bomb is the best thing I did because I made ’em quiet because I got to express what the fuck I wanted to express without your judgement. See, nowadays, everybody wanna judge you for these thoughts. I gotta go in dark places. My job is to go in these dark tunnels that everybody’s scared to go in and go get these fucking jokes. So, excuse [me] if I gotta offend some motherfuckers on the way there, but I’ma go in here and get these jokes.
7. Being A Politically Correct Comedian
In today’s social climate, outrage has become the norm with many comedians facing backlash for statements deemed as politically incorrect. When asked about how this has altered the playing field for comedians, Marlon reveals that he feels the outrage and insensitivity is a ploy by outsiders attempting to cause division amongst the public. “People ain’t seeing what’s happening. There’s outside forces that are intervening and coming at us, and attacking us on social media and these are bots. And these bots are created from other countries trying to take and bring down anybody, and everybody that’s successful right now,” he shares. “They’re trying to bring it down, they’re trying to create these wars and make us ultra-sensitive. They’re trying to disrupt us and create an inharmonious society. And these stupid motherfuckers start feeding into it and the press picks this bullshit up. And the press puts this out and they feed it back in, and what’s happening is you’re killing the core and the fiber of America and people don’t understand that we’re being puppeted.”
8. His Feelings About Bill Cosby’s Legacy
Bill Cosby’s conviction of sexual assault rocked the comedy world, leading many creatives who were influenced by his work to weigh in on the verdict and how it should affect Cosby’s legacy. During his interview, Marlon shares his perspective on Cosby in light of his transgressions. “With Cosby, right, I feel like he’s still my hero in terms of comedically. I don’t have to like everything about you. But, I’m not gonna denounce the thing about you that made you great ’cause that makes me a fool.” Marlon continues, “You have to respect what they did great because if it wasn’t for Cosby, there’d be no, probably, Obama in office. Cosby made black people [be] in their living rooms. But, at the same time, I don’t condone him doing anything harmful to woman ’cause like I said, I got a mama, I got daughters, I got sisters. It’s just inhumane. If it’s true and like I said, nigga, I wasn’t there. But, if it’s true, yeah, take your ass to jail. I’m not gonna sit there like… there’s always one juror, ‘Yeah, he might’ve did it. But, nigga, remember that episode he did about Theo with the shirt, my nigga.’ But, if you do those type of heinous things, you should spend time in jail and there’s no excuse for that. But, to say that he wasn’t a great comedian is not true.”
9. How He Got Into Stand-up Comedy
One of the more anticipated biopics that has yet to see the light of day is comedic icon Richard Pryor’s. The late comedian was a major influence on an array of comedy legends including Marlon, who once auditioned for the starring role in the film. “It was a great experience for me, man. I don’t know what’s happening with the movie. It started out, my brother Damon was gonna do it years ago. Then, Eddie Murphy was gonna do it, then Mike [Epps], then me, then Mike [Epps]. Eddie Murphy was gonna play Richard Pryor at a point and for me, I’m blessed because going up for that audition brought me to the stage. That and a movie that I did with Damon called Behind The Smile. So, my hero in comedy, going to play his life, I felt if I’mma do the Richard Pryor story, I should get my ass on the stage if I’mma play the greatest comedian ever. That’s the thing that really got me doing stand-up. So, the movie happening or not happening, it didn’t affect me in a negative way. I was like, ‘God brought me to the stage.’ I wanna play a great, [but] I’mma be a great and that’s why I’m doing stand-up every goddamn weekend.”
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