Sort of like stand-up comedy speed-dating, this quick parade of comics based in and around Chicago is a hit-or-miss affair but yields an acceptable laff quotient. Viewers/collections offended by marathon usage of n-words and f-words need not apply.
Alex Thomas emcees a lineup of mostly male standups appearing in downtown Chicago, and yes, lots of raunch and cussing prevails. Impressionist Reggie Reg’s rapid-fire impersonations are probably the mass-audience highlight. Part of his schtick is how various black celebrities would come across as the new US president, a cue that this is all pre-Obama era stuff—hence gags about MySpace.com and rising rappers/Britney Spears collaborators the Ying Yang Twins.
Besides frequent Chicago shout-outs, sexual relations predominate as a topic, making straight-talking—if filthy—Sonya D highly listenable. She's just as shameless as the guy comics and she reminds audiences she has a Psychology degree, so her profane bedroom and dating advice has merit.
Closing act Marcus Combs’ bit is practically a one-man sketch, acting out a bunch of street gangs perpetrating a drive-by shooting whilst one of them insists on softly crooning “slow-jam” R&B melodies made famous by Maxwell—a commentary on the dichotomy of the black American experience: harsh and sweet. At least that would make a good community college studies spin on it.
In entertainment/performing arts collections where the R-rated Eddie Murphy: Raw and the concert films of Richard Pryor are mainstays, this title could find a home. But maybe Big Mama would be less shocked by The Original Kings of Comedy. Optional for public libraries.