Capone"Gangster of Comedy" | Ima Get In Trouble | Eddie Liles, Loy Lee, Terrance G

I'ma Get in Trouble

Our guest today Capone "Gangster of Comedy"

On the Ima Get In Trouble Podcast, Eddie Liles, Loy Lee, and Terrance Gawith argue, talk trash, and have coming to christ conversations. They don't always agree, but it is always entertaining to watch them try to prove a point. One thing is for sure, no topic is off the table even if someones gonna get in trouble. Follow along with the conversation live on Facebook from the Ima Get in Trouble Podcast page and listen after on everywhere you find podcasts like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

History has a funny way of repeating itself. Take the Windy City of Chicago circa the 1820s when a self-proclaimed Brooklyn street politician named Al Capone revolutionized the crime world with his hustling antics. Nearly 70 years later, the Bronx is introduced to Derrick Lee, another hustler who trades in his ruggish-thuggish ways to become a successful entrepreneur and later metamorphosize the world of comedy as Capone, the Gangster of Comedy.

While both Capones lives slightly parallel each other, our beloved comedian’s life is not tragic, but inspirational. Unlike Chi-town’s original crime lord, Capone, the comedian didn’t ignore the warning signs that he needed to cease the hustle. His first and last sign came in 1991 after receiving a nine-month sentence. It was then that the soon-to-be notorious funnyman knew the street life wasn’t his calling. “Jail was a blessing for me,” recalls the 28-year old comedian of his spiraling street career. “At the rate I was going I’d either be spending a whole lot of time there or end up dead.” With a second chance, Capone left the street life and became a home attendant for the mentally challenged. “It may seem a little far fetched that I chose a Samaritan job, but I’ve always been interested in helping people, especially those who can’t do for themselves.” Although his salary was a far cry from his previous income, he valued his freedom enough to stay on a legitimate path and supplemented his wages by moonlighting as a barber on the weekends. It was at his second job, that he began to hone his comedic skills by engaging in intense snap sessions with co-workers. “I was always crackin’ jokes on the customers or my co-workers so the barber shop served as a sort of comedy haven for me.”

It wasn’t until 1992, when a promoter friend of Capone’s challenged him to take his innate talent off the streets and to the stage that his comedy career was launched. “My first show was at Columbia University,” says the eight year comedic veteran of his meager beginnings and who credits his late mother for his comedic sense. “I won the amateur contest and I was invited to perform with the heavy hitters.” Performing with professionals such as Tracey Morgan (Saturday Night Live), Talent (Wyclef Jean’s 1998 The Carnival), Michael Epps (Next Friday) opened up many doors for the boisterous budding comedian. He immediately ditched his day job after he’d saved his earnings to open his first barber shop six years ago. “It was always one of my dreams to have my own barber shop and work for myself.”