For more than 25 years, Lil Duval has been one of the most popular comedians on the scene.
He was a series regular on the MTV2 shows Guy Code and Hip Hop Squares and hosted Ain’t That America on MTV2.
As a comedic actor, Duval has appeared in Meet The Blacks, Grow House, The Trap, and many more.
In 2018, he released “Smile B*itch (Living My Best Life)” featuring Snoop Dogg and Ball Greezy which peaked at number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100.
For his latest endeavor, Duval is a part of the star-studded “We Dem Ones Comedy Tour.” The tour features some of the best comics in the game including. Mike Epps, Kountry Wayne, Karlous MillerTony Roberts, Bubba Dub, and HaHa Davis.
HOT97 caught up with Duval and we spoke about what inspired him to pursue comedy, being an early content creator, and the future of Black comedy.
When did you know you were funny?
Lil Duval: I grew up where you rank on people all day and talk sh*t. I didn’t realize I was the littlest one in my school. I grew up around big motherf**kers, like Brian Dawkins, who played with the Philadelphia Eagles, went to my school. He was actually a little compared to all the other big ni**as in school. I’ve always been funny because I had to roast people because I was small. I went from that to seeing Chris Rock or Chris Tucker . on Def Comedy Jam. When I saw him on Friday, I was like, “Oh, so that’s how you get in the movies being a stand-up comedian.” So that’s how that came about.
Was Chris Tucker an early influence on your comedy?
Lil Duval: He was one of my influences but I really was influenced by Deion Sanders because he was one of the first ones out of Florida to make it as a big superstar. So he was one of my major influences and stuff like that. So I was influenced by everything he did and it’s reflected in my comedy because it’s more than just stand-up. It’s everything.
You were one of the first known comics to use social media platforms to share your content. What made you go in that direction?
Lil Duval: My man Spain from Philly told me that I should do a website like 20 years ago. He said you can do a website get on are on MySpace or Black Planet. And I was like, ’Which one gets the most girls? He told me Myspace so I went with MySpace. I hit the ground running. That’s when I realized, “Oh, this is the world.”
There ain’t too many people who can say that it made it from the 90s to now and has been relevant this long. I’ve been relevant most of my and I’ve been doing for 26 years, and I’ve been relevant for at least 24 of them. For the comedians coming after me, I’m one of the first to open that lane where you don’t have to be a traditional stand-up comedian. Now you got people like Druski who is considered a comedian. You don’t have to so much do stand-up comedy to be considered a comedian. So I’m a part of that transition into what it is now.
How was it when you performed comedy for the first time?
Lil Duval: My first time on stage, I ripped. I’m glad because iI did. If I didn’t do good on my first time on stage, I probably wouldn’t be doing a stand-up today. I’m not one of those people that can keep getting beat up.
When you made “Smile” did you expect it to take off and become such a big hit?
Lil Duval: I already had the concept and I hit Snoop up. I told him, “I got this song, and it’s hard.” I let him hear the hook and he sent it right back to me. It was divine destiny. Honestly, God used me to send that energy out. That’s why people are still rocking with it since 2018.
What excites you about being on the We Dem Ones Tour?
Lil Duval: It’s about passing the passing the torch to the next generation. That’s what Mike did for me. He always treated me like a little brother. Over time, I became an OG so it’s the same thing. We have a lot of hot new comedians. They always talk about the old school and the old school comedian. I am old school, but not old school in the ranks of what a comedian is because I’m still young in it. But to this generation, I’m old. A lot of people think that the old school and new school don’t get along. This tour is proof that we show love and show unity.
When you made “Smile” did you expect it to take off and become such a big hit?
Lil Duval: I already had the concept and I hit Snoop up. I told him, “I got this song, and it’s hard.” I let him hear the hook and he sent it right back to me. It was divine destiny. Honestly, God used me to send that energy out. That’s why people are still rocking with it since 2018.
Along with the tour, what else do you have going on in 2025?
Lil Duval: But I got this movie called The Contract on All BLK or wherever you steal your movies from. It’s a romantic comedy about threesomes. I got Duval Day coming up in July so stay tuned.
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