If it's been said about one American stand-up comedian, it's been said about a dozen of them: just because a joke is edgy doesn't mean it's brave, nor does it mean it's actually a well-written joke. Throughout this hour-long special, Mike Epps rambles from one topic to another with little sense of direction, usually resorting to making fun of a vulnerable group, or making dull "observations" about relationships and everyday life when he hits a wall. There's no real perspective to what he says here, not even an attempt to criticize more progressive points of view. It's hard to see what's so funny about somebody stating the obvious loudly and arrogantly.
Synopsis
Mike Epps keeps it real as he riffs on poor personal hygiene, failing at infidelity and waging war on work husbands in this stand-up comedy special.
Storyline
The comedian talks about his career, his relationships, and his observations as a Black man.
TLDR
When you can't even make the one Donald Trump joke in your stand-up set land, you have a problem.
What stands out
You would at least expect the joke that contains the title of a stand-up special memorable, or at the very least amusing. The title of this special, Ready to Sell Out, is mentioned at the very, very end—and it comes out of nowhere. There's no build-up to it, no follow-through, no relevance to anything that was said before. Even on its own, again, there's nothing clever about it. When Epps says he's ready to sell out, it hardly registers as a joke; it's just a passing remark.
