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originally published: 01/23/2023 

(NEWARK, NJ) -- In partnership with Urban Vibe Entertainment, The Black Promoters Collective is happy to announce their first Comedy tour, "Straight Jokes, No Chaser Comedy Tour." The event hosted by Mike Epps features standup comedy greats Cedric The Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, and DC Young Fly. Selling out arenas with their R&B tours this past year, the collective is now expanding its promotion into the comedy industry with this 23-city tour. The tour starts on Saturday, March 4, in Indianapolis, IN, and ends on Saturday, May 27, in Las Vegas, NV. The tour makes a stop at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday, April 15.

Actor and comedian Mike Epps has been known to bring down the house with non-stop laughter for his unforgettable nights of comedy. Best known for playing Day-Day Jones in "Next Friday" and its sequel, "Friday After Next," Epps has generated an extraordinary amount of buzz among his peers for being not only one of the funniest comic actors but also for his burgeoning dramatic and acting talent. Epps is currently starring in the Netflix comedy series "The Upshaws" and recently dropped a special on Netflix earlier this year called "Mike Epps: Indiana Mike."

Cedric Antonio Kyles, better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American actor, comedian, and game show host. He hosted BET's "ComicView" during the 1993–94 season and "Def Comedy Jam" in 1995. He is best known for co-starring with Steve Harvey on the famed sitcom "The Steve Harvey Show," as one of The Original Kings of Comedy, and for starring as Eddie Walker in "Barbershop." He hosted the 12th season of the daytime version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" in 2013–14 and starred in the TV Land original series "The Soul Man," which aired from 2012 until 2016. He has also done voice work for "Ice Age," the "Madagascar" film series, "Charlotte's Web," and the "Planes" franchise. He has recently been a part of multiple TV Series, including "The Neighborhood" from 2018-22 and "Woke" from 2020-22.

One of the most popular and universally recognized standup comedians on the road today has also made quite an impression in the television, film, and radio arenas. D.L. Hughley can currently be heard nationwide as the host of his afternoon radio show, "The DL Hughley Show," nationally syndicated in over 60 cities across the country. A New York Times best-selling author, D.L. Hughley has written various books, including "How to Survive America," "Surrender, White People," "Black Man, White House: An Oral History of the Obama Years" and "How Not to Get Shot." In addition, D.L. Hughley continues to dominate the standup stage, producing specials for Netflix, Showtime, and HBO.

John Whitfield, better known as DC Young Fly, is an internet personality, comedian, actor, host, rapper, and singer-songwriter best known for his "roasting sessions" videos on Instagram and Vine. His videos earned him co-signs from celebrities like Kevin Hart, Michael Blackson, Lebron James, Chris Tucker, etc. DC has starred in films such as Almost Christmas (2016), She Ball with Nick Cannon, and I Got the Hook Up 2 with Master P (2019). In addition, he was a recurring cast member on the improv comedy show Wild' N Out on MTV, VH1, and MTV2; and a main host for the revival of TRL on MTV from 2017 to 2018. As a musician, DC has also taken the reins in the music industry, reaching the Top 10 on iTunes R&B wIth his 12th mixtape, TRAPSOUL, and opened for Chris Brown's "Party Tour" (2017). In 2021, he opened his improv comedy club, "DC Comedy Exchange," in Miami Beach, Florida. Most recently, DC filmed alongside Jacob Latimore (The Chi) and Rotimi (Power) in the 2023 remake of the 1990 film of the same name, House Party, which was released last Friday, January 13.

 

Advertise with New Jersey Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info

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Comedian, actor, and voice-artist Earthquake (who will miss the Prudential Center show) earned a solid fan base in standup comedy via programming platforms fueled by BET, HBO, Comedy Central, Showtime, and more. Born Nathaniel Stroman, 'Quake' (as he's known by fans) entered America's households on the classic run of BET's "Comic View" and HBO's "Def Comedy Jam." In addition, Earthquake wowed audiences with one of his most memorable performances for HBO's coveted 30-minute comedy special series, ​"One Night Stand," and has filmed a string of other comedy specials, including "About Got Damn Time," "Walter Latham Presents," "From the Outhouse to the Whitehouse" and more.

Tickets are on-sale now and range from $59.50 to $169.50. Tickets are available for purchase online.

Fans won't want to miss this comedy-packed event full of some of standup's most notable acts.

Prudential Center is located at 25 Lafayette Street in Newark, New Jersey.

Tour Dates 

Saturday, March 4                     Indianapolis, Indiana                              Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Friday, March 10                       New Orleans, Louisiana                         Smoothie King Center

Saturday, March 11                   Bossier City, Louisiana                          Brookshire Grocery Arena

Friday, March 17                       Nashville, Tennessee                             Bridgestone Arena

Saturday, March 18                   Miami, Florida                                       FTX Arena

Friday, March 24                       Raleigh, North Carolina                          PNC Arena

 

Advertise with New Jersey Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info

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Saturday, March 25                   Hampton, Virginia                                  Hampton Coliseum

Saturday, April 1                        Detroit, Michigan                                   Little Caesars Arena

Saturday, April 8                        Kansas City, Missouri                            T-Mobile Center

Friday, April 14                          Baltimore, Maryland                               CFG Bank Arena

Saturday, April 15                      Newark, New Jersey                              Prudential Center #

Friday, April 21                          Charlotte, North Carolina                        Spectrum Center

Friday, April 28                          Columbia, South Carolina                       Colonial Life Arena

Saturday, April 29                      Cleveland, Ohio                                    Wolstein Center

Saturday, May 6                        Oakland, California                                Oakland Arena

Sunday, May 7                          Los Angeles, California                          Kia Forum

Friday, May 12                          Greensboro, North Carolina                    Greensboro Coliseum

Friday, May 19                          Philadelphia, Pannsylvania                     Liacouras Center #

Saturday, May 20                      Cincinnati, Ohio                                     Heritage Bank Center *

Sunday, May 21                                    Tampa, Florida                                      Amalie Arena *

Friday, May 26                          Brooklyn, New York                               Barclays Center ^

Saturday, May 27                      Las Vegas, Nevada                               Grand Garden Arena

* denotes DC Young Fly doesn’t appear

# denotes Earthquake doesn’t appear

^ Barclays Center date coming soon

The Black Promoters Collective (BPC) is a coalition of six of the nation's top independent concert promotion and event production companies. As a 100% Black-owned business, its mission is to be the world's leading producer and provider of culturally relevant live entertainment experiences.