Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) took Phi Centre’s stage last night for his standup comedy debut. The show was called Happy Birthday – SHUT UP, inspired by Kanye being Kanye. It was announced earlier this week and sold out a few hours after the tickets went online. Kaytranada warmed up the crowd to his remixes while the room filled up.
After Kaytranada warmed up the crowd with remixes, the multitalented Bey, who has collaborated with other comedians in the past, walked on stage with a big smile and throwing rose petals. He took his red mic out and shared some thoughts on Meek Mill versus Drake (“when we secretly all know Nicki Minaj is the better rapper between both”) as well as current issues in the United States such as Donald Trump, police brutality and more.
He also read quotes from two books: In Search of Civilization: Remaking a Tarnished Idea by John Armstrong and In Times of terror, Wage Beauty by Marc Gonzales. He closed with a story of him being a referee in a “little people” boxing match on a Friday night in Manila, Phillippines.
He had some interesting material. Hopefully we will see him on stage at Just for Laughs soon enough.
* Yasiin Bey will perform again tonight at Centre Phi, tickets now available
