Known for his eloquent delivery and amazing posture, he’s delighted audiences all over the U.S. with his keen musings on the human condition. As part of We Own The Laughs.com’s Comedian of the Day, have a few laughs and get to know comedian Ibrahim Khalif. The Newark, NJ native shares some of his favorite moments in stand-up comedy and lets us know how he always owns the laughs.
Name: Ibrahim Khalif
Hometown: Newark, NJ
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: @ibrahimkhalif/ @ibrahimkhalif83/Ibrahim Khalif/@ibrahim_khalif
Years in Comedy: 8
Haven’t we seen you somewhere before: Probably bombing at your local dive bar. (Laughs)
Comedic Influences: My Mother Tujuana, Pryor, Carlin, Chappelle, and Rock and Burr. Also, oddly enough, rapper Sean Price and Stone Cold Steve Austin are great comedic influences too.
Favorite Comedy Album: Richard Pryor “That N*gger’s Crazy”
Favorite Comedy Special: Dave Chappelle “Bird Revelation,” Patrice O’Neal “Elephant In The Room,” & Richard Pryor “Live In Concert.”
Favorite Comedy Movie: Harlem Nights
Favorite Comedy TV Show: Seinfeld
Favorite Comedic Character: Al Bundy
Favorite City to Perform In: Washington, DC. I perform in NYC but New York took a minute to pay attention to me. And to be honest I’m still ignored to some degree. DC was the first town to really show me love and give me a shot when NYC/ NJ wouldn’t book me. My second favorite is Boston. They are very blue-collar and honest in their comedic taste. Very liberating as a comic.
Favorite Topics to Joke About: I love to make jokes about some of the darkest subjects. To me, it’s a mark of a great comic to be able to bring hilarity and levity out of the darkest situations. Adrienne Iapalucci and Anthony Jeselnik are currently the best at it.
Favorite Type of Audience for a Comedy Show: I love mixed audiences. I love performing for my people but it’s always great to do comedy in a mixed audience. I think my material is universal and I want reactions from every walk of life.
How did you discover your passion for comedy:
I loved making people laugh for my entire life. I used to bug out with my late mother all the time and try and make close friends and co-workers crack up from some of my absurd observations and off-kilter diatribes. They told me for years to do stand up but I ignored them. It took me to have an early midlife crisis at 31 to work up the nerve to start. I used it as a coping mechanism from losing my mom and I just fell in love with the process.
What do you remember most about your first time performing stand-up comedy:
My first time on stage was at an open mic at the Stress Factory Comedy Club in NJ. I remember getting laughs but running the light and them turning off the mic and the lights off on stage. I was standing up there in the dark (Laughs). But got compliments after.
How would you describe your comedic style:
Thoughtfully Abrasive. I look at situations and although you may see me at first as obtuse you’ll quickly see my perspective even though you may not agree with me. When I start my set I’m generally seen as a villain but by the end of my set, I’m seen as an antihero. You may not agree with my methods but by the end, you understand my motives.
Describe your process for comedic writing:
My writing really starts at home with my wife Kitty. I’ll see something or hear something in the zeitgeist and start ranting about it, and some funny things come from it. Then while driving to a mic or show I’ll call her and ask her what was I talking about and then we spend my drive into the city piecing together my so many minutes of mania. I used to write every single day but I found writing everything out makes me devoid of emotion. So I start with a basic premise of the idea and develop it over time by talking about it on stage and then audio recording it and listening back to it constantly making mental edits.
Describe the comedy scene in your area:
New York Comedy is highly competitive.
If you can make it in NYC comedy you should be great. However, the hardest part is not telling the jokes. That’s the great part about it. Even the bombing is great. The toughest part of standup probably anywhere is GETTING on stage. The politics and getting someone to give you a shot is the hardest part of comedy in NYC. The pandemic only made this harder, but you persevere.
How do you judge success in the world of comedy:
Right now I wanna work at particular clubs but there’s someone who works those clubs who wants Netflix specials and those with Netflix specials want a TV deal or movie.
It’s all relative.
So you have to be content within yourself for where you are and how far you’ve come.
Who are some of your comedic peers that you enjoy watching perform or inspire you personally and professionally:
This list can be long but I’m gonna name them and what you do after is on yall. But all my niggas are dope: Phileo Huff, Drew Dowdey, Jared Waters, Kerby Darius, Kyle Pennant, Stephon Hightower, Reggie Edwards, Dave Lester, Meme Simpson, Onika McLean, Eva Evans, Lee Valentin, JJ Matise, Menuhin Hart, Andre D. Thompson, Ayanna Dookie, Zahra Ali, Franco Danger, Phil Hunt, Alex Nicholas, Gordon Baker-Bone, Na’im Ali, Marcus Levar, Dru Montana and my sis Norah Yahya. Check all of these comics if you’re in NYC or Philly area.
What’s been your most memorable moment in comedy:
Headlining my own show at Broadway Comedy Club. I produced and promoted the show myself. Sold out. Booked a few of my faves and rocked out for an hour and twenty minutes. It was great from beginning to end. It felt so good to be free on stage and give people that much time to get to know me and my thoughts. You don’t get chances to run time like that in NYC because stage time is at a premium, but that night I really felt like a real comedian.
What have you learned most from your failures in comedy:
It sounds cliché but they make you better. I have come back to have some of my better sets and some of my best material after taking some horrendous Ls. But the failure is where the growth is. It’s like working out. The muscle grows bigger and stronger because of the damage to the tissue. Without the damage, you just remain weak. Same thing with stand-up. Failure is strength for your soul. The most important part is to not stagnate in one’s failures.
How do people react towards you when they realize that you can make people laugh:
Skepticism. Most people don’t realize what type of humor I have or anything because it’s a side of me I don’t let everyone see. I’m quite a reserve and the same may say too serious. But those who really know me know how I get down and how my mind works.
Describe what it’s been like building a career in stand-up comedy:
Building? Sh*t. More like zoning (Laughs). Right now, I’m just trying to get the right permits and backing before I can start building (Laughs). This whole game is about relationships, and getting the right people to sign off on you.
If you could change one thing in the world of comedy, what would it be:
I wish it was more about being funny. I wish there was a legit meritocracy. But it’s not. There is no linear path to success. A great deal of it is like gambling. You’re wagering your mental health and dignity with the hopes to cash in on something that makes you happy and that’s a risky proposition. So if there was anything I just wished funny meant a whole lot more than politics.
Best advice you’ve ever received from a comedian:
“Ibrahim, your comedy is like a Mona Lisa hanging in the back of a shitty bar. People only take what you say for granted because you’re not in the right place.” -Bill Beteet advising me about context and art
“Ego Is The Enemy. Our Ego Gets In The Way In Comedy Because We Believe We Deserve Something…And We Don’t. Once You Let That Go, You’ll Be Outta Ya Own Way”. -Drew Dowdey
If you were releasing a comedy special this week, what would it be called:
REDRUM (Murder backwards)
Weirdest place you’ve ever performed any form of comedy:
At an outdoor BAZAAR in Staten Island. I’m telling jokes while someone buys healing crystals and a fish platter. Comedy before 6PM is weird as sh*t anyway.
Where would you like your laughs to take you:
I would love to tour the world making people laugh. I wouldn’t mind doing comedic acting either, but ultimately stand-up comedy is what I would love to do for the rest of my life. Comedy specials and performing in theatres.
What would you tell a potential comedian if they ask you how they can own the laughs:
I’ve told them to focus on building a tight five minutes and branch everything from there. That’s was the advice given to me by Gordon Baker-Bone.
What are your thoughts on the future of comedy:
The future of comedy is good if they pick the right people. There is so much untapped potential. Some of the best comics haven’t been seen yet.
If you could choose 1 comedy club and 3 comedians to perform with on your perfect comedy show, how would it go: The Comedy Cellar Host: Gordon Baker-Bone Opener: Norah Yahya, and Feature: Kerby Darius
What’s next for you:
Trying to get passed at more clubs. Right now, I’m working out of Broadway & Greenwich Village Comedy Clubs. Ultimately, I would love to work at the Comedy Cellar. I would also like to produce my own headlining shows again and record more episodes of my podcast THE IGNANT NEGUS.
Why should a person always laugh at life:
Because life is full of lies and the only thing funny is the truth.
Follow Ibrahim Khalif’s comedic journey on these social media websites:
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: @ibrahimkhalif @ibrahimkhalif83 Ibrahim Khalif @ibrahim_khalif
Youtube: Ibrahim Khalif
Listen to Ibrahim Khalif’s debut comedy album “Placebo” below on Spotify
