Mike Epps is one of the funniest cats on the planet. So, when you ask him to name a few of his favorite things to do away from the spotlight, you have to prepare for almost anything to come from the Indianapolis native’s mouth. But even with the mental prep, you can’t stop from giggling after he reveals how much of a fan he is of fishing and quail hunting in Alaska. Son, can you even imagine the hilarity of seeing Mike creeping up on some game in Sarah Palin’s backyard?
Throughout Mike’s career, he’s had to shoot down critics. Folks said he’d never make it in comedy. The man went on to host Def Comedy Jams. People said he’d never make it in comedy movies. Next Friday, Friday After Next and All About the Benjamins became late-night classics. Cats even swore he’d never make it in comedy movies that didn’t star Ice Cube. As far we know, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins and this month’s dark comedy Next Day Air made zero mention of the rapper-turned-actor.
Cube’s name does come up towards the end of this interview, but not before the fun-hearted Epps speaks on humility, his approach to comedy and one day having his own sitcom.
HipHopDX: You seem to keep an optimistic outlook on things. With the ups and downs you’ve had in your life, would you consider yourself a success story yet?
Mike Epps: Yeah, you know, I’m definitely a success story from where I come from. But I feel like my book hasn’t been told. It ain’t fully-written. When you’re tellin’ a book that ain’t fully written, you’re leaving it open for people to know more and what more.
DX: Are you at a point now where folks in their early 20s are looking to you as a mentor?
Mike Epps: Oh yeah. Today, I’m going over to the children’s hospital and I’m going to metro [correctional facility] to talk to the juvenile kids. I do that all the time, without nobody knowing about it.
DX: What was it like working with famed music director Benny Boom on Next Day Air?
Mike Epps: Benny Boom’s gonna get a lot of work in the business. Benny Boom was really strategic about what he wanted. What I liked about him was you could tell he went and did his homework. He wasn’t just like, “Oh, I wanna be famous for makin’ movies.” You get a lot of those first-time video directors and they just wanna be in the business. But Benny Boom really, really got into it. When you see the film, you’ll see all the great movie influences like the Guy Ritchie movies, Pulp Fiction and Dead Presidents. It has a lot of elements of other great films.
DX: Talk about your character in the movie.
Mike Epps: I think Brody is definitely in the streets. He’s definitely a crook. He’s a lil’ more led on by his partner Guch, played by Wood Harris. Wood is a good actor. He played that menacing role. My character was down for the robbery. Who that character was as a person, had [the script played out differently], he would have probably changed. Nah, I ain’t fuckin’ with that shit! My character was like, “Let’s get the money. Let’s have a good time."
DX: What was it like getting those first couple of checks from doing stand-up?
Mike Epps: It was good. I’ve never really been a materialistic person. I’ve never really been caught up on it. I like nice stuff, but I’ve been able to adjust without it. That’s why I think my comedy has been so good. I have relied on that when I didn’t have nuthin’. A guy with money can’t outdo me around the ladies. I’ma walk out of there broke with all the girls because I’ma crack the jokes and give something your money can’t buy, baby! That’s what a lot of kids and people have to do. They gotta rely on what God gave them and use it to the fullest. Talent replaces everything. I don’t care what it is. Even in your profession- journalism. That’s a God-given talent ‘cause you’re able to pull stuff outta people like us. It’s almost therapeutic. For real. You make people say stuff they wouldn’t normally. Actors and stuff, they don’t open up to everybody. But in interviews, they say things they don’t normally say. I know I do. It’s therapeutic.
DX: I’ve heard that doing comedy is therapeutic too. How has your approach to the stage changed over the years?
Mike Epps: I know exactly what I want out of it now. At first, it was like, “What do I want?” Now I want to make my fans happy and I want to walk away successful. I want people to be able to say, “I liked the way he set that up. I liked how he broke it down.” Details are important to me now. I’m more into what I’m doing as opposed to just going out there freestylin’. I like to know what I’m doing and how to attack.
DX: Will there be a Mike Epps television show?
Mike Epps: Oh yeah. I’m working on a TV show right now, a sitcom that’s gonna be really, really funny about my life. I’ma change my regular life, so that life I’m playing on TV will be my past. The life you see me in right now will be my past when I get the TV show.
DX: What’s the timetable for that?
Mike Epps: About in another two years.
DX: And what about the movie with Ice Cube, Janky Promoters?
Mike Epps: It ain’t comin’ out yet. You’ll get another interview for it.
Throughout Mike’s career, he’s had to shoot down critics. Folks said he’d never make it in comedy. The man went on to host Def Comedy Jams. People said he’d never make it in comedy movies. Next Friday, Friday After Next and All About the Benjamins became late-night classics. Cats even swore he’d never make it in comedy movies that didn’t star Ice Cube. As far we know, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins and this month’s dark comedy Next Day Air made zero mention of the rapper-turned-actor.
Cube’s name does come up towards the end of this interview, but not before the fun-hearted Epps speaks on humility, his approach to comedy and one day having his own sitcom.
HipHopDX: You seem to keep an optimistic outlook on things. With the ups and downs you’ve had in your life, would you consider yourself a success story yet?
Mike Epps: Yeah, you know, I’m definitely a success story from where I come from. But I feel like my book hasn’t been told. It ain’t fully-written. When you’re tellin’ a book that ain’t fully written, you’re leaving it open for people to know more and what more.
DX: Are you at a point now where folks in their early 20s are looking to you as a mentor?
Mike Epps: Oh yeah. Today, I’m going over to the children’s hospital and I’m going to metro [correctional facility] to talk to the juvenile kids. I do that all the time, without nobody knowing about it.
DX: What was it like working with famed music director Benny Boom on Next Day Air?
Mike Epps: Benny Boom’s gonna get a lot of work in the business. Benny Boom was really strategic about what he wanted. What I liked about him was you could tell he went and did his homework. He wasn’t just like, “Oh, I wanna be famous for makin’ movies.” You get a lot of those first-time video directors and they just wanna be in the business. But Benny Boom really, really got into it. When you see the film, you’ll see all the great movie influences like the Guy Ritchie movies, Pulp Fiction and Dead Presidents. It has a lot of elements of other great films.
DX: Talk about your character in the movie.
Mike Epps: I think Brody is definitely in the streets. He’s definitely a crook. He’s a lil’ more led on by his partner Guch, played by Wood Harris. Wood is a good actor. He played that menacing role. My character was down for the robbery. Who that character was as a person, had [the script played out differently], he would have probably changed. Nah, I ain’t fuckin’ with that shit! My character was like, “Let’s get the money. Let’s have a good time."
DX: What was it like getting those first couple of checks from doing stand-up?
Mike Epps: It was good. I’ve never really been a materialistic person. I’ve never really been caught up on it. I like nice stuff, but I’ve been able to adjust without it. That’s why I think my comedy has been so good. I have relied on that when I didn’t have nuthin’. A guy with money can’t outdo me around the ladies. I’ma walk out of there broke with all the girls because I’ma crack the jokes and give something your money can’t buy, baby! That’s what a lot of kids and people have to do. They gotta rely on what God gave them and use it to the fullest. Talent replaces everything. I don’t care what it is. Even in your profession- journalism. That’s a God-given talent ‘cause you’re able to pull stuff outta people like us. It’s almost therapeutic. For real. You make people say stuff they wouldn’t normally. Actors and stuff, they don’t open up to everybody. But in interviews, they say things they don’t normally say. I know I do. It’s therapeutic.
DX: I’ve heard that doing comedy is therapeutic too. How has your approach to the stage changed over the years?
Mike Epps: I know exactly what I want out of it now. At first, it was like, “What do I want?” Now I want to make my fans happy and I want to walk away successful. I want people to be able to say, “I liked the way he set that up. I liked how he broke it down.” Details are important to me now. I’m more into what I’m doing as opposed to just going out there freestylin’. I like to know what I’m doing and how to attack.
DX: Will there be a Mike Epps television show?
Mike Epps: Oh yeah. I’m working on a TV show right now, a sitcom that’s gonna be really, really funny about my life. I’ma change my regular life, so that life I’m playing on TV will be my past. The life you see me in right now will be my past when I get the TV show.
DX: What’s the timetable for that?
Mike Epps: About in another two years.
DX: And what about the movie with Ice Cube, Janky Promoters?
Mike Epps: It ain’t comin’ out yet. You’ll get another interview for it.
