Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to African Americans, at a time when "rocking, jazz based music ... [with a] heavy, insistent beat" was becoming more popular. In the commercial rhythm and blues music typical of the 1950s through the 1970s, the bands usually consisted of a piano, one or two guitars, bass, drums, one or more saxophones, and sometimes background vocalists. R&B lyrical themes often encapsulate the African-American history and experience of pain and the quest for freedom and joy, as well as triumphs and failures in terms of societal racism, oppression, relationships, economics, and aspirations.
Edward Regan Murphy is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He has received several accolades including a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, and an Emmy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 and the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2023.
Brandon Teena was an American transgender man who was raped and later, along with Phillip DeVine and Lisa Lambert, murdered in Humboldt, Nebraska, by John Lotter and Tom Nissen. His life and death were the subject of the films The Brandon Teena Story and Boys Don't Cry. Teena's murder, along with that of Matthew Shepard nearly five years later, led to increased lobbying for hate crime laws in the United States.
Harry Laverne Anderson was an American actor, comedian and magician. He is best known for his role as Judge Harry Stone on the NBC sitcom Night Court (1984–1992). He later played Dave Barry on the CBS sitcom Dave's World (1993–1997).
William Frederick Burr is an American comedian, actor, writer and podcaster. He has released multiple stand-up comedy specials, including You People Are All the Same (2012), I'm Sorry You Feel That Way (2014), Walk Your Way Out (2017) and Paper Tiger (2019). He received a Grammy Award nomination for Paper Tiger, as well as a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the dark comedy series Immoral Compass (2021–present). In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked him at No. 17 on their list of the "50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time".
Huey Pierce "Piano" Smith was an American R&B pianist and session musician whose sound was influential in the development of rock and roll.
Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He rose to prominence for playing Leslie Chow in The Hangover film series (2009–2013) and Ben Chang in the NBC sitcom Community (2009–2015). He created, wrote and produced the ABC sitcom Dr. Ken (2015–2017), in which he portrays the titular character, and he has appeared in the films Knocked Up (2007), Role Models (2008), Furry Vengeance (2010), The Duff (2015), Ride Along 2 (2016), Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Scoob! (2020) and Tom & Jerry (2021).
Brandon Augustus Deaderick is a former American football defensive end. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL draft. He played college football at Alabama.
Ray's Candy Store is a deli at 113 Avenue A in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The store has been in business since 1974.
Robert Hillary King, also known as Robert King Wilkerson, is an American known as one of the Angola Three, former prisoners who were held at Louisiana State Penitentiary in solitary confinement for decades after being convicted in 1973 of prison murders.
Samuel Whitcomb Hyde is an American comedian. He is a co-founder of sketch comedy group Million Dollar Extreme, alongside Nick Rochefort and Charls Carroll. His transgressive style has garnered significant public controversy, and has been heavily linked with the alt-right.
Theodor Capitani von KurnatowskiIII, known professionally as Theo Von, is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, actor, and former reality television personality. He is the host of the This Past Weekend podcast.
Peter Michael Davidson is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He began his career in the early 2010s with minor guest roles on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Friends of the People, Guy Code, and Wild 'n Out before being hired as cast member on the NBC late-night sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live which he starred on for eight seasons from 2014 to 2022.
Tony Hinchcliffe is an American comedian who hosts the live comedy podcast Kill Tony, which is a showcase of professional and amateur comedians who take turns doing one-minute sets. Hinchcliffe is known primarily for his roast comedy. His one-hour stand-up special One Shot premiered on Netflix in 2016. He has been on the writing staff of the Comedy Central Roast series. He also appeared as a roaster on the All Def Digital Roast of Snoop Dogg in 2016 and The Roast of Tom Brady in 2024.
Rakim Hasheem Allen, known professionally as PnB Rock, was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He signed with Atlantic Records in 2015 and gained initial recognition for his 2016 single, "Selfish". Becoming his first Billboard Hot 100 entry, it received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and served as the lead single for his commercial mixtape GTTM: Goin Thru the Motions (2017), which entered the Billboard 200. His debut studio album, Catch These Vibes (2017) peaked at number 17 on the chart, while his second album, TrapStar Turnt PopStar (2019) peaked at number four.
Artist Julius Dubose, known professionally as A Boogie wit da Hoodie, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He released his debut studio album, The Bigger Artist, via Atlantic Records in 2017. Led by the Billboard Hot 100-top 20 single "Drowning", the album was met with critical praise and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200.
The Last Podcast on the Left is a weekly podcast on the Last Podcast Network featuring podcast producer and researcher Marcus Parks, comedian and actor Henry Zebrowski, and comedian Ed Larson, three longtime friends. Episodes have explored the topics of serial killers, cults, conspiracy theories, UFO sightings, ghosts, cryptids, the occult, and readings of fan-submitted creepypastas. The name is a reference to the 1972 horror movie The Last House on the Left.
Messy Mya was an American rapper and comedian from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Mark Normand is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He began performing stand-up in his hometown New Orleans in 2006. He has performed across the United States and abroad and has appeared on Conan, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Brandon George Rogers is an American comedian, actor, filmmaker, and YouTuber. He plays many characters in his eponymous YouTube channel and is a writer on the adult animated web series Helluva Boss, in which he primarily voices the main character Blitzo, as well as voicing reporter Katie Killjoy in Hazbin Hotel.
