Martin Lawrence

special guest Rickey Smiley with Loni Love and Benji Brown

Comedy legend Martin Lawrence will headline his first national arena tour since 2016, kicking off Saturday, July 20. The “Y’all Know What It Is!” tour will head to nearly 40 cities across the U.S. through April 2025. The tour is set to launch soon after the June 7 release of the highly anticipated Bad Boys: Ride or Die feature film, co-starring Will Smith.  

“Y’all Know What It Is!” is an all-new stand-up show and fresh one hour set where Martin brings the real talk and finds the funny in everything from family to culture as only he can. Special guests have been personally hand-picked by Martin and are some of the hottest comedians on the mic including Adele Givens, B. Simone, Chico Bean, D.C. Youngfly, Deon Cole, Desi Banks, Jess Hilarious, Mojo Brookzz, Ms. Pat, Rickey Smiley and more. Guest comedians vary by city.  

 “Comedy gives me that instant gratification,” Lawrence says. “Seeing the fans up close and in person, making people laugh, doing what I love most, this is what it’s all about for me. But hey…y’all know what it is!” 

Lawrence, hailed by fans around the world as one of the greatest comics of all time, launched his comedy career in New York City at the Improv Comedy Club. His breakthrough film role came courtesy of Spike Lee in the classic Do The Right Thing! Other film roles followed including House Party and Boomerang. He soon captured the attention of mega producer Russell Simmons who tapped Lawrence to host the groundbreaking HBO series Def Comedy Jam. In 1992, Lawrence landed his own hit series Martin. The ratings juggernaut single-handedly elevated FOX to a major contender against network television stations. Following the finale of his self-titled comedy series, Lawrence went on to star in a string of top grossing films including Life, Big Momma’s House and the Bad Boys franchise.  

Rickey Smiley: Comedy legend and entertainment mogul Rickey Smiley is a television host, actor and top rated nationally syndicated radio personality, and has become one of the entertainment industry’s most celebrated performers. Most recently, his memoir Stand by Your Truth And Then Run for Your Life was released by Gallery Books, he joined the Martin Lawrence 2018 LIT AF nationwide tour as well as the Mike Epps Platinum Comedy Tour, and he co-hosted the Black Music Honors for the second time. In 2017, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) recognized Rickey’s excellence in broadcasting and awarded him the Marconi Award for Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year.

Loni Love: Loni Love is an EMMY, two-time NAACP Image & three-time Gracie Award-winning host, comedian, actress, author, and philanthropist. A talk show host known for her dynamic ability to provide in-depth meaningful conversation with a hint of levity , Loni can now be seen as a recurring guest cohost on E!’s Daily Pop and Nightly Pop. She has interviewed top A List entertainers such as Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and others. Loni cohosted FOX’s The REAL Daytime for 8 seasons in which she interviewed high profile guests from Vice President Kamala Harris, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Idris Elba and more.

Benji Brown: Benji Brown began his career in both comedy and radio as he starred on the number one radio station in Miami (99JAMZ and Hot 105) from 2004 to 2018 while honing his skills as a stand-up comedian with a unique voice and hilarious characters. Because of his incredible timing and knack for radio, Benji has now become a key fixture on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, serving up the laughs on the airwaves while headlining major clubs around the country on most of his weekends.

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