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Kelvin Hart

Kelvin Hart is one of the most successful African-American comedians in the United States. At the age of thirty-seven years, Kelvin Hart started in high profile box office movies such as Think Like a Man and Ride Along. In 2014, the Times Magazine named Kelvin Hart as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. His success in Hollywood has not been a smooth ride. Kelvin Hart was raised by a single mother, and his father was a cocaine addict who spent most of Hart's childhood in and out of jail. Kelvin Hart learned to use humor to cope up with his troubled childhood and societal challenges such as racism that he experienced while growing up (Davidson). Kelvin Hart attended community college after graduating from college and began working as a shoe salesman. The meteoric rise from a shoe salesman to become a household name in Hollywood is the norm rather than the exception.

Before African-Americans entered comedy and television, their image had already been constructed by white men. Rising Hollywood stars such as Kelvin Hart have had to work hard to prove the negative stereotypes wrong and establish their distinct personality. As the United States struggles with systemic discrimination and racial inequality, ethnic minorities have found it harder to succeed in Hollywood due to the deep-seated stereotypes (Gillota). They are continuously assigned minor roles in movies and television shows. The media over the years has portrayed a negative image of the black culture which has contributed to a large extent to the systemic racism that comedians such as Kelvin Hart had to experience in Hollywood. Kelvin Hart struggled for over sixteen years to achieve the fame and the recognition that he has today.

Kelvin Hart had a rough start as a Comedian where he was told that he was not funny enough and booed on stage. In one instance he had a piece of chicken thrown at him while he was on stage. He even tried to imitate other artists with no success (Gillota). He finally found his footing by focusing on his life experiences. Hart began comedy tours in 2009 which grossed millions in ticket sales. At the same time, he began starring in movies such as Soul Plane which raised his profile as an actor. He has also promoted various shows and produced a music album.

Kelvin Hart has combined his short stature and his African-American origin to create a persona that propelled him to success in Hollywood. Kelvin Hart has used comedy to humor the racial and ethnic stereotypes that exist in the society. The African American way of life is used as a tool of humor, and the audience participates in his performance by laughing. Kelvin Hart’s performance in Comedy can be seen as perpetuating the existing stereotypes but by making his multi-racial audience laugh about these stereotypes the negative aspect of this stereotypes is eliminated (Davidson). In addition, to the cleansing of the racial stereotypes, Kelvin Hart also criticizes some of the wrong negative stereotypes and makes the audience realize that these stereotypes are not based on facts. Kelvin Hart has embraced his identity as an African-American and used this status to propel him to success in movies and stand-up comedy.

In movies, Kelvin Hart has argued that he uses social satire in order to make people laugh and reconsider their biases. Critics argue that most of Kelvin Hart’s jokes are stereotypical and border on racism. They further argue that his performance promotes the stereotypical image of the African American male (Trikah). Kelvin Hart has used his performances to shed light on social issues such as mass incarceration which has had a profound impact on the African-American community (Davidson). He has also used comedy to discuss his struggle to achieve success in Hollywood. In one performance he argues that he stays in a posh apartment next to doctors and accountants of European descent and there are only two African Americans in that apartment. The reason behind this is that apartments are very expensive and as such his fellow African Americans cannot afford it. From this performance, we learn that racism has an economic aspect because a section of the society is left out of the economic opportunities. Kelvin Hart usually wants to portray himself as a strong and successful African American artist who can be emulated by his fellow African Americans (Gillota).

Kelvin Hart can be described as a post-soul artist. The post-soul artist is a term used to describe the artists who were born after the civil rights movement. These artists have fully embraced their identity and are adamant for not being called black. Post-Soul artist such as Kelvin Hart argues that they seek to leave blackness behind for a larger vision that broadly describes their skill set and ambition (Hart, Kunitz and Sell). He has explored the boundaries of blackness but he still firmly roots himself in the black family. Initially, Comedians such as Kelvin Hart, Chris Rock, and Chris Tucker would not perform on television. The black humor started in underground parties, clubs and gatherings among African Americans. After the civil rights era, black comedians have taken up this practice into the mainstream media (Gillota). Kelvin Hart’s Hollywood persona has angered some factions of the society for his stereotypical performances in movies and allegedly for being a misogynist. This criticism comes at a critical juncture when comedy is undergoing a radical change, and post-soul artists are forced to adapt with the changing times (Vassell and Burrough).

Kelvin Hart has had a phenomenal impact on the African American culture. He has used his African American heritage to rise to stardom. His decision to produce his concert films was seen as a risky affair but was a phenomenal success. He started out with an audience of 60-70% African Americans, but with time he moved to a more diverse audience. He has played a significant role in denaturalizing the negative stereotypes that exist on race and racial relations (Gillota). His post-soul identity as a black artist has provided motivation to his fellow African Americans who are more often than not victims of systemic racism in America. Kelvin Hart is a unique artist who has excelled in both stand-up comedy and film. His epic performances in shows and film appear realistic other than staged. Kelvin Hart made a decision to focus on his life experiences and his insecurities, and that gave him a distinct character as a comedian. Kelvin Hart’s rise from living in reduced circumstances and being raised by a single mother to becoming a decorated actor and household name is a source of motivation to millions of African Americans in the United States.

Works Cited Davidson, Toby. "Beyond the Reach of Language: Kelvin Hart and the Christian Mysticism." Literature and Theology (2010): 271-284. Gillota, David. "Black Nerds: New Directions in African American Humor." Studies in American Humor (2013): 17-33. Hart, Kelvin, MPH Kunitz and Ralph Sell. "Metropolitan Governance, Residential Segregation, and Mortality among African Americans." Americati Joumal of Public Health (1998): 434-450. Trikah, Pradeep. "Receiving Unintended Gifts: An Interview with Kevin Hart." Antipodes (2014): 62-66. Vassell, Olive and Todd Burrough. "“No Other But A Negro Can Represent the Negro”: How Black Newspapers ‘Founded’ Black America and Black Britain ." The Journal of Pan African Studies (2014): 256-263. online.