Jason Weems, Vol. 1: Intellectual Property
On December 4th, 2010 I will film my first hour comedy special entitled Jason Weems, Vol. 1: Intellectual Property here in my hometown of Baltimore, MD. The shows are being held at The LOF/t, a really cool theater in the Arts & Entertainment District of the city. Tickets are now on sale to the public and the official countdown has begun.
When I tell people I’m filming an hour special, the first question is always the same, “for who, HBO, Comedy Central, Showtime?” When I reply “Me”, their faces always show confusion. This is because we live in a society where in order to do something, people have been led to believe that someone else has to “validate you”; Or like John Legend and Andre 3000 said, “Give Me The Green light”. This is where I see myself differing from the pack. I have always been the type of person to create the things I want to see around me, instead of waiting and wishing for them to magically appear.
Harry Potter isn’t going to make your dreams come true, Harry Potter is busy promoting his upcoming films The Deathly Hallows and trying to defeat Lord Voldemort. Would you have time? Seriously, be honest with yourself. I feel like there are so many things we have NO control over
in this life, so why not really grind at the things we have some control over. Though I am a standup comedian to the core of my being and have several comedic heroes, I also draw inspiration from anyone who performs at the top of their craft.
For this reason when I am asked who are my influences, you’ll often hear – Will Smith, Denzel Washington and for anyone who really knows me, Jay-Z. “Hov”… all of these people have one thing in common, though extremely gifted, what truly separates them from their counterparts is work ethic. I was watching a special on Will Smith where he said, he knows he may not always be the most talented in the room, but he knows he’ll always go a few steps beyond what’s required of him. “If you take 5 steps, then he’s going to take 10”…
A lot of people are fans of someone, but I would take it a step further to say I feel a true kindred like spirit to Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z, aka HOVA, aka Jigga. Maybe it’s that I just like the sound of a young, intelligent, wildly successful black man talking brashly over Kanye beats. That’s part of it, but there is so much more to it. What I am drawn to is the unrelenting entrepreneurial spirit behind everything he does. I love the fact that after every record label told him he wasn’t good enough, he put up his own money and bet on himself. There are not too many people who believe in themselves like that. I have to think that’s the reason why there are only a handful of Shawn Carters in the world.
All of those things being said, this is much more than just a comedy show to me, it embodies everything I am. Everything I described that I admire about Jay-Z are the same things I highlighted within myself in the paragraph before it. That same “sun-up to sun-down” hustle has been driving me back and forth to DC every night for 4 years straight to perform while still maintaining a stressful day job working with kindergarteners. The way I like to explain it to people who think I’m insane for working so hard and functioning off 4 hours of sleep or less nightly is like this, “I feel like I sat on my God-given gift to make others laugh longer than I should have, so now I’m in a race against time to make good on what he designed me for”. “I’m a human, but I work in dog years, 1 = 7 for me…”.
I am a very detail oriented person; some would go as far as to say “neurotic”. For this reason everything I do is for a reason and serves a very specific purpose. The name of the special– Jason Weems, Vol. 1: Intellectual Property was carefully selected. It holds special meaning to earlier events this year (read my post Jason Weems Exclusive Scandal) and is what every creative person holds dear. Beyond money, cars, clothes or jewelry, I value my thoughts. None of those things I just mentioned can create thoughts, but your thoughts can create all of those things. The date of the special was not a random selection either, and if you google Shawn Carter you’ll make the connection. My real Hova heads who’ve been riding since Reasonable Doubt already know. Even the addition of a volume is my way of paying homage to a great influence of mine.
Like Reasonable Doubt, "Intellectual Property" is self-funded and produced.
Like Reasonable Doubt, “Intellectual Property” is completely self-funded and produced. Hopefully, like Def-Jam came seeking Roc-A-Fella, maybe we’ll draw out some big fish with the noise we’re about to make down here in Charm City. Yet, whether this special is picked up by HBO or gets anyone’s attention, I can honestly tell you this will be the most exciting special I ever film. I say this because I know the “industry specials” are coming , but none will be satisfying as this one. On December 4th, 2010 when I take the stage for these two shows (8pm & 10:30pm Get Your Tix!), I will be surrounded by the most amazing energy from people who love me, support me and genuinely want to see me succeed. If that’s not a success story, I don’t know what the hell is. Now buy those tickets and come hear some GOOD ASS JOKES. I look forward to seeing you there, and sharing my “Intellectual Property”.
On sale now. Click here for tickets or visit www.jasonweemscomedy.eventbrite.com.
Thank you, I Love You All…