Asad Benbow Is The Platonic Ideal Of A Gen Z Comic
One can imagine that if he’d had been born earlier, Asad Benbow would’ve been a close associate of A$AP Mob. A Luka Sabbat or Kerwin Frost type of figure, running around prime SoHo, adding to his seemingly never-ending knowledge of fashion, music, and culture. But, Benbow was born in 2003, and in A$AP’s and SoHo’s prime, he was still going through the public education system of Troy, New York—a city which he really wants to let you know is beautiful. “Also let em know Troy is a beautiful place,” he texted me shortly after our conversation.
Regardless of his age, though, Asad has made more than a name for himself in not just the New York comedy scene, but the comedy and entertainment industry in general. Some of his most impressive credits count amongst themselves a recent role on Shane Gillis’ Netflix sitcom Tires, an interview on The Adam Friedland Show—popular spinoff of the wildly popular podcast Cumtown—a regular spot at one of NYC’s most popular venues for stand-up, The Stand, and, a spot as a cast member on the long-running improv comedy show, Wild ‘n Out.
He was kind enough to speak with me, for Lil’ Mama, about his experience in the comedy scene thus far—he’s only four years in—his “aurafarming” days at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, and, the moral implications of admitting that you like an A$AP Bari fit.
How’d you start doing comedy? Have you been a fan of it your whole life?
I’m from Troy, New York, and there was an open mic nearby in Albany. I was just driving by with my brother, and I started going there and doing it. My friend Dylan used to drive me to my first ones. Then I moved to the city and just kept doing it.
I’ve always liked funny stuff for sure. And honestly, that’s what’s cool about our generation, is we got the biggest archive for good comedy stuff. I feel like before, everybody just tended to watch the comedy at the time, but now we can watch all of it. And comedy is so different now. Because it’s stand-up, but you’re also doing skits, and then streaming.. Streaming is really the young Gen Z shit.
Do you think you’re aware at all of the influence being Gen Z has had on your comedy? How has it felt coming up in this scene so young?
I don’t know, it’s kind of weird now because we’re super cooked I feel like. Well, not super cooked, but, being young already, comedy is kind of just mad old people. If you were like, a rapper, you would find all these young friends that also rap. It was kind of harder in comedy because there were no young guys.
But now I do have young friends that do comedy. Definitely at first, though, it’s weird, because it’s kind of only old guys, and it’s a super old artform. It’s kind of rooted in being old because of the audience, too. Like, not that many Gen Z people are even coming to comedy shows really.
Have people treated you differently?
Oh, yeah. When I first started, hell yeah. People would just be like, “Yo, you’re mad young.” They just don’t take you serious really. Or, you do start doing good, and then older people be kind of bitter. They might see you doing something good and then they’ll be like, “Oh, this guy. Fuck this guy. He’s only doing good because he’s young.” But there are a lot of other young comedians where it’s not really the same.
But also, honestly, it’s kind of good, too, because I feel like being young in comedy has given me a lot of older people to learn from.
You’re from Troy, New York. How would you describe that city?
It’s like a lot of Black people and Italians, kind of. And Irish people. I don’t know, it’s like a small town. A regular American ass small town. Like High School Musical, you know what I mean?
I’m trying to think … we have the football team. And then there’s a city. But then if you drive out it’s, like, the country. So, it’s not that much to really do out there. But we had fun, though. And I had my squad.
You said there’s a lot of Black people there?
Yeah, honestly I even be feeling like I get a blacker experience up there than down here [New York City]. It’s not like there’s a crazy amount of Black people, but there’s Black people for sure. And I feel like it’s less segregated.
Did you go to college?
Yeah, that’s why I came to the city. I did the same thing [as you], I was doing stand-up, and then came to the city for college. But I went to FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology). Which was crazy. Cus that’s like the TikTok, online, Gen-Z-ass-school, but I was doing stand-up, though, which is pretty funny.
I was a film major. I wanted to be a director. I might still direct some shit, or just try to write some shit.
What do you remember most from college?
I used to be asleep a lot. Honestly, bro, it was more about the being outside shit at FIT. Going to class and all that stuff was good, but just being able to get that first New York experience and being around all those fashion kids was real fun.
Because Troy is the complete opposite of that. It’s like regular school, football team. I still fuck with all those guys, it’s not like I was getting pushed against lockers or nothing, but. Going from that, and then to fashion school where you got on the Balenciaga and you’re the coolest guy there, that shit was funny. It was really fun to me.
But then, also, it was just straight aura-farmers, honestly. I feel like I can’t even say I wasn’t one of them. Maybe I was. I was probably farming some aura, in one way or another. But, yeah, it was lit. And my friend Joe, too. I had good friends there.
I feel like I should be saying some funnier shit. Some guy jumped off the roof when I was there, actually.
Oh, wow. Like, he died?
Yeah. And then I think they tried to say that he wasn’t a student, but I think he was a student, but also that might not be true. But yeah, he deadass jumped off.
Wow.
Crazy.
Did you graduate from there?
So I went there for two years, and then I got on Wild ‘n Out, and I was like, “Yo, fuck this shit. I don’t need college.” But, nah yeah, I still definitely could have got my shit. Yeah, that wasn’t very smart. But, I mean, it was cool while I was there.
And I don’t regret it too much. I’m also okay with just doing comedy, and hopefully being alright.
I’ve been doing a bit of research, and I discovered that you’re a bit of an Xaiversobased fan, and a fan, more broadly, of the underground rap scene. Which makes a lot of sense, because I feel like a lot of the aesthetics and style of that scene show up as an influence in your comedy. What would you say appeals to you about that music and that scene?
Bro, Xaiver’s just so funny. And those guys are all my age. Like even looking at all his inspirations he was talking about. He was talking about Odd Future, Lil Uzi, SURF GANG. So, it would make sense that I like his stuff.
Also, all my friends from Troy all rap. That’s what keeps me around it so much. They keep me hip on all this stuff, but it’s also just fire. You know what I mean? They got the best beats. They got funny bars. They get fly. It’s kind of right up my alley.
Do you rap at all?
Nah, I don’t rap. I don’t think I will, either. I think I cooked myself too much with the comedy shit. Like, if I started doing it, it’d be…
They wouldn’t take you serious.
Yeah, exactly. And then you gotta do that thing like, “They don’t wanna take me serious, but I’m really a rapper.”
Like Donald Glover.
Yeah, I don’t want to be that guy. I think he’s fire, but he fought that battle. I just hope that I don’t have to do that in my life.
Who are some of your favorite rappers?
Well, first, I gotta shout out all my boys— Vvormin, 37lx(butta), SAZY, 37lx(Smoodie), Iso3rror. But also Xaiversobased and all those guys are really good, too.
I like Uzi, Q-Tip, Lupe Fiasco. A Tribe Called Quest in general is fire, really. Lerado Khalil, too. Earl is pretty crazy. And honestly, that’s what I be thinking about. Like you probably were an Odd Future and Tyler, The Creator fan, too. But now, Tyler, The Creator’s music is absolute dogshit. And he seems like an evil human being. Like, I deadass think that he might be trying to kill us all. Actually, nah, I don’t even think he’s trying to kill us all. It just seems like he’s got a lot going on.
But I feel like Earl still keeps with the Odd Future stuff that I like and grew up with, but it’s in a more mature way. Which really makes me feel, as an artist, that I can do comedy and not be, like, a crazy guy in the next five to ten years. He always seems like he’s actually thinking about how to live a really sustainable life while making music and art, and as a good man. Because the industry, especially being young in this shit, you see how it makes guys go crazy.
For sure. Outside of that, who would you say are your biggest comedic influences?
Honestly, I be feeling the same way about Jerrod Carmichael. I feel like Jerrod and Tyler have had pretty parallel careers. But I definitely grew up being a big ass fan of that guy. I don’t know if I should even be saying him, though, because I feel like he might be trying to kill us all too. So maybe not.
But, all the sitcoms and stuff. The Boondocks was pretty crazy. Vince [Staples] is pretty funny. RDCworld1. I feel like a lot of people who weren’t comedians made me laugh a lot growing up. But I also do like Michael Che and those guys. Norm Macdonald. Chappelle, for sure. He’s pretty funny. Bill Burr’s pretty funny. Lenny Bruce is fire. I used to really fuck with Lenny Bruce. Dick Gregory. Zack Fox. That guy’s really funny.
Oh, Pete Davidson, actually. That guy was like the young comedian I grew up watching that was like, “Yo, this guy’s young, he’s wearing Supreme, he’s the man.” I definitely watched him and it made me want to be, like, a cool, young comedian. Like, “This guy’s badass. Holy shit.”
Adam Sandler, too. We was just watching Happy Gilmore 2.
How long do you think it took you until you started finding success in stand-up? What was your first good joke?
My first good joke was this joke about my mom’s pussy being dry. But lowkey I be feeling bad and I don’t do it anymore because I love my mother and I don’t really want to talk about her vagina. But, that is the joke that first got me all my shows when I started, and I took it on Wild ‘n Out, so it did do a lot for me.
And then I had my school shooting joke, and that got me more stuff. It was really those two jokes that were carrying me when I first started. And that was after probably, like, a year or two in stand-up. But, lowkey, in my second week of stand-up, I won a competition in Albany. I don’t even know what jokes I was saying. I think I might have just been being funny or something. I didn’t have jokes for a while, honestly.
And still, now, I feel I have some pretty shit jokes. But I do have better ones than I used to, and over time I got way better.
What does your writing process look like?
I try to talk to myself about stuff that I think is funny, in the shower. And then also kind of outside, I guess.
Like, you talk to yourself outside?
Yeah, I do that, too, but I meant more like talking to friends outside and stuff. But it really was from talking to myself in the shower. That would be all my jokes, and then I would do them on stage. I’d have a premise or a good bit of something, then I would do it on stage and decrease the fat out of it. It probably took me, like, a year to come up with that joke about my mom’s pussy.
Knowing your fashion background, I want to show you some fits, and have you rank them.
In order of Asad’s ranking:
Tana9.13
Nah, he’s pretty fly. The mask and the hat together is crazy, though. I feel like he could have did one or the other. It’s not bad, though, because what he did with the colors. He definitely got the Yeti drip. What else he look like? A cumshot?
Asad’s friend, and fellow comedian, Michael Green (@mlkreborn) was also there. He remarked, “It’s like the polar bear that be on the slushy shit.”
Nah, yeah, he definitely got the ICEE drip on. Shit like this will make me feel like I’m not drippy.
Like if you walked into the function and he was there?
Yeah, I’d be like he got on a calm fit. I don’t think I could TYB (take your bitch) from him, though. Or maybe.
Reason for Ranking: “I just feel like his shit is more creative. Cause Usher could have had a stylist. I don’t even think this dude has a stylist. Like, he just did that shit. And also Usher be at the Diddy shit.”
The Dapper Usher
Isn’t Usher at the Diddy party? I don’t know if I’d ever want to meet him, but he’s fucking fly as shit. He could’ve had a crazier belt, though. Or some crazy shoes. But honestly, nah, he’s trim as fuck. It’s a good fit.
I feel like we should bring back casually wearing this kind of attire.
Yeah, I used to be prepped up as a motherfucker. But then I stopped doing it because it was just too much. Like, it felt like it was not regular to be dressing like that. I think at FIT I was getting away with it because everybody there would be dressed mad crazy, but then I started going out in the real world and I was like, “Oh shit, I forgot I can’t go out like this.”
Reason for Ranking: Usher be at the Diddy shit. Also probably had a stylist.
Kiwi Bottega
This shit is just. I don’t know. I feel like every piece individually would be good. I don’t like how his girl is trying to hype him up, either. I guess that’s good relationship-wise, but it’s horrible to not actually let him know where he at. If my son were dressing like that I’d actually be really sad. He got the baggiest jeans in Atlanta fit on.
It reminds me of the Safaree Gatorade fit. Have you seen that?
Yeah, yeah, the Gatorade fit is fire. This shit is worse.
His boots are ass. His belt is nice, kind of. His jeans are nice, too. But he just. His hips are fucked. He’s cooked, honestly. He needs to just be wearing some regular sweats or some shit. If my daughter brought this man home, I’d be really upset. I’d be like what the fuck did I do wrong?
Reason for Ranking: More creativity than Jaden Smith (see below). Not a sexual offender like Bari (also, see below).
Tie for 4. Jaden Smith Castlevania Ting
Alright, this shit is outrageous. But he care about the homeless and that’s what he was tryna say with this shit. Nah, I’m kidding. I don’t know what the fuck he thought with this shit.
Bro, but he has too much going on in his life to not be wearing some shit like this. You know what I mean? I could never even imagine.. And, he still fucks way more than me, dressed like this, which makes me kind of sad. It’s actually lit for him. I’m proud.
Yeah, I feel like it’s not as bad as it could be, given that he witnessed his father get publicly cucked. I think he did well with the circumstances he was given.
Yeah, he could be like Britney Spears. Or Zuri from Jessie. But I feel like I can save her.
Reason for Ranking: see below.
Tie for 4. The A$AP Bari Incident
I think it’s better than Kiwi Bottega. I think it’s just because I can’t see anybody else wearing this and if I did see him in a room wearing this, I would want to know who this is.
Do you think it’s camp?
I think it’s not camp, because he needs to chill the fuck out with it. Because I feel like he’s trying to still be cool with this shit on, which I feel like is not camp. The boots killed it more than anything for me. If he had on some Nike Monarchs that shit would be fly. But I do feel like I need to talk about Kiwi Bottega’s fit even more.
He didn’t even match the blues. This shit is ass! It would’ve been crazy if he went highlighter with the hat. That would’ve put it all together.
Reason for Ranking: “You think I should separate the art from the artist? But the art is in this shit, though. Because only some guy who thinks he can control other people is dressing like this. You know what I mean? And it’s the trench coat over everything. It’s the trench coat that lets you know that he’s still trying to be taken serious. So, I’m going to do Jaden, then A$AP Bari. Or should I? My mom would be proud, but Bari’s fit is better than Jaden’s, though. But I don’t want to make any excuses for him and the man that he is. So maybe not.”
I feel like social media has influenced your comedy and career a lot. You do a good job of blending ironic, internet, Gen Z humor with traditional stand-up and comedic tropes. I’m thinking of that video where you tell the school shooter joke, and then have the little edit at the end.
Thank you! Sometimes I even be regretting that shit because it’s pretty fried, but it makes me laugh for sure. Thank you. I want to do more shit like that too, probably, at some point. I just need more jokes to post, or stuff that I don’t mind posting and putting out there. Do you know any other comedians that are doing that kind of stuff? Because I feel like there’s young comedians that are also doing that, kind of.
The closest comparison I can think of right now is Asha Ward. She doesn’t really do videos, but I feel like a lot of her jokes are very Gen Z humor.
Yeah, totally, they make sense for our generation. Asha’s fire. I think she’s super funny.
What are your general thoughts on social media?
I think it’s absolutely fucking horrible. But, I think it’s really good for connecting people and learning a lot of new information. And I think it’s a tool, for sure, but it’s just grown and become such a big part of our lives.
And even when I started stand-up, it was like right before comedians started just casually having hella followers, you know what I mean? Comedy used to be different, you didn’t really necessarily have to worry about being an influencer and stuff. It’s fucking crazy.
That’s why I feel like my social media fries me even more. I feel like I’ve never been so online, honestly, than I have in the past year. Because it seemed like being chronically online was more rewarded, but not necessarily in the real world, because there are people that still live real lives. Like, knowing every single rapper’s life does not fucking matter, at all.
I want to keep on posting my comedy, and I know you gotta post it and let it be out there, but I feel like it kind of fucks up a lot of newer comics because they’re worried about social media, where comedians ten years ago, all they had to worry about was just being funny. It’s really sad, and isn’t even these comedians’ faults. They’re just trying to make a living. But I like that it gives new opportunities and has taken a lot of power away from the industry and Hollywood, because that shit’s kind of fried.
But I never even got Instagram until 2021. Like, in Troy, nobody gave a fuck about the gram. I was just outside playing, having a good time. I feel like I was enjoying my life a lot more when I wasn’t online, but I did used to have mad fun on there. I gotta get back on my not giving a fuck about that shit.
But then, it started tripping me out. Because people do really think that they know you from what you post online, which is like, holy shit. I didn’t even think people were taking that shit serious. I’m thinking I’m just posting it for some of my boys, but then it’s, like, way more random people have opinions on that shit, and it’s like, what the fuck?
But I like the way that my gram is set up, and the people have been super nice about all that stuff. So, I’m not really sweating it too much, right now.
Asad Benbow’s Top 4 Black People:
1. Asad Benbow
2. Saheim Patrick
3. Asad Benbow’s mother
4. Saheim Patrick’s mother
Honorable Mentions: Maya Angelou, Nelson Mandela
Asad Benbow recommends:
Vvormin
Bootsy Collins
The D’angelo from Atlanta
Michael Green (@mlkreborn)
Great interview.