Over a decade into success, actor, comedian and entertainer, Tony Rock, is always on the grind, always looking for the next opportunity and steady slinging jokes. With his ability to improvise on the spot and his combination of physical comedy, with raw comedic content, his success comes as no surprise. It does however lead you to wonder where a true comedic artist of this caliber begins his journey. So we asked him...

I got a chance to catch up with funny man Capone Lee (The Gangsta of Comedy) and the beautiful Laila Odom to gain some insight into the new season of the Cinemax hit series Zane’s Sex Chronicles. Capone a writer and actor on the show has been makign his rounds in the world of comedy for years and Laila plays a comedian on the show. Both actors are adamant about the show being much more than sex and that readers can gain a lot by watching.

I grew up watching David Alan Grier on the breakout television show In Living Color. He was one of the funniest actors on the show and one of the most memorable. In the movies Boomerang and Blankman he left us in stitches, once again holding his own with Eddie Murphy and the Wayans family respectively. He even made the most of his appearances of the hit show Martin. More recently, just a couple years ago he took over Comedy Central, with the sketch comedy, Chocolate News, once again spotlighting the funny man and the hilarious mind for the world. But who would've thought, that the same man who played Antoine Merriweather alongside Damon Wayans in the ‘Men on Film’ sketch, graduated undergrad from the University of Michigan, and then received his masters in fine arts from the prestigious Yale University School of Drama. And even if you’re not easily surprised, you'd probably never imagine that Grier also got his start on a Broadway musical and as an actor in serious stage plays. In fact, the comedy scene was a lucky step in the right direction after trying to experience something new.

What does it take for an Atlanta comedian to break out? Hustle, heart, and passion sound like a credible three. Shawty Shawty has shown he has all those qualities and more. He had the heart to go on stage his first time, the hustle to become a major star, after appearing in movies and TV, and the passion to continue on through his struggles and setbacks. Shawty sat with Parlé to discuss the Atlanta comedy scene, how he got to where he is, and where he plans to go.