Comedian Spotlight With Cortez Carter
Born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, comedian Cortez Carter, also known as "Cortez The Comedian" or "Comedian Cortez," is making big a name for himself in the world of comedy. He has opened for some of the biggest names in comedy, such as Faizon Love, Alex Thomas, Tony Roberts, and Lil JJ, and now he is ready to take on the comedy world on his own. FABUtainment had the opportunity to talk with Cortez about how he started his career, his community organization I'm So Wyandotte, and other projects and events he has coming up in Kansas City.
FABUtainment: When did you know you wanted to be a comedian?
CC: I knew I wanted to be a comedian when I use to sit down and watch Comicview with my pops. To stand on stage and command a room and do something that you love doing (making people laugh) was inspirational to me.
FABUtainment: How did you begin your comedy career? Where was your first comedy show?
CC: I started doing comedy in 2012. I use to be on Facebook all day, making statuses to make people laugh, and an old classmate from high school contacted me on Facebook and said “You got talent, you need to try standup. I’m going to put you in one of my shows.” Me being me, I said “Man I’m scared but I’m down!” Fast forward months later, I forgot all about that inbox.
I was working at this call center and I was in the breakroom watching TV. A guy walks up to me and says “I didn’t know you were a comedian!” I said “I’m not.” He said “Ohhh, but I saw your face on this flyer.” I looked at him, confused, and said “I’m not on a flyer!” Then he pulls up the flyer from his phone and showed it to me. Sure enough, there is my face, big as day, on the flyer.
Now, I’m nervous as hell. I think I peed my pants a little bit. Lol. I could not believe this guy put me on the show! I told myself that I was going to call him and tell him to take me off, but it was too late. Everybody and they mama kept saying they wanted tickets to come see me perform, so I had to do it now. So on September 30th, 2012, I performed my first comedy set at a place called The Screenland Armor Theater in North Kansas City, MO.
FABUtainment: Who gave you your first major start in comedy?
CC: The person that gave me my first start was a guy from Kansas City named Rickey Ramsey. I will always be thankful to him for the opportunity. For a while, he was the only person giving people a shot at comedy in the city.
FABUtainment: What is the most challenging part about being a comedian?
CC: The most challenging part about being a comedian is preparing for the show. You get booked and you don’t know what type of crowd is going to be there until you get there. So how do you prepare for an all-white crowd vs. and all-black crowd? You can say the N-word, “hoodrat”, and food stamps jokes at an all-black crowd because they can relate to you, but you can’t do that with an all-white crowd. So, the hardest thing for me to do is prepare a set for the upcoming show. I write all my jokes down and memorize them so that when I get on stage, I can go back into my head and grab jokes out like a card catalog. Lol.
FABUtainment: Who are some of your favorite comedians?
CC: My favorite comedians are Chris Rock, D.L. Hughley, Gary Owen, Bobby J (from Kansas City), and Robert “DisFunnyGuy” Jackson (from Kansas City).
FABUtainment: What comedians have you opened for or worked with?
CC: I have opened up for Faizon Love, Alex Thomas, Tony Roberts, Lil JJ, as well as other comedians.
FABUtainment: What comedians would you like to work/tour with?
CC: Anybody! Lol. Just come pick me up from my mama’s house and let’s hit this road. Lol.
FABUtainment: Who would you consider to be the number one comedian of all time?
CC: Chris Rock is my number one comedian of all time. He is my favorite because he can make you think and make you laugh all at the same time. Once you stop watching Chris Rock, you feel a little smarter. Lol.
FABUtainment: How did you feel about Chris Rock hosting the Oscars? What do you think about the backlash surrounding his opening monologue?
CC: Like I said, I love Chris Rock. He is one of the greatest comedians of all time. I think he handled it very well, but I was wanted to him to just come out and hit them with the Kanye West “THE OSCARS HATE BLACK PEOPLE!” Lol. I know if I was in that position, I would have done the same thing.
FABUtainment: How do you balance your career as a comedian with other obligations, such as work and your family?
CC: Balancing work and family is hard. You try to do both, but you will neglect one or the other. To me, family is always first, then work, school, and comedy.
FABUtainment: Where do you see yourself in the next 3-5 years as a comedian?
CC: In the next 3-5 years, I see myself owning a comedy club in the urban community, as well as traveling and performing on bigger stages. I pray I will be on TV. My overall goal is to be a talk show host. I am praying that it happens in the next 5 years.
FABUtainment: Tell us about your organization "I’m So Wyandotte Inc."
CC: The I’m So Wyandotte Organization is community organization that thrives on making a daily commitment to guide, motivate and inspire the youth of Wyandotte County. It was started by me and five other young adults: Max Ayalla, Michelay Green, Sherry Boutz, Wymann Simpson, and Delano Anthony. Over the past two years, we have focusing on giving back to our community. We have held a free community wide BBQ, given away dinners on Thanksgiving, and we also put together a Halloween event for the kids each year at the Argentine Community Center. This is really important to me because where I come from, I felt there was not much hope for my city. The schools are not the best, parents have to work more than two jobs to provide for their family, and the city does not have a lot to offer. If we can change the mindset of each child, we can begin to help our community grow and make it successful.
FABUtainment: What shows, events, or projects do you have coming up?
CC: I have many shows coming up within the next few months. I will be in St. Louis in April, Ohio soon, and I am hosting the Juneteenth festivities in June in Kansas City, MO. Pay close attention to my Facebook fan page “Cortez Carter Comedian” for more details.
Check Out Cortez Carter on Facebook!
