Legendary

Earthquake paces the stage of the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club like a man who has run out of patience for modern life, delivering a tight, fast-paced set that reminds everyone why he has been a club favorite for thirty years. Introduced by executive producer Dave Chappelle, the veteran D.C. comic wastes no time on pleasantries, immediately launching into a sequence about the realities of aging, his lingering resentment toward his children, and the sheer audacity of celebrity funerals. The standout sequence centers on Aretha Franklin’s multi-day funeral, a service so long he claims she had a wardrobe change in her own casket and forced the pastor to preach the entire Bible. Filmed just outside his hometown in Maryland, the 2022 Netflix half-hour serves as an overdue mainstream showcase for Nathaniel Stroman, who built his career on 1990s showcases like Def Comedy Jam and BET’s Comic View. Directed by Stan Lathan, the set moves with a relentless speed, punctuated by Earthquake’s signature raspy delivery and physical punctuation. He spends the latter half of the show recounting a highly invasive prostate exam under Obamacare before ending the night by leading the crowd in a loud, rhythmic chant of his old Southeast D.C. neighborhood. The New York Times later named it the funniest comedy special of the year, cementing a late-career surge that eventually led to his own full-hour follow-up.