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Lil Rel Howery builds his comedy around the rhythm of a natural storyteller who sounds like he is holding court at a family barbecue. He does not rely on setup-punchline structures; instead, he crafts long, animated anecdotes about everyday indignities, punctuated by expressive physical act-outs and vocal shifts. The centerpiece of this approach is a bit where he recounts getting thoroughly bullied and roasted by a group of sharp-tongued teenagers on a Chicago public bus, highlighting how quickly a grown adult can be humbled on their commute.

Filmed at the Vic Theatre in his hometown of Chicago, this 2015 special marked Howery’s first hour-long stand-up release. At the time of filming, he was beginning his run as Bobby Carmichael on NBC’s sitcom The Carmichael Show and performing on the sketch series Friends of the People. The special, executive produced by Kevin Hart, captures Howery just before his breakout role as the TSA agent in Jordan Peele’s Get Out catapulted him to film stardom.

Much of the set is anchored in Chicago specifics, family dynamics, and the chaos of early parenthood. He covers the stress of raising young kids, the financial adjustments of living in a ghetto apartment, and the post-divorce reality of dating again. He also targets the absurdly dramatic, fictitious stories told by his father, and the terror of surviving a bizarrely terrible cab ride.

Vulture named the hour one of the ten best stand-up specials of 2015, praising Howery’s ability to turn neighborhood memories into highly physical character work.