We were lucky to catch up with Yusuf Ali recently and have shared our conversation below.

Yusuf, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

My earliest comedic memory is traveling down south with my parents and my father playing Bill Cosby’s album,”Himself” . I remember bits from that to day. From there it was Eddie Murphy,Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor, then later Martin Lawrence, Robin Harris and Damon Wayans. My comedic interests eventually lead to my wanting to become a comedian even if I didn’t know it. I didn’t grow up thinking I would become a comedian,I just really enjoyed comedy. Fast forward 30 years and I have a “what am I gonna be doing in 5 years?” Moment. And with a little encouragement from some coworkers directly and rappers indirectly, I decided to give it a try. That first time on stage was scary but also felt really natural at the same time. I was hooked. I started doing as many open mics and bar shows I could and eventually I got offered my first paid gig, twenty bucks and a free drink, and I felt like I had finally arrived. Just think, somebody wants to pay me for my thoughts and words. And ever since then no matter how much I get paid for a show, it always comes back to “wow. I got paid for some shit I thought of. Awesome
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Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started doing comedy in 2009 in Cleveland after a weekend of listening to Kid Cudi’s first album and a kid at the school I worked at asked me what did I want to do in life other than be a maintenance man. After some thought I said “I like comedy” and she was like “then sack up and do it!” “Sack up” meant stop being afraid of failure and go try something new. My favorite rapper Devin the dude has a line in a song that says “don’t wait until ya 80 talkin bout what ya coulda did..” That line playing in my head inspired me and I’m really glad I tried it because it’s the best decision I ever made, (or was made for me by the universe.however you want to look at it) My first time on stage was October 2009 and since then I have been told by the best in the business that I was one of the better new comics that they ever seen. Robert Townsend told me I was “really, really funny man” and that meant alot coming from a legend in the game That wrote and performed with some of the most brilliant comedy minds of our time. At first my main style of comedy was observational topical humor. My set has since evolved into more personal sitiations mixed with obscure yet relatable observations. I haven’t completely abandoned topical humor but it isn’t the bulk of my set anymore. I also started a podcast in 2020 that’s mainly obscure news stories and viral video commentary and is the main vehicle for my topical jokes. What sets me apart from most comedians is my unique POV which was shaped by a complicated but loving family upbringing. And for lack of better words I don’t go after low hanging fruit and avoid the same topics most comics bring up on stage.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Since I haven’t made the kind of money is like to make yet, the most rewarding aspect is divided by two for me. One is the peer respect. As competitive and egotistical comedy can be, it means something to me when other comics that I respect tell me how good my set was or how funny they think I am. And the other rewarding feeling comes from knowing I never took a set off. I never wasted time on the mic. No matter of it was 2 people listening or 200,I did what I was supposed to do and always will.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I moved to Los Angeles from Cleveland, I naively thought that my stand-up would be enough to get me to the next level. Having no idea all of the extra skills I would need to succeed,I figured I’d be funny and the managers and agents would come running. I found out quickly that I would have to learn how to write, act and edit in order to move on up in the ranks in Hollywood. I had to change my mindset to becoming more of a producer/director than just the talent.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Nextgreatali
• Facebook: Yusuf Ali
• Twitter: Nextgreatali
• Youtube: Yusuf Ali