Matt Rife REDUX - The Afterlaugh - Ep. 256

The Afterlaugh w/ Bill Dawes

NOTE FROM BILL: Matt Rife isn't the "next big thing." Matt Rife is the CURRENT big thing. Few comedians in history have hit the zeitgeist the way that Matt has in 2023. A little over a year ago, Matt had a video go viral on Tiktok, and the rest, as they, is history. But Matt is far from being a Tiktok comedian and far from being an overnight sensation. Matt has been a focused student of the craft since he was 16, sneaking onto comedy stages in Ohio, and then later New York, where I first met him as a teenager and put him on shows of mine at the now-defunct Times Square Laugh Factory. Years later, I was lucky enough to have Matt feature for me, and whenever I had to drop out of a headlining gig, I would say "Hey, hire this kid Matt." Many of us knew early on that Matt was an incredibly rare combination of perseverance, drive, looks, and talent, and it was only a matter of time before he hit big. However, I think only Matt himself was able to imagine the rarefied air in which he now finds himself -- already flirting with the cultural iconography of Eddie, Pryor, Chappelle, Dane, Dice, and hey, maybe ELVIS? Love him or hate him, Matt isn't going anywhere, and is only poised to be bigger and bigger, until he hits the ultimate entertainment zenith - that is, being an Avenger or a judge on "The Masked Singer." So check out this interview from an earlier, simpler time, when Matt was still my feature, but knew he was destined for much, much bigger things.... Godspeed, Rife! And enjoy the ride, old friend...