Special Event: Lil Duval
Special Event: Lil Duval
Celebrities aren't exactly pouring out of Jacksonville, Florida but that's only made Roland Powell's grind more ferocious. Proclaiming himself 'Lil Duval' after the county from which he hails, he has literally put his home turf on his back as he touches every nook and cranny available with his special brand of humor.
Some comedians work at making people laugh. Others just do. Born with the gift to make people laugh, Lil Duval explains that, for him, 'comedy was a natural thing. People always found me funny. It wasn't that I was trying to be funny; they just found me funny.'
Participating in pep rallies in high school and other activities where all eyes were on him really kicked Lil Duval into high gear. The limelight just suited him and he wanted more. 'I heard them screaming for me and I was like 'oh yeah, this is what I need to be doing,'' he smiles. 'I knew I would be in entertainment because I felt like an entertainer.'
Ultimately, he envisioned himself on the big screen and particularly admired the work of Chris Tucker. That's how he got into comedy actually. 'I saw Chris Tucker on Friday and I was like 'that's what I want to do.' Then I saw him on Def Comedy Jam so I was like 'oh that's the way you do it. You become a stand-up comedian and you'll be in the movies.' That's how it started to build.'
Not one to waste time, Lil Duval went right at it, taking to the stage of Atlanta's legendary Uptown Comedy Corner. Pretty soon, he was a regular there as well as any other spots with a microphone and people ready to laugh. A hilarious 2001 performance at a contest in Oakland caught the attention of Cedric the Entertainer's camp and Lil Duval was invited to hit the road with Cedric and four other comedians. That successful run on the road led to a featured spot on Cedric the Entertainer: Starting Lineup, first televised and then released on DVD.
During the tour, Lil Duval developed his signature routine 'Stalker's Anthem (Bitch U Mine).' Set to Musiq Soulchild's 2000 hit 'Just Friends,' Lil Duval twists the original song, which preaches about taking it slow and making the girl comfortable, into a pressure-filled encounter at a club: 'Girl I know this might sound strange/But let me know if I'm outta order, steppin to you this way/See I been buying you drinks for a while/And I'll let you know . . . . Bitch U Mine!'
A forever hustler, Lil Duval stayed on the road, slanging his brand of humor. Along the way, he also released two underground comedy DVDs: Dat Boy Funny (2003) and Put Your Hands on Me (2005). Additionally, he appeared in Three 6 Mafia's Choices II: The Setup as well as hot videos like T.I.'s 'Rubberband Man,' '24s,' 'Whatever You Like' and Yung Joc's 'It's Goin Down' and 'Coffee Shop.'
Most recently, he's added Twitter to his campaign and regularly dispenses his thoughts via @lilduval as raw and witty as only he can. So much so that he now has over 260,000 followers. It's Lil Duval's ability to ride the current and know what people want that keeps him winning. 'I was always on the internet.
It's just like in the streets,' he explains. 'When new dope comes out, if you want to stay popping in the streets, you go with the new dope. When people were still on MySpace, I was popular on MySpace. I had like a 100,000 friends. The new thing is Twitter.'
Embracing the new is indeed a part of Lil Duval's make-up but he prides himself most on staying true to himself. 'I stay in my own lane. I don't do what anybody else is doing. I try to do what I'm doing. I like to be the one that's being followed instead of following someone else. There's no blueprint to this shit so I mean, when you follow somebody else's blueprint, just because it worked for them, doesn't mean it'll work for you.'
That sense of originality is one of the reasons Lil Duval attracted the attention of hip-hop's reigning king early on. A fan since 2001, when Duval first started wrecking stages, T.I. didn't hesitate later on to add Lil Duval to his label Grand Hustle's comedy roster. "He's someone who says what everyone else is thinking and scared to say,' shares T.I. 'He talks about life's most difficult and embarrassing moments. To take these things and find ways to make people laugh, especially when folks see fit to cry, is comedy at its finest."
Duval can currently be seen on the MTV series Guy Code, but he's not done yet. 'Everything that you can do and even more that hasn't been done yet' is a serious goal for him. 'Whatever it is the people want me to do, I'm going to do it. And, I'm going to be the best at it,' he promises, refusing to rest until he reaches the pinnacle of 'comedy at its finest.'
PLEASE NOTE: Our Balcony section for main room shows is NOT wheelchair accessible.
Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.
A full breakout of your ticket will be shown during checkout. The service fees help cover the costs of putting on the show. They are shared between the various organizing parties, and may include a profit to them.
We are an 18+ venue.
Instead of a drink minimum, we have a two-item per person minimum in the Showroom, which can be fulfilled with any food or drink items from the menu.
Please Note: Food and drinks purchased in the bar and lounge do not count towards the two-item minimum.
- General Admission seating is assigned on a first-come, first-sat basis as you enter the showroom. The earlier you arrive, the better your seats will be.
- Balcony seating is available for our Main Showroom events. It is general admission on our second-floor balcony. The earlier you arrive, the better your seats will be.
- Reserved seats are assigned for you by management on the night of the show. They are the best seats available for your party size at the time they are assigned. We recommend purchasing Reserved tickets in a single transaction to guarantee your group is seated together.
Please Note: We do not take seating requests and cannot guarantee seats in a specific location.
- While we cannot guarantee seats together, General admission groups should arrive at least 45 minutes before showtime and enter the showroom as a group for the best chance of being seated together.
- Reserved groups who purchase tickets in a single order will automatically be assigned seating together. Reserved ticket holders who purchase separately are not guaranteed seating together. Please see your email confirmation for details if your group purchased separately.
Please Note: We will only seat complete groups. Your group must enter the showroom together to be seated together. In addition, we do not take seating requests and cannot guarantee you seats in a specific location.
All sales are final. We do not offer refunds or exchanges.
Our Main showroom and Upstairs showroom are fully accessible. Call our box office for more information. We encourage all patrons who have a disability to reach out to us to make accommodations.
Please Note: Our Balcony does not have an accessible entrance.
Ticket protection is insurance that allows you to cancel your order to receive a venue credit toward a future event. It can be added to most orders at the time of purchase but cannot be added after the order has been placed.
To redeem your Ticket Protection and receive a venue credit toward a future event, please send an email to protection@heliumcomedy.com with your order number no less than 24 hours before showtime.
Please Note: Cancelation requests received via phone, chat, or less than 24 hours before showtime will not be accepted.
Celebrities aren't exactly pouring out of Jacksonville, Florida but that's only made Roland Powell's grind more ferocious. Proclaiming himself 'Lil Duval' after the county from which he hails, he has literally put his home turf on his back as he touches every nook and cranny available with his special brand of humor.
Some comedians work at making people laugh. Others just do. Born with the gift to make people laugh, Lil Duval explains that, for him, 'comedy was a natural thing. People always found me funny. It wasn't that I was trying to be funny; they just found me funny.'
Participating in pep rallies in high school and other activities where all eyes were on him really kicked Lil Duval into high gear. The limelight just suited him and he wanted more. 'I heard them screaming for me and I was like 'oh yeah, this is what I need to be doing,'' he smiles. 'I knew I would be in entertainment because I felt like an entertainer.'
Ultimately, he envisioned himself on the big screen and particularly admired the work of Chris Tucker. That's how he got into comedy actually. 'I saw Chris Tucker on Friday and I was like 'that's what I want to do.' Then I saw him on Def Comedy Jam so I was like 'oh that's the way you do it. You become a stand-up comedian and you'll be in the movies.' That's how it started to build.'
Not one to waste time, Lil Duval went right at it, taking to the stage of Atlanta's legendary Uptown Comedy Corner. Pretty soon, he was a regular there as well as any other spots with a microphone and people ready to laugh. A hilarious 2001 performance at a contest in Oakland caught the attention of Cedric the Entertainer's camp and Lil Duval was invited to hit the road with Cedric and four other comedians. That successful run on the road led to a featured spot on Cedric the Entertainer: Starting Lineup, first televised and then released on DVD.
During the tour, Lil Duval developed his signature routine 'Stalker's Anthem (Bitch U Mine).' Set to Musiq Soulchild's 2000 hit 'Just Friends,' Lil Duval twists the original song, which preaches about taking it slow and making the girl comfortable, into a pressure-filled encounter at a club: 'Girl I know this might sound strange/But let me know if I'm outta order, steppin to you this way/See I been buying you drinks for a while/And I'll let you know . . . . Bitch U Mine!'
A forever hustler, Lil Duval stayed on the road, slanging his brand of humor. Along the way, he also released two underground comedy DVDs: Dat Boy Funny (2003) and Put Your Hands on Me (2005). Additionally, he appeared in Three 6 Mafia's Choices II: The Setup as well as hot videos like T.I.'s 'Rubberband Man,' '24s,' 'Whatever You Like' and Yung Joc's 'It's Goin Down' and 'Coffee Shop.'
Most recently, he's added Twitter to his campaign and regularly dispenses his thoughts via @lilduval as raw and witty as only he can. So much so that he now has over 260,000 followers. It's Lil Duval's ability to ride the current and know what people want that keeps him winning. 'I was always on the internet.
It's just like in the streets,' he explains. 'When new dope comes out, if you want to stay popping in the streets, you go with the new dope. When people were still on MySpace, I was popular on MySpace. I had like a 100,000 friends. The new thing is Twitter.'
Embracing the new is indeed a part of Lil Duval's make-up but he prides himself most on staying true to himself. 'I stay in my own lane. I don't do what anybody else is doing. I try to do what I'm doing. I like to be the one that's being followed instead of following someone else. There's no blueprint to this shit so I mean, when you follow somebody else's blueprint, just because it worked for them, doesn't mean it'll work for you.'
That sense of originality is one of the reasons Lil Duval attracted the attention of hip-hop's reigning king early on. A fan since 2001, when Duval first started wrecking stages, T.I. didn't hesitate later on to add Lil Duval to his label Grand Hustle's comedy roster. "He's someone who says what everyone else is thinking and scared to say,' shares T.I. 'He talks about life's most difficult and embarrassing moments. To take these things and find ways to make people laugh, especially when folks see fit to cry, is comedy at its finest."
Duval can currently be seen on the MTV series Guy Code, but he's not done yet. 'Everything that you can do and even more that hasn't been done yet' is a serious goal for him. 'Whatever it is the people want me to do, I'm going to do it. And, I'm going to be the best at it,' he promises, refusing to rest until he reaches the pinnacle of 'comedy at its finest.'
PLEASE NOTE: Our Balcony section for main room shows is NOT wheelchair accessible.
Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.
We are an 18+ venue.
Instead of a drink minimum, we have a two-item per person minimum in the Showroom, which can be fulfilled with any food or drink items from the menu.
Please Note: Food and drinks purchased in the bar and lounge do not count towards the two-item minimum.
- General Admission seating is assigned on a first-come, first-sat basis as you enter the showroom. The earlier you arrive, the better your seats will be.
- Balcony seating is available for our Main Showroom events. It is general admission on our second-floor balcony. The earlier you arrive, the better your seats will be.
- Reserved seats are assigned for you by management on the night of the show. They are the best seats available for your party size at the time they are assigned. We recommend purchasing Reserved tickets in a single transaction to guarantee your group is seated together.
Please Note: We do not take seating requests and cannot guarantee seats in a specific location.
- While we cannot guarantee seats together, General admission groups should arrive at least 45 minutes before showtime and enter the showroom as a group for the best chance of being seated together.
- Reserved groups who purchase tickets in a single order will automatically be assigned seating together. Reserved ticket holders who purchase separately are not guaranteed seating together. Please see your email confirmation for details if your group purchased separately.
Please Note: We will only seat complete groups. Your group must enter the showroom together to be seated together. In addition, we do not take seating requests and cannot guarantee you seats in a specific location.
All sales are final. We do not offer refunds or exchanges.
Our Main showroom and Upstairs showroom are fully accessible. Call our box office for more information. We encourage all patrons who have a disability to reach out to us to make accommodations.
Please Note: Our Balcony does not have an accessible entrance.
Ticket protection is insurance that allows you to cancel your order to receive a venue credit toward a future event. It can be added to most orders at the time of purchase but cannot be added after the order has been placed.
To redeem your Ticket Protection and receive a venue credit toward a future event, please send an email to protection@heliumcomedy.com with your order number no less than 24 hours before showtime.
Please Note: Cancelation requests received via phone, chat, or less than 24 hours before showtime will not be accepted.