Sketchy 'Lounge Show' boasts tired formats, comedy

By Anika Kohon

Daily Arts Writer

A hearty blend of hip-hop rhyming and comedy sketches, MTV's "The Lyricist Lounge Show" is a brazen, raucous and raunchy little gem offering laughs for the hard core viewer. "The Lyricist Lounge Show" owes its conception to New York City's "Lyricist Lounge" which hosted such talents as Puff Daddy, Notorious B.I.G. and Eminem. The original idea was created by Anthony Marshall, Danny Castro, Perry Landesberg and Jacob Septimus, when they were all sixteen and seventeen.

MTV's talented and diverse cast includes, Baby Power, Marty Belfasky, Daryanyan Edmonds, Master Foul, Heather McDonald, Mike Ricca and Tracee Ellis Ross. Their resumes include such varied experiences as opening for Ol' Dirty Bastard (Master Foul), writing for the "Keenan Ivory Wayans Show" (McDonald), and graduating from Brown University (Ross).

The show opens with two women playing Barbies, followed by a rap group confessing their transgressions to one another in rhyme as their plane experiences turbulence. One of the more audacious sketches, "Change of Ass," is a parody of the game show "Change of Heart" that introduces an alternate partner into a sexually dissatisfied couple's bed. The host describes the new man as a G.E.D. holder who has "brought more women to orgasm than the index finger." The last vignette features special guest Mos Def, rapping about jumping off a window ledge.

The camera work and editing do not call too much attention to themselves as they often do in MTV productions. The half-hour format is rich with comedic moments, some more original than others. Some of the pieces seem derivative, recycled even. Though the sketch comedy format is a little passe, the rap element adds a fresh look at a stale genre. The show pushes the limits of propriety without taking it too far. The danger inherent in shock-value humor is that the show will be so absurd that it alienates the viewer. Happily, "The Lyricist Lounge Show" does not do this.

Courtesy of MTV

The cast of "The Lyricist Lounge Show" hopes to freshen up sketch with rap.