Deon Cole

Deon Cole is from the South Side of Chicago and he tells it like it is. A regular on Conan, he created "Black Box," which aired for a short time on TBS. His roots are pretty humble: A friend bet him $50 that he was too chicken to get up on stage at a club one night, and the rest is history. He talks about racial issues in a charismatic way, often taking a unique and fresh perspective on issues that have been talked about so many times before. His humor is a little reminiscent of Chris Rock; he often takes on social issues most would rather pretend don't exist and then throws storylines from them in your face. He performs tonight at 7:30 at the Improv. Tickets are $30, and performances continue through Saturday. (Liz Trenholme)