Mike Epps is one of the funniest people on the planet, period.

His way of connecting to an audience is unmatched. He feels like that uncle everybody invites because he makes every event a thousand times funnier. He has that kind of comedy that feels natural, like family, neighborhood, cookout, barbershop, and real life all rolled together.

I relate to that because I have always been the uncle, the friend, and the person at the function who brings natural comedy. Not forced. Not trying too hard. Just seeing the moment, feeling the room, and saying the thing that makes everybody crack up.

Comedy has always had a special place in my story. I first touched a microphone in front of a comedy crowd when I was 16 years old at a comedy club in Minneapolis. That was a real moment for me.

Then, as a senior in high school, I was making money doing comedy at adult-only talent shows in nightclubs around San Diego. I was young, but I already understood something about timing, confidence, pressure, and making people feel something.

So when I paint comedians, it is personal. I am not just painting people who made me laugh. I am painting people who helped shape part of me.

Mike Epps represents that everyday funny that feels close to home. The facial expressions. The storytelling. The way he can take something simple and make it hilarious because it feels true. That is a gift.

This painting is part of my larger comedy collection with Richard Pryor, Dave Chappelle, Mike Epps, and more comedians coming in the future. They are all tied to laughter, timing, survival, and helping people get through life a little lighter.

I believe part of my purpose in life is to make people happier long term. Sometimes that happens through art. Sometimes through comedy. Sometimes through a story. Sometimes through just being yourself and giving people something real.

Mike Epps brings that kind of energy. Real funny. Real familiar. Real life.

— SAVO

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