“I never try to be the funniest guy on social media, I aim to be a trendsetter. From Hey Big Fella, to Guard, to This Finna Be a Breeze, I aim to set trends.”
And that’s exactly what HaHa Davis, the 24-year-old Detroit-born comedian and sketch comic, has done.
The viral sensation, who’s known for his laugh out loud catchphrases, has also developed a very special relationship with music. So special, it has landed him on the tracks of some of hip-hop’s biggest stars. One could conclude that hip-hop loves HaHa Davis. We chopped it up with Davis during a set-break of his first big screen movie, Meet The Blacks 2 to get the inside scoop on the man behind comedy.
You played sports for quite some time leading up to your career in comedy. When did your focus shift?
I was going to school in Virginia and I was playing football but I got homesick. I left VA and I went back home to Michigan and enrolled in community college. One day one of my homies was like, “Man you funny bro. You should really try to do comedy,” and I was like, “Man I ain’t no comedian.” But I listened and started doing skits on Youtube in 2012. People liked it so I said to myself, “Hmmm maybe I can do this comedy thing.” After doing Youtube for a while I started posting comedy videos on Instagram when they introduced the 15 second videos and they spread like wildfire.
Back in 2012 and 2013 did you think your comedy sketches would blow up? Was it something that you manifested or did it happen randomly?
When I first started out it was hard to get it off the ground. I had a small following that gradually started to pick up. I had a vision of being bigger than I was, but I never had a vision of being this big. I just wanted to be recognized and have a little respect in the comedy game, but then it went from one level to the next.
I see that hip-hop has embraced you as well. You were featured on Chance 3, Chance The Rapper’s 3rd solo mixtape and recently you teamed up with Snoop Dogg for “This Finna Be A Breeze. ” What was it like finding out that people like Chance The Rapper and Snoop Dogg watch your skits and enjoy them?
Hanging out with those guys is always a learning experience. Snoop puts me onto a lot of game. He’s been in the business for a long time and he puts me onto the ins and outs of things so anytime I get with him it’s always a conversation about going to the next level and figuring out what’s next for me. I told Snoop, I want to be famous I want to be somebody. He told me, “Do you?” I said “Yeah.” He said, “Don’t get the fame before you get the money.” What’s funny is at the time, about a year ago, I had a lot of fame but not as much money as I wanted to. He told me to trust the process and be patient and a year later here I am.
I was actually with Chance last night, he was giving me advice on fatherhood, I’m going to be a father next month. With Chance I learn a lot about discipline. He encourages me to take my craft seriously. I look up to his brand and all that he does. He takes his brand 100% serious so I learned to brand myself the right way and to approach the game the right way.
Who are you listening to now and who would you like to collaborate with in the future?
Lil Mozzy out of Sacramento, Lil Baby out of Atlanta, Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Yatchy, Trey Songz, and Jeezy.
Let’s talk about your Youtube page now here in 2017. I see that you have animated sketches. What drew you towards animated comedy?
I like animation because in that world anything can be created. You can go to a whole different galaxy with animation. You can put so much into animation. I grew up a fan of cartoons. Rugrats, Hey Arnold, and I always liked the creativity of it.
So, who are some comedians you look up to?
Mike Epps, Dave Chappelle, Katt Williams, Kevin Hart, Martin Lawrence. There are so many comedians I look up to and who have added to my appreciation for comedy and my craft.
What projects are you working on right now?
Meet The Blacks 2 is my first big movie. It’s non-stop laughter on set and being around the cast makes me go harder. I have nothing but respect for them so it’s a great experience and a great time.
That’ll be coming out next year around this time. Detroit will be on Comedy Central and I’ll be on that line-up as well.
Haha Davis is an emerging talent’s who’s energy encourages laughs straight from your gut. Keep up with his moves on Instagram here.
