Atlanta-based comedian Malika E. uses comedy to entertain and highlight everyday life

On the “City Lights” series “Speaking of Comedy,” Atlanta’s funniest locals share insights on the perks and perils of their profession. In this installment, we heard from Malika E., an Atlanta-based comedian who’s been telling jokes her whole life. When her high school pals said, “You need to be a comedian,” one actually followed through years later, dragging Malika E. along to a comedy class at the Laughing Skull Lounge. “It literally took off from there,” Malika said. 

For material, Malika E. harvests the good stuff straight from everyday life, the odd interactions and incidents we all go through. “I grew up watching your Def Comedy Jam and your ComicView, and to see so many comedians be able to have their own voice and bring their own stories – that even as a child, I could relate to, even though it may have been adult content – they still made it relatable and funny. So that’s the kind of stuff that inspires me,” said Malika.

A featured clip captures Malika E. unpacking a phrase that always caught her ear, the warning not to “step on a crack, or you’ll break your mother’s back.” “My momma just don’t know how many times I saved her,” Malika says in the clip, miming her confrontation with the sidewalk. She explained how she likes poking at common superstitions, especially with her own family in the crowd laughing along. Regarding crowd work, Malika E. prefers to have a good time with her audience, not at their expense. “If I involve the crowd in my set, it’s always in a positive way. I do not want to roast the crowd; unless it’s a heckler, then they’re gonna get it,” she said.