All the greatest comedic acts of our time have used one recipe for success: an innate sense of showmanship and a keen eye for social commentary. For if not comedians, safe behind the veneer of jokes, who would call Drake an effeminate gorilla? Or even a Puerto Rican tranny?
Both of these popular thoughts remained unvoiced until a certain felt denizen of the 305 took it upon himself to shed some light on the bilingual masses. Pepe Billete is a product of his time -- and his time happens to be our time.
As raunchy as a Richard Pryor and Alvarez Guedez love child, as manic as the entirety of Jim Henson's Muppet Factory, and tempered with the sun-drenched, 90-mile balsero ride of the Mariel boatlift, Pepe Billete is not the voice of the "Ñ" Generation. He's the voice of the vete pa la pinga del coño de su madre generation.
And this weekend, for the first time, you can see him perform live.
Savvy as any little puppet can be, Billete took the DIY approach to social media. In his humble beginnings, he commented on the likes of Teflon Don Rick Ross, '90s retreads Live and the pasty white-boy-ness of Major Lazer on his YouTube page. But he went on to found Escoria Films (Lowlife Films), the Miami Heat's most vocal supporter, and to the airwaves on El Zol 95 FM. And on April 28, the shit goes live and onstage at the Miami Science Museum's theater.
But what makes the puppet tick, save from a hand providing skeletal support? The only answer to this quandary is rooted in the Miami culture of the 1980s, when a fledgling Cuban population got injected by two cultural steroids: the Mariel boatlift and the revamping of South Beach's Art Deco scene. Yes, SoBe's nightlife and glamor are as much a part of this act as Pepe's Caribbean-on-acid humorous surrealism.
While it is true that Billete's humor stems from Cuban culture, it is in particular rooted in the culture Miami's Cuban-Americans. If you were to travel elsewhere within the continental United States, it'd be difficult to explain the influence of Billete's daily platter of boundary-pushing tweets and Instagram drama. This comedian is 100 percent three-oh-five.
Pepe Billete - Facebook Comemierdas
Billete's not just a first class marimbero -- he is a technologically savvy one. Saturday's live show might've started off as a joke within a joke, but when the show sold out within 24 hours, the Escoria Films crew and the Ferruchos of Comedy (A Pair of Nuts comedians Johnny Trabs and Yamil Piedra, with Adrian Mesa) quickly scrambled to put on a second performance that night. That second show also sold out within 24 hours.
And while you might not have the chance to have your girlfriend singled out by the acerbic wit of a very horny puppet this weekend, rumor has it that a repeat performance is being planned for the fall of this year. Ticket holders to this weekend's show will receive free admission to the 305PLP after-party at Space, hosted by DJ Radamas and Chico Biscayne, that will include a booty contest the likes of which haven't been seen the last time your girlfriend went home with Billete.
A Pair of Nuts - "Gayo"
Pepe Billete and the Ferruchos of Comedy take the stage at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, at the Miami Science Museum Theatre, 3280 South Miami Avenue, Miami. Tickets are sold out. Call 305-646-4200 or visit miamisci.org.
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