"I'm a black man. But my name is Kyle," bespectacled comedian Kyle Grooms told a laughing Def Comedy Jam crowd. "Hard to get respect in the streets when your name is Kyle." But from the stage, this funny man is making his not-so-tough name one to know in the comedy game today. Grooms got his start in Miami working as a Univision art director. Though he recently returned to his home state of New Jersey, Miami claims him as its own because he worked his honest, unique perspective into hilarious acts on Magic City stages for a long time. And after 20 years honing his craft, he's blowing up the New York scene, making rooms like the Comedy Cellar shake with laughter. You may have seen Grooms on his own half-hour Comedy Central standup special, NBC's Last Comic Standing, or Chappelle's Show. He has also been featured on P. Diddy's Bad Boys of Comedy, Jamie Foxx's Laffapalooza, and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. You don't have to respect Kyle Grooms in the streets, but you will totally respect him after a solid chuckle-fest standup set.