Sharp-tongued comedian/actor Kevin Hart was born and raised in Philadelphia, where he cultivated his talent for performing standup. He quit his day job as a shoe salesman and began pursuing comedy full-time, ultimately landing a small role in the Judd Apatow-produced TV series Undeclared. The following year, he starred in his film debut, the urban crime comedy Paper Soldiers. The Roc-A-Fella Records vehicle wasn't exactly a commercial success, but word spread of Hart's riffing abilities and he was cast in over a dozen movies from 2003 to 2010, including Soul Plane, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Barbershop, Drillbit Taylor, Little Fockers, Scary Movie 3, and Scary Movie 4. During this period, he continued performing live, building up material for the Comedy Central concert specials I'm a Grown Little Man and the aptly titled Seriously Funny, which went four-times platinum.

In 2012, as Hart's movie career continued a rapid ascent, Comedy Central released his third live CD/DVD, Laugh at My Pain. In 2013, he released the theatrical comedy film Let Me Explain along with a hip accompanying soundtrack filled with tracks from Snoop Dogg, Rocko, Driicky Graham, and others. The concert album Live Comedy from the Laff House appeared in 2014. In 2015, Hart embarked on the What Now? comedy tour, which was documented for and later incorporated into the semi-scripted 2016 spy spoof/concert film Kevin Hart: What Now? Along with the film, Hart signed to Motown Records and released the soundtrack Kevin Hart: What Now? (The Mixtape Presents Chocolate Droppa), a hip-hop album featuring his rapper alter-ego Chocolate Droppa. Included on the album were the singles "Push It on Me" featuring Trey Songz and "Baller Alert" featuring Migos and T.I. ~ Jason Lymangrover, Rovi