Lil Duval

Celebrities aren’t exactly pouring out of Jacksonville Florida but that’s only made Roland Powell’s grind more ferocious. Proclaiming himself “Lil Duval” after the county from which he hails he has literally put his home turf on his back as he touches every nook and cranny available with his special brand of humor. Some comedians work at making people laugh. Others just do. Born with the gift to make people laugh Lil Duval explains that for him “comedy was a natural thing. People always found me funny. It wasn’t that I was trying to be funny; they just found me funny.”

Participating in pep rallies in high school and other activities where all eyes were on him really kicked Lil Duval into high gear. The limelight just suited him and he wanted more. “I heard them screaming for me and I was like ‘oh yeah this is what I need to be doing ’” he smiles. “I knew I would be in entertainment because I felt like an entertainer.”

Ultimately he envisioned himself on the big screen and particularly admired the work of Chris Tucker. That’s how he got into comedy actually. “I saw Chris Tucker on Friday and I was like ‘that’s what I want to do.’ Then I saw him on Def Comedy Jam so I was like ‘oh that’s the way you do it. You become a stand?up comedian and you’ll be in the movies.’ That’s how it started to build.”

Duval can currently be seen on two MTV series Guy Code and Hip Hop Squares but he’s not done yet. “Everything that you can do and even more that hasn’t been done yet” is a serious goal for him. “Whatever it is the people want me to do I’m going to do it. And I’m going to be the best at it ” he promises refusing to rest until he reaches the pinnacle of “comedy at its finest.”