He may be the hottest comic on the planet right now, but there is nothing funny about Kevin Hart's ambitions.
The 36-year-old’s debut Middle Eastern performance, in Abu Dhabi on Friday, April 1, comes near the end of his mammoth What Now? world tour which, over nearly 18 months, has spanned more than 150 shows, 112 cities and 14 countries across five continents.
While the total takings are yet to be tallied, Hart was well on his way to breaking the record for the highest-grossing comedy tour (currently held by ventriloquist Jeff Dunham for his 2007-2010 Sparks Insanity Tour, with more than 2 million tickets sold), a month before the shows even began.
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When tickets went on sale in March last year, Hart sold more than 600,000 and wracked up US$35 million (Dh128m).
Confronted with those impressive figures, Hart’s response is akin to a satisfied chief executive.
“Everything happens the way that it is supposed to,” he says. “You don’t go into anything half way. I went into it with the aim of building a company and a brand that people will say ‘wow, that guy did it his way’. That’s what makes it special.”
More than the winning humour, what’s more impressive about Hart’s career is his sharp business acumen.
As well as a leading stand-up comic, he also runs his own production company HartBeat Productions (which produces comedy tours and the faux reality show Real Husbands of Hollywood), in addition to his own marketing company New Generation Promotions.
It is Hart’s latest venture that he is most proud of, however. He recently signed with sporting brand Nike to launch his upcoming footwear line Hustle Hart.
“It’s basically a landmark for all the work that I have done,” he says.
“No comedian has been signed by a major athletic brand and the way I got it was through hard work and great effort.” That work ethic was instilled at a young age. Raised by a single mother in North Philadelphia, Hart was the younger of two sons and grew up watching his father battle drug addiction.
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Playing under pseudonyms, Hart’s early gigs in his hometown garnered little support until Keith Robinson saw the potential.
The veteran comic took Hart under his wing and pushed him to create more autobiographical material.
Indeed, Hart first made waves in the comedy scene a decade ago when he began developing material from his childhood and marital life. Since then, the mix of hilarity and intimacy became a trademark of his performances, particularly the bittersweet recollections of his father and his two sassy children.
Those early years remain etched in Hart’s memory. He stresses that while his success appears sudden, it came on the back of 15 years of rejection.
“I have heard the word ‘no’ so many times. It’s about hearing that word but then still being able to move forward at an even pace,” he says.
“Every rejection I got made me build up the skills to understand that this is what happens in the business. This is why there are not a lot of stars and why not a lot of people can take it. Those who can are the ones who make it because, you know, rejection isn’t for everybody. I developed a strong will and I have got to the level now where my determination is at an all-time high. I don’t understand losing, I don’t process what that means. I set goals to achieve and I have been very adamant about that for quite some time.”
The benefit of a workaholic approach is the ability to spot career opportunities even when you are holidaying.
Such was the case when Hart came to Abu Dhabi last November to catch the last race of the Grand Prix.
During the weekend trip he partied with Lewis Hamilton and rapper Ludacris at the after-race parties on Yas Island, went on a Dubai helicopter tour over The Palm and came face to face with a range of wildlife.
“I got to see tigers, orangutans, I petted a cub, the whole experience was unreal,” he says.
“I didn’t know what to expect or the type of reception that I was going to get. When I went over there it was nothing but love and support. I thought ‘why not?’ So I made it my business to come back and put on a show for you guys. I felt like you deserved it.”
As for Friday night’s show, Hart says fans should expect a spectacle similar to a rock concert.
“I am bringing that rock ’n’ roll vibe to the show,” he says.
“That means making the show an event, people dress up to see you and have a good time with what you are doing and how you are doing it. That’s what a rock ’n’ roll star is, and putting that comedic element to it is unique and that’s what sets myself apart from the pack.”
Kevin Hart performs on Friday, April 1 at du Arena, Yas Island. Tickets start at Dh395 from www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Doors open at 7.30pm
sasaeed@thenational.ae