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Donnell Rawlings is bringing his comedy to the stage at Quezada’s Comedy Club & Cantina on Friday, April 3, and Saturday, April 4.

He said his sets are topical, and while he pulls from his personal life, he also hits on current events and pop culture.

He said his friend Dave Chappelle once told him, “Donnell, it’s our job to make fun of the things that are troubling the world.”

“I just talk about the things … that are interesting to me,” Rawlings said, “and I talk about the things that are interesting to the world.”

Rawlings appeared on several episodes of “Chappelle’s Show.” He has had a long career in film and TV, including roles in “The Wire” and “BMF,” and he voiced Dez in Pixar’s “Soul.”

He said he likes to leave his set open to improvisation, which helps him connect with the audience.

“There’s also that spark that happens where people know that there’s no way he’s ever said this before, and it happened right on the spot,” Rawlings said.

His career has spanned nearly three decades. He said if he could give his younger self advice, it would be to not take himself so seriously and to focus on his talent.

Rawlings said his foray into comedy began one night when he was young, cracking jokes to his mom.

“I’ve always been like the guy that made fun of everything, and my mother looked at me and said, ‘I don’t want to hear another joke unless you’re going to make some money doing it,’” Rawlings said. “And that’s why I said, ‘OK, I’m on that. I’m on that route to doing stand-up comedy.’”

He said a 30-year career feels old, but he is fulfilled by the knowledge that after all those years, his comedy is still relevant.

“I still can connect with three different generations,” Rawlings said.

He said as life changes, however, so does his comedy. He’s always in search of what is going to be the next thing, he said, and right now, the next thing is him enjoying and appreciating life.

“As I grow as a person, as far as fatherhood and relationships with people and relationships with the business, those are things I lean into,” he said.

He said through his sets, he tries to show audiences an unfiltered, honest and transparent view of himself.

“It shows me being authentic,” Rawlings said.

Elizabeth Secor is an arts fellow from the New Mexico Local News Fellowship program. You can reach her at esecor@abqjournal.com.