Chris Garcia

As the child of Cuban refugees, stand-up comic Chris Garcia has some tips to offer via YouTube videos, including his instructions on how to harness the power of Santería to help you fold a fitted sheet. “Step one: Be oppressed for over 50 years,” begins one video. (You thought it had something to do with angles, didn’t you?) His on-the-money description of Telemundo’s over-excited soccer coverage or his blow-by-blow recitation of the lyrics to “La Bamba” are not preparation enough for his mind-melting rendition of what his fathers’ impression of his standup act might be. “Little white-washed motherfucker, I can’t believe it, mang … This kid got so smart he became stupid again, you know?” he exclaims in his father’s voice on his 2016 album, Laughing and Crying at the Same Time, and his perspective always remains just as sharp and relentless, especially when directed at himself. When he gets outside himself, there is no way to contain him.