'Possibly the best worst rapper of all time'

Jin Hao Li picks his comedy favourites

Edinburgh Fringe comedian Jin Hao Li shares his Perfect Playlist of comedy favourites

1. Chris Tucker Def Jam

The first time stand-up was put into my eyes. These five minutes are beautiful. His voice is so pitchy and fun to listen to, I almost don’t care what he’s saying.

It’s the perfect blend of the alternative and traditional. He’s comparing rats and roaches to Crips and Bloods. I didn’t know what a Crip or a Blood was at 12 years old, but I knew rats and roaches couldn’t be them.

2. Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar.

Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar is such a fun sentence to say, and it forces you to put on a Californian accent saying it. Perfect things need perfect names.

I 100 per cent judge books by their covers and titles. People who don’t will never truly taste the nectar of life. If you hate comedy that is cold and smart and tastes like medicine, this is the spoonful of sugar for you.

3. Milk and Vines

Does anyone else miss a time without subtitles? When I see a reel now and the words are highlighted in time with what the TikToker is saying I feel like I’m at children’s karaoke.

I find that, accessibility aside, subtitles immediately draw attention to the constructedness of the thing, making it harder to immerse. Imagine you’re on a date with a guy and he’s smooth but every time he makes a move he references the fact that he’s done so. Imagine if every building had scaffolding, that’s what the internet looks like as a city. Ugly.

I want to return to days of Vine. Yes Vine is lame but ‘lame’ is just the first layer, above ‘pure’, a second layer you can’t get to because you’re afraid of cringe, and if so I hope you never have children and pass that poison down to them.

This Bitch Empty, Yeet follows the classic, timeless structure of stand-up.

Set-up: Yo Terry you want some?

Punchline: This bitch empty.

Tag: Yeet!

The can disappears into the crowd just as we are cut from this universe, and the rest is left to our imagination. It took Christopher Nolan years to perfect this technique in Inception.

4. Jacqueline Novak - Get On Your Knees

Jacqueline Novak is the Greatest of All Time.

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5. Riff Raff Freestyle

I’ve never seen anyone so focused. People love crowd work because it’s in the moment and the moment is fleeting. Riff Raff doesn’t live in the moment, he is the moment. His commitment to his own stream of consciousness is unmatched.

The radio hosts beside him are laughing but he remains unfazed. I strive for this level of Zen every time I’m on stage, just an unwavering faith that I am a once-in-a-generation talent and possibly the best worst rapper of all time.

6. Selling Wheelchair: Chinese sketch comedy

This is something close to my heart, it’s a sketch from the Spring Festival Gala 2002, a programme watched by the entirety of China when we celebrate the new year, meaning this sketch is seen by at least a billion people – SNL will never reach those numbers.

The premise is this conman trying to convince a perfectly healthy but gullible chef that he needs a wheelchair. I used to watch this all the time before I spoke a word of English.

This is the true beginning of silliness for me, before Tucker, before Chortle.