HBO: Def Comedy Jam is such an institution now. Is there a style that unifies Def Comedy Jam comics?

FERNANDEZ: You know what, yes there is, Def Jam comics are known as being raw. It's usually portrayed as raunchy, or blue, you know, sex jokes, broke jokes. And one of my missions, this year, was to try to do Def Jam without taking that same path. That's why I tried to come at it with the Spanish angle.

HBO: This year is D.L. Hughley is the host. Could you say a few words about D.L.?

FERNANDEZ: First off, it meant so much to me to be brought out by one of the kings of comedy. It was cool, also, because you know now you're on their radar. To be on D.L. Hughley's radar is just a big deal to me. Plus, I'm just happy for D.L. because he didn't take that same path that everyone else did. I look up to him.

HBO: Looking at this year's show there's a lot of new people, a lot of younger comics. What's unique to your generation?

FERNANDEZ: I think urban comedy and hip-hop are creating a strong link. You flick on music videos, you see comedians everywhere. And then, you flick on a comedian's one hour special and he's bringing up music artists. So there's definitely a tighter bond between the two.

HBO: What do you think is different about you guys compared to the old guys?

FERNANDEZ: It's funny because they say as the years go on, it's going to get harder and harder to find material because everything under the sun has been talked about. I don't look at it like that. I think as time passes, there's always new stuff coming out, new innovations, technology and all kinds of crazy stuff happening in the news. The older generation spoke about what they were coming up against, Pryor and Fox and the rest of the guys. While we're talking about the stuff we're dealing with now, the war in Iraq and we got all the stuff with the President. You go with the times.

HBO: Def Comedy Jam has traditionally been a showcase for black comedians who cut their teeth in urban venues. Coming up, did a different ethnic background make it harder or easier?

FERNANDEZ: You know what, I think it made it a bit easier. Easier in the sense that I stood out because I was the Spanish guy. Harder in the sense that, urban rooms aren't the easiest to perform in--You're doing these hole-in-the-wall bars where people are talking in the back, no one's paying attention. You got these thugs over here heckling you. So, the come up isn't easy because you got to deal with rooms like that. But me being Spanish, everyone's like "I need a Spanish guy. Cory?" That's good thing. And, in my neighborhood, in New York City, Spanish and Black people are in the same communities so we deal with a lot of the same stuff.

HBO: Def Comedy Jam got the reputation of having a very loud audience, very energetic audience. Is that something you experienced and what gives it that intensity?

FERNANDEZ: Um, black people. [Fernandez chuckles] Black audiences are energetic. That's how they get down. If you watch the white comedy shows, it's not like that. You don't see people getting out of their seats running up and down the aisles. It's just a part of our hip-hop culture. We show love when it's due. Then, we boo your ass if you're whack. It's one of two extremes, nothing in the middle.

HBO: What was it like thirty seconds before you got on stage?

FERNANDEZ: Man, that's the most nervous time ever, because you hear D.L. say "This next brother I'm about to bring to the stage...." there something about those words. It's kind of like the Pavlov's dog effect where every time the dog saw the food, they start salivating. So every time I hear "this next brother," my heart starts pounding. Then, just walking out on stage - the lights, camera, action. The place is packed, I delivered that first joke and it went over well. Once the first joke goes over, I'm pretty much enjoying the rest of the ride. It's just the moments leading up, that's the nerve-wracking part.

HBO: Say a word about Russell Simmons. How he makes all this possible.

FERNANDEZ: What can I say man? This is the dude who paved the way. And he's from New York. I love the fact that he's from my home town. He started that vision back in the early days and has just become a major enterprise now. And, then he gives back by creating stuff like this for guys like me.