HBO: Why'd you take on the job of Def Com host?

HUGHLEY: I wanted to do this, because I think black comedy is, and I don't think I'm overstating this, is kind of at a crossroads. It's funny, black comedians are vilified for the coarsening of this country, as if we did it all, we're the reason that everything is this way. "If you'd just stop those comedians and rappers from saying something, then the world would be a better place."

That's kind of a precarious position. So, I thought it was important for somebody who's been affiliated with Def Jam - and I consider myself a proud alumni - to come back and to do what he can to get people to see it in the best light possible.

HBO: Last year, it seemed like just as the show hit the air, the media blew up with the whole N word censorship thing...

HUGHLEY: Right.

HBO: How does this relate to Def Jam Comedy?

HUGHLEY: Def Jam is our lyrical equivalent of hip hop. It is our mission statement, it is the way we feel about stuff. And, this art form is the oldest art form around. There were court jesters, there were people who were making people laugh when Jesus was around. I'm proud of the art form, and I think that if it could survive McCarthyism, it could survive a couple of people who are so sensitive they don't understand... Our gig is to hold a mirror up, and a lot of times, people don't like what they see. But that's our job, to say what we see. If you don't like the images that you're seeing, maybe you should change them instead of our perception of them.

HBO: Oldest art form? I was thinking you were going to go--

HUGHLEY: Yeah, well, same difference, hookers and comedians, same thing. One of the things that seems so disingenuous to me, is that there was this whole tempest in a teapot over what words to use, and what's political correct. If people watch this show they'll loosen the f**k-up and laugh. It ain't that serious. It really ain't. If I stop saying the N word, or bitch, or ho, it ain't going to make your life any better or worse. If you don't want to hear it, you don't have to. We're not pied pipers who are making people dance to our rhythm, that's not what happens. We're people who'll tell you the way we see the world. If you don't agree, you have the right to not participate, and you have the right not to look. But we're literally unapologetic in our view of the world, and I'm very proud of these cats for holding that line through.

HBO: So, what about these new cats? How does what they're doing different from what you and others did back in the day?

HUGHLEY: They're more sophisticated than we were. They generally have a broader kind of overview of the world. They know about more things than we tended to. And the other thing I find amazing is that they are so much bolder, they're not afraid to say something that people, even from their own kind of circumstances, might not dig. We had a tendency to play down to people, and they don't, not as much as we did. So I'm very proud to see that.

HBO: Just on a technical level, how hard is it to keep fresh with so many shows in a row?

HUGHLEY: Keeping it fresh isn't as difficult as keeping it energetic. But it hasn't been that hard, because I haven't been this excited about working with comedians since I did the Kings of Comedy. These are bright young, cutting-edge, provocative folks. They really know what they're doing, and they seem to be as passionate about the craft as we were.

HBO: As a performer, how is being host different then what you normally do?

HUGHLEY: My gig is to make people laugh. Whether I do it as a host, or I'm head-lining, or I'm in a movie, it's like a meal at Taco Bell, it's all the same shit, just folded a different way.