HBO: This being your first year on the show, how would you define what Def Comedy Jam is?

MASON: Def Comedy Jam is like the innovation of comedy. The unseen comedy. It's going to show you cats doing different things, trying to break the envelope and crossing that edge.

HBO: The show has a reputation for not restricting the routines of comics, does that change what you do?

MASON: You've got the freedom to do what you want to do. In my case, I'm going to be able to get away with stuff I can't do on another TV show.

HBO: The Def Jam audience is known for being really intense, hot--

MASON: [Cutting in] Yep, it makes you bring out your good stuff, though. You gotta come out swinging. Yeah, you might be a little intimidated because it's the Def crowd. And I've heard people called them dangerous. But they're actually sweet, they're every day folk, and that's what you want in the audience. In Hollywood, sometimes you get industry people in the crowd - folks who work in show business, who'll be like, "Hmm, I'll have my assistant laugh at that later." No, you want the Def Jam crowd. You want the real people, definitely.

HBO: As a member of the new generation, what sets you guys apart from the comedians of the past?

MASON: We're quick. It's almost a regression back to the one-liners in some ways. Back then, you had Richard Pryor, you had Bill Cosby, cats that could tell a story and take their time. And the audience would wait. Whereas today, we're a little ADD. We've all got a little attention deficit disorder. So you have to be funny now. You've got to keep them laughing or you're going to lose your audience. We're faster, we can get to that joke, and at the same time, we're going to do a lot of different things to get your attention, and keep you laughing the whole time.

HBO: Did you watch Def Comedy Jam when you were younger, was it part of your comedic upbringing?

MASON: Of course, I watched Def Jam coming up. I was a young pup and it was my dream to be on it. You had cats on there... you had DL, you had Hamburger, you had Earthquake, you had the Steve Harvey's. I was like, 'That's what I want to do. That's my goal. I want to have that so bad!'

HBO: So what does it mean to actually be on the show?

MASON: It's heaven. It's bliss. It's a gift from God, it really is.

HBO: Were you nervous before?

MASON: I was definitely nervous. But then you hear that first, 'ah!' You get a little applause break, and that was enough to be, 'OK, we're doing all right. Not too bad.'

HBO: From what you've seen, what would you tell people to expect from this year's line-up?

MASON: You're going to see things you've never seen before. I'm talking comedy-wise. You're going to see some young bloods up there who are hungry. We're all hungry.