The Jerky Boys "The Jerky Boys" (30th Anniversary)

Hailing from Queens, New York, childhood friends Johnny Brennan and Kamal Ahmed collaborated on a series of prank telephone calls that eventually circulated in classic grassroots fashion (before being “viral” was a thing), travelling from teenager to teenager via cassette dub after cassette dub. The duo’s work eventually earned legendary status among those lucky enough to get their hands on it.

When the compilation of calls was finally officially released via Select Records, who were mostly known for their hip-hop acts ranging from Kid n Play to AMG, it reached #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers list by amazingly bumping Radiohead's Pablo Honey, which coincidentally took its title from a Jerky Boys sketch, out of the top spot.

What followed was a few more platinum albums, a hilarious movie, and a legion of lifetime fans that can repeat these prank calls verbatim, even 30 years later. The Jerky Boys created a true movement, and inspired an entire generation of improvisational prank-style comedians.