Stand-up comedy
McFadden developed a stand-up style that combined jokes and anecdotes with role-playing and physical performance. He was described as a 23-year-old comedian performing with Russell Simmons Def Comedy Jam, alongside Bill Bellamy and Adele Givens, with his style fast-paced and outrageous and with use of physical acting in his routines.
His major national breakthrough came through Def Comedy Jam. According to later biographical accounts, he received an invitation to perform on the HBO comedy series in 1991. By 1993, he was performing with the touring version of Def Comedy Jam whenever the tour traveled to his area.
In 1996, McFadden performed at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal. That same year, he appeared on Late Show with David Letterman, a performance he described as a longtime ambition. He said he had auditioned for the program twelve times before being booked.
He later headlined comedy-club engagements, including a scheduled November 1997 appearance at the Improv at Harrah's Lake Tahoe.
In 1998, McFadden received his own half-hour episode of Comedy Central Presents. The episode aired on December 15, 1998.
Acting
McFadden made his film debut with a small role as a partygoer in Adrian Lyne's 1990 psychological thriller Jacob's Ladder. He subsequently moved into television, appearing in several sitcoms.
In 1993, McFadden appeared as Ricky Thompson on Martin, as Trey on Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and as Tyler Roberts on Coach. The Los Angeles Times reported in 1996 that his appearance on Martin had been his major acting break and that it led to additional television work. That same year, McFadden joined the cast of the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color as a regular performer and writer for its fifth and final season, appearing in 23 episodes.
His subsequent screen work included the film The Inkwell (1994), in which he played MC Madman, and appearances in Moesha, Gun, Getting Personal, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Little Nicky, and Road Kings.
On Curb Your Enthusiasm, McFadden appeared in 2001 as Police Officer #2. His film role in Road Kings (2003) was credited as Psycho. The film had previously been titled Road Dogs.
