Dave Chappelle is unquestionably one of the funniest comedians of all time. He can do stand up comedy and has the ability to produce skits that find the audience on the floor and unable to catch their breath. Dave Chappelle was born in Washington, D.C. on August 24, 1973. His parents were intellectually superior and he was educated at the prestigious Duke Ellington School of Fine Arts.
His first attempt at stand up at the age of 14 was at the famed Harlem Apollo Theater. In an interview with Inside the Actor’s Studio he said the experience gave him courage to pursue his ambition in show business not because he was well received, but that he could take it. His parents divorced while he was a teenager and his father relocated Ohio. He frequently visited his dad in Ohio, but remained in Washington, D.C. with his mother as a primary residence. His visits to Ohio, inspired him to purchase a 65-acre farm at Yellow Springs, Ohio where he makes his primary residence today with his own family.
He says he was influenced by the great Richard Pryor. I can see some Richard Pryor influence in his unique exploration of the black experience. I was fortunate to see Richard Pryor live at two live performances. Richard Pryor took race relations to an entirely new level. He dissected prejudice with amazing accuracy by recognizing a stereotype and then pulled the audience along in a tutorial of the black experience. Richard Pryor was a comedic genius. His humor was raw and chiseled from the heart from living racial prejudice and poverty. His survival was the subject and the heart of his work. Richard Pryor like many comedians played from his heart which was exposed for all to see in his performances.
Dave Chappelle has the same methods, but he has brought the lesson to an entirely new level in his own intellectually pure style of cerebral insights of the current Black experience in America. He explores the neighborhood of disenfranchised racial and ethnic classes live along side each other and fight over the thinnest slice of the American pie which has tragic and hysterically funny consequences.
An episode called, “Keeping It Real” is an example of the mantra of today going down really bad.
The episode opens with Brenda and her friend eating popcorn and watching a show on TV. The phone rings and the caller says, “oops wrong number.” Brenda, finds out who made the call and in “keeping it real,” fashion goes to her house and proceeds to deface and trash the girl’s car. The girl continues to repeat, “it was a wrong number.”
Unfortunately, for Brenda the car belongs to the girl’s brother who is an FBI agent and the car defacing becomes a felony for defacing federal property. Brenda’s attempt at, “keeping it real,” has gone down very badly and she ends up in a federal prison. Brenda unwavering in her attempt to “keep it real,” continues her representation in the federal prison cafeteria wherein she stands up to a seasoned inmate and ends up on the floor with her face in fruit cocktail and a half dozen other inmates on her back. This is the ultimate in circumstances where “keeping it real,” has really gone bad. The sight images and the dialogue are sharp and extend no mercy. It is razor sharp humor.
After having great successes on his Chappelle Show syndicated through Viacom’s Comedy Central and sold out concerts everywhere Chappelle decided to take some personal rejuvenation time off. He has given interviews to Time Magazine, Oprah Winfrey and has made some appearances. He put off a third season with Comedy Central and their offer of 55 million and instead went to Africa to spend some renew and recoup time with his Islamic mentor. Dave Chappelle does not discuss his conversion to Islam, but his religion is central to his personal salvation.
Contrary to rumors and buzz, Dave Chappelle is neither a substance abuser nor crazy. He found his salvation in the beautiful religion of Islam that respects family life and truth through living the religion. He presently resides at his Yellow Springs farm with his family and close friends and he is intellectually contemplating his next career move. His humor is on the edge, but he is not. His talent is uniquely founded on heart and intellect with the profound understanding that burning out is not an option. He is tentatively scheduled to appear in a film in 2007.
Reference:
- Time Magazine Wikepedia DaveChappelle web site.
