In recent years he’s returned to his roots, taking part in stand-up marathons at The Laugh Factory on LA’s Sunset Strip. In December 2007, he delivered 6 hours and 12 minutes of live comedy on stage. If you aren’t familiar with Dave, or have forgotten just how talented he is, take a look at these classic music-related Chappelle’s Show segments.
My favorite of Dave’s parodies is one that features him as the diminutive and very mysterious artist formerly and currently known as Prince. Who knew that The Purple One had a knack for shooting hoops and whipping up pancakes? We’ll let Eddie Murphy’s older brother Charlie relate this fictitious “True Hollywood Story” about the day The Blouses trumped The Shirts.
Equally hilarious is Dave’s satire of the wild and wicked life of funk superstar Rick James, who died of heart failure in 2004. James had a history of cocaine and crack addiction and served three years in Folsom Prison for assaulting women while under the influence. He appears as himself in this mockumentary, summing up his nasty conduct with this insightful comment: “Cocaine is a hell of a drug!”
R&B singer/songwriter R. Kelly became the talk of the entertainment industry when a videotape surfaced, showing him having sex with an underage girl and urinating on her. He was indicted, but claimed he was not the man in the video. These charges, plus others related to child pornography, were eventually dropped. But the damage was done. And Dave Chappelle capitalized on it with this edgy parody of the star’s hit song, “Feelin’ On Yo Booty.”
Dave loves to take on the very rich, the very famous and the very vainglorious. Here’s his take on rapper, producer and entrepreneur Sean Combs, also known P. Diddy.
And finally, here’s Dave’s analysis of the dancing styles of white people. If you’re a fan of electric guitars or grew up in the era of classic rock, I think you’ll dig this as much as I do. Every time I see it, I rise from my chair and trance-dance.
© Dana Spiardi, May 23, 2014
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