Review: Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Let me begin by saying that I'm not a big rap or R&B fan, but I am a big Dave Chappelle fan. "I'm Rick James, bitch!" defined a new generation of comedy. Well, maybe not, but I do love to say, "I'm Rick James, bitch!" I also love to tell people to "bathe in the waters of Lake Minnetonka" and to, "show Charlie Murphy your titties." So when Dave Chappelle makes a concert movie, I'm there... eventually. The whole thing came about after Chappelle's self-imposed exile to South Africa. He had buckled under the pressure of Comedy Central's three-year, $50 million deal for his show, and took off. He spent some time in Africa, and returned home to his ranch in Ohio. Then he, with help from director Michel Gondry, he of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind fame, started to put together a concert in Central Park. It was Gondry who suggested it be moved somewhere that it would be appreciated more. So that's how it was moved to the corner of Downing and Quincy, in the Bed-Stuy hood.
While he was amassing a group of talent like Kanye West, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Common and Dead Prez, he also canvassed the area he lives in, Dayton, Ohio, for people he wanted to invite to New York. He invited the two older white ladies he buys cigarettes from, one of whom said she would "have to buy a thong." He invited two probation officers, a couple of guys from the block and an entire university marching band. He put them on buses and sent them to Brooklyn. He cruised around New York neighborhoods with a bullhorn, telling folks to, "bring Rudy and Theo and Denise," meaning the Huxtables. He visited a daycare centre that would be beside the concert. He conversed with all walks of people, and that was the overall message of the film, just getting everybody together to have a good time.
Dave, with Mos Def.
I had to read more about this movie to understand the miracle that happened during the course of the film. When Columbia Records wouldn't allow Lauren Hill to perform any of her own songs, she consented to appear as part of her former group, The Fugees. Now, apparently, this was a huge deal, and when they played "Killing Me Softly", the crowd went berserk, so I guess it was a huge deal. So... good for them.
If you are expecting a two-hour episode of Chappelle's Show, with skits and jokes and then a bit of music at the end, you may be disappointed, but then you'd also be missing out on the opportunity to see a concert played for the people who need it, not just the ones who can afford outrageous ticket prices. And hey, if you like this kind of music, it's all the better.
∆∆1/2 of 5
While he was amassing a group of talent like Kanye West, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Common and Dead Prez, he also canvassed the area he lives in, Dayton, Ohio, for people he wanted to invite to New York. He invited the two older white ladies he buys cigarettes from, one of whom said she would "have to buy a thong." He invited two probation officers, a couple of guys from the block and an entire university marching band. He put them on buses and sent them to Brooklyn. He cruised around New York neighborhoods with a bullhorn, telling folks to, "bring Rudy and Theo and Denise," meaning the Huxtables. He visited a daycare centre that would be beside the concert. He conversed with all walks of people, and that was the overall message of the film, just getting everybody together to have a good time.
Dave, with Mos Def.Did you hear about the industrious prostitute? No Dave, I didn't. She had another vagina surgically implanted on her hip. How come, Dave? So she could make some money on the side!
I had to read more about this movie to understand the miracle that happened during the course of the film. When Columbia Records wouldn't allow Lauren Hill to perform any of her own songs, she consented to appear as part of her former group, The Fugees. Now, apparently, this was a huge deal, and when they played "Killing Me Softly", the crowd went berserk, so I guess it was a huge deal. So... good for them.
If you are expecting a two-hour episode of Chappelle's Show, with skits and jokes and then a bit of music at the end, you may be disappointed, but then you'd also be missing out on the opportunity to see a concert played for the people who need it, not just the ones who can afford outrageous ticket prices. And hey, if you like this kind of music, it's all the better.
∆∆1/2 of 5
posted by The Man in Charge at
5:19 PM
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