Weekly Poll Winner: Dave Chappelle

Readers! By a narrow margin of one vote, and in the last hour of voting, you selected Dave Chappelle as the funniest stand-up comedian!

Every week, the poll winner will receive a special post, just to show you faithful readers how much I appreciate you stopping by, and that this blog is not completely run by my own opinions.

It just so happens, in this case, that Dave Chappelle was also my favorite of the five comedian choices in the poll, so it gives me pleasure to bring to you the Weekly Poll Winner post.

Dave Chappelle started out with small movie roles in the early 1990s and then a few medium-sized roles (such as "Con Air," 1997), before his break-out success "Half Baked."

"Half Baked" follows Thurgood Jenkins (Chappelle), who is a custodian at a pharmaceutical lab, and his three friends, as they sell marijuana Jenkins steals from the lab, in an attempt to make the bail for their friend to be released from prison before being raped. It may sound immature and silly, but it has some good moments that have given it contemporary classic status among pot-smokers.

Chappelle's fame then skyrocketed when in 2003, he was given his own sketch comedy show on Comedy Central, with primetime real estate. The show brought Chappelle so much fanfare and money that he allegedly could not handle the stress, and was reported to have run off to South Africa to relax.

I would like to be able to show you clips from his stand-up, which are all over Youtube and are most always hilarious; but, they are just as profane as they are funny, and so I will not post them. I will, however, give you some of his sketches, so you can enjoy his own personal brand of humor.

Chappelle often found creative and humiliating ways to make fun of other African-American superstars, most notably R. Kelly, Rick James, Lil Jon, Prince and P. Diddy. He often thwarts many racial stereotypes by beating them to the punch, with characters like Tyrone Biggums, a homeless crackhead, and Clayton Bigsby, a blind white-supremacist unaware he is black.

But sketches like this one prove that his ability ranges beyond making fun at the expense of others, and that he is quite adept at the fine art of parody:

Chappelle's Show
It's a Wonderful Chest
www.comedycentral.com
Buy Chappelle's Show DVDs Black Comedy True Hollywood Story

Here's another recurring sketch, where Chappelle makes fun of hip-hop artist Lil Jon:

Chappelle's Show
A Moment in the Life of Lil Jon - Flying
www.comedycentral.com
Buy Chappelle's Show DVDs Black Comedy True Hollywood Story

Laughasaurus worthiness:

Dave Chappelle's worth and comedic genius in his stand-up comes in his apparent effortlessness. When you watch him spit his jokes, you often don't feel like he's giving a performance. It seems like he is just standing there, telling you funny stories about people and situations he has encountered--of course we know they're made up, but it doesn't seem to matter.

His jokes are also so funny on their own that he doesn't need an over-the-top performance to get laughs from his audience.

He also has a very keen, discerning sense of humor, and--unlike some African-American comedians--can easily capture the attention of both blacks and whites, without ostracizing the latter. In fact, one could argue that Dave Chappelle holds just as much appeal among white comedy fans as he does with black comedy fans.

Some of his sketch comedy has become a mainstream part of society for young adults about 18 to 28, for you would be hard pressed to find someone in that range who would not understand the line "I'm Rick James, bitch!"








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