Chappelle Dedicates Four Hour Show to Prince

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The loss of Prince sent ripples of grief into all fields of art. Dave Chappelle was one artist affected.  He had initially considered canceling his April 22nd show in San Francisco, but instead, transformed his set into a four-hour dedication to the musician. Vibe reported that Prince said his band reminded him that “Prince would definitely not condone that” and that “it’s so much better that we grieve together.” Did everyone else know Dave Chappelle performs with a live band? Chappelle called Prince’s passing “black 9/11”, dressed the stage with a purple light, and his band played Prince songs.

Prince and Chappelle had a history of ribbing that Prince eventually won by a landslide. Back in 2004 on The Chappelle Show, Charlie Murphy (yes relation to the Murphy you’re thinking of) hosted a segment called True Hollywood Stories. He told a story that was at least partially true about meeting Prince (played by Dave Chappelle) wearing “a Zorro type outfit” and not bothering to change into more comfortable clothes for a game of basketball. Charlie Murphy’s “friends vs… the Revolution” (Prince’s crew) played each other; the teams were shirts vs. blouses. The blouses devastated the shirts with a mixture of butt grabbing to distract their opponents and genuine skill. Prince and the Revolution then took the shirts inside and served them the best pancakes they’d ever had.

It wasn’t until 2013 that Prince retaliated when he made the cover for his album Breakfast Can Wait a still from the 2004 sketch: Dave Chappelle dressed as Prince holding a plate of pancakes. Chappelle called it “a Prince Judo move right there” on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

In addition to dedicating the show to Prince, Chappelle told Minneapolis’s WCCO in an interview, “Nothing of this world will begin to fill the void of his absence except his memory. Scientifically a memory is almost neurologically identical to an experience. So remember your loved ones often. Forget their faults and remember the best of what they made you feel. In that way … all of us are immortal gifts to one another that keeps on giving.”

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Rachel Crowe

The most notable lies Rachel Crowe has ever told were that she has 10 children (no twins), she’s running a marathon retracing the path her ancestors took to evade the IRS and that she found childcare for 10 on a Saturday night. She’s also a stand-up comedian and dog walker living in Los Angeles. Follow Rachel on Twitter @Racheddar or on Instagram @thelma_and_disease. Or don’t, but at least appreciate those fresh hot puns.
Rachel Crowe
Rachel Crowe
The most notable lies Rachel Crowe has ever told were that she has 10 children (no twins), she’s running a marathon retracing the path her ancestors took to evade the IRS and that she found childcare for 10 on a Saturday night. She’s also a stand-up comedian and dog walker living in Los Angeles. Follow Rachel on Twitter @Racheddar or on Instagram @thelma_and_disease. Or don’t, but at least appreciate those fresh hot puns.