Dave Chappelle Records Compelling Half Hour Centered on George Floyd’s Death

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Dave Chappelle surprised everyone by dropping his latest Netflix comedy special, ‘8:46’ for free via the channel’s YouTube page. The title refers to the now infamous period of time George Floyd spent with the knee of a police officer on his neck.

 

From the outset, you are reminded that this isn’t your typical special.  It was recorded just last week in front of a socially distanced audience in Beaver Creek, Ohio, and the montage of cars rolling in, medical checks and audience members in masks, gives us a glimpse of what comedy shows will look like in a post-COVID world. It’s been 87 days since Chappelle last performed, and nothing is more clear than that the world has changed.  All of it.

He opens thanking young people for their activism, “you kids are all excellent drivers, I’m comfortable in the back seat of the car,” he says, adding “carry on young ones.”

Chappelle is more social commentator than comedian, floating between anger and sadness about the 8 minutes and forty six seconds the now former officers’ knee carried more weight for him.   He also claps back hard on CNN’s Don Lemon and others who called on celebrities to make their voices heard during the protests stating that this moment belonged to the people on street a lot more than people with high profiles.

Chappelle pulls zero punches on right wing talking heads such as Laura Ingraham (whom he drops the C-bomb on), Candace Owens (making comments about a certain part of her anatomy he believes has bad B.O), and the borough of Staten Island, where Eric Garner died during an encounter with members of the NYPD.

For Chappelle, it’s also personal.  He chillingly tells the story of getting pulled over by the same cop who would, the next day, kill John Crawford in a Walmart for holding a BB gun.  Chappelle also remembers that he was so devastated upon hearing the news of Kobe Bryant’s death, he didn’t show up to receive his Grammy Award.  Finally, he recalls now his great grandfather, William David Chappelle, for whom is named after, was part of the black delegation that met with President Woodrow Wilson to discuss improving race relations.  

It’s as raw as it gets in every way, and as he mentions in the YouTube blurb, ‘unrefined.’ It’s also classic Chappelle, capturing the moment, yet bridging historical context to what’s happening right now.  If you looking for laughs, there’s some, but if you are strong insight and perspective, Chappelle hits it out of the park.  ‘8:46’ is available now through the Netflix Is A Joke YouTube page.

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Earl Douglas

Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.
Earl Douglas

Earl Douglas

Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.