The Comedian of the Decade (2000-2010): Dave Chappelle by Peter Commons

               Comedians are essential to our culture because their unique perspectives shed light on our collective cultural mores, behaviors, trends, and nuissances. However, the rise and fall of comedians is swift and like a flash of lightning, so before you know it, the encore is over and our once heralded Philosopher Kings are villians, lost in translation, or simply gone from the limelight. From the years 2000-2010, powerhouse comedians blessed the stages of America, from the Kings of Comedy (2000) with its infamous lineup, DL Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, Bernie Mac, and Steve Harvey, to the Comedy Giant and Genius of Chris Rock with his sensational Stand-up routines and hit show, Everybody Hates Chris. We discovered independent giants like Katt Williams, Eddie Griffin, Bill Burr and Louis CK. Comedians John Stewart and Stephen Colbert, made a seismic impact on the genre, with their satire hits, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, which called into question American society and politics at hand, modelled largely after Bill Maher's show.
              Female Comedians, Sommore, Sheryl Underwood, Aisha Tyler, Luenell, and Melanie Comarcho were so funny, they brought the comedy game to a balance equation with their routines. Monique, Wanda Skyes, Rosie O Donnell, and Ellen Degeneres, were so funny, we brought them inside with television talk shows just to show our appreciation. Female comedians today are able to grace our stages without the heckle or paycut because of these ladies.
           Jamie Foxx and Earthquake have such timely routines, that rewind time and take you back to the exact feelings you had during the first air. Who can forget the Comedy Royal Family of the Wayans, Keenen, Damon, Kim, Marlon, Shawn, and everyone whose careers blossomed because of their genius and support. There isn't a more important family to comedy than the Wayans and due to their long list of comedy masterpieces, following the airing of their 90's hit show, In Living Color, its simply an insult to only mention that Scary Movie 1-2, will forever rank as one of the funniest parodies of all time.Speaking of influences, Tommy Davidson, The Great David Allen Grier and the Great Jim Carrey, ascended from comedy heroes to legends during this decade. If a comedian can have you laugh so hard that you clinch your stomach for the entire movie or routine, they have obtained the status the these guys have worked hard to craft and maintain.
              Chris Tucker was able to capture this ability, even if it was for a moment. Who can deny, that Adam Sandler, who got his start on one of the Comedy God's, Bill Cosby's, Cosby Show, was anything other than crafty, hilarious, and timely. Another giant, who went from hero to legend during this decade, George Lopez, who confirmed his place at the table with his show, The George Lopez Show. Latinos have always been on the comedy scene (Desi Arnez) giving a great opportunity for Gabriel Iglesias, to catapult us to laughter as, Fluffy, and giving voice to overweight Americans, alongside Ralphie May. So, while being fat was becoming culturally prevalent but still taboo in American society, these comedians including Bruce Bruce, made fat sexy again, relevant, and most of all valuable. But before we escape those comedians whose mark on television or the silverscreen, was nothing less than meteoric, we won't forget Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond), and Kevin James (King of Queens).
             The creator geniuses of Family Guy (Seth McFarland), South Park (Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Brian Graden) and The Boondocks (Aaron McGruder) cartoons, probably saved America from their destructive self righteousness . A sentence ending with, wtf, can only explain the laughter those cartoon creators gave viewers, wtf.
             What is a article about comedy without Saturday Night Live, who during this decade gave us the half retarded Tina Fey, the sensational Aries Spears, and Hood Crossover Tracy Morgan to name a few. Just the mention of Saturday Night Live reminds us, Will Ferrell, may ascend and burst into a skittles bag of laughter before the next decade is out. So, in this article, we won't debate the greatness of Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jerry Seinfield, or Dave Attell, or explain why we reserve the category of the greatest comedian of all time, for Eddie Murphy. In a given decade, viewers watched the coming and going of huge stars. Thus, to announce the Comedian of the Decade is a powerful marker, worthy of consideration of widespread influence, commercial cross over affect, substance, and finally, the simple, is he or she funny? The Blue Collar Comedy Tour gave us one notable comedian and it wasn't Larry the Cable Guy or Jeff Foxworthy. It was Ron White, with his cigar and cup of liquor style which was the cigarette breath of comedy genuis of that group. He was like the "white Robin Harris," telling us like it is and not how it isn't. And the blue collar comedy movement opened the genre to Christian comedians, like Jeff Allen, Gilbert Esquivel, and the sensational Michael Jr.
            Last, because we can go forever about this decade, and throw in some George Carlin quotes, or apologize for the names we missed, like the retarded funny, Lisa Lampanelli, Keith Robinson, and Greg Giraldo, but Mike Epps, cracked us up from the silver screen in How High, The Friday After Next, and All About the Benjamins, to now as we go bonkers at his stand up routines. Given the huge net of talent during this decade, America also lost "Comedy Gods," during this time, most notably, Richard Pryor, Rodney Dangerfield, and the legendary Bernie Mac. Patrice Oneal (Elephant in the Room 2011), would briefly break down the audience before looking him in the next decade 2011. So, finally, no one will deny the rise of  Aziz Ansari, South Africa's Trevor Noah, or the new King of Comedy Kevin Hart. We only celebrate as the newbies for this current decade continue, Hannibal Buress gets funnier each routine, we look for Steve Byrne, whose rise and fall was truly too quick, and how Theo Von is truly on crack or something. We continue to thirst for the original player, Bill Bellemy to return to the stand up game, anticipate more killer routines from DL Hughley, and ask ourselves how many movies does Tyler Perry have? This Memorial Weekend, we at West Oakland Imports Publishers would like to celebrate our Comedian of the Decade (2000-2010)... Dave Chappelle.

The following stand up, was performed in the Bay Area and our community is represented in the Bay. So, we want to feature this routine by Dave, which captures a pivotal moment in his career immediately after the end of his widely successful and genius critically acclaimed show, the Chappelle Show.  We give you and uplift the comedy God, Dave Chappelle.

For What Its Worth (2004)

Next, Killing Them Softly (2000)

For the full article, please email Peter Commons at
WestOaklandImports@gmail.com

Don't Mind The Man Behind the Curtain by Peter Commons

     As the United States approaches the November 8th elections and Presidential Candidates get closer to clinching their Democratic or Republican Nominations, it is still very important to watch the last days of this historic President, Mr. Barack Obama.
    From saving the US economy from the worst Recession since the Great Depression, brought on by the previous President, Mr. George W. Bush and his "trickle down economics," "tax-cuts for the wealthy," and war crusades in the Middle East, to successfully passing Universal Healthcare. Our President Barack Obama will go down in history for passing the most significant legislation in the United States, since President Lyndon Johnson, who passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Voting Rights Act, and sought to fight some wars of his own against Vietnam and poverty.
    What is not known by the public, is the delicate real life game of strategy being played by the President behind the scenes, which seeks to ensure American national interests worldwide, against major players such as the new number one economy in the world, China, and its, distant ally, Russia. The world in the 21st Century has been claimed by international critics as, "the Asian Century." It is no longer true to say that the United States is "the last Superpower in the world," while trailing behind the Chinese economy in major areas including innovation, investment in domestic/international business, and now, Space Exploration, as China explores the surface of the Moon.
    What is certain, there is a delicate game being played behind the scenes (G7 Summit), and ordinary Americans need to shake off their 24 hour cycle of "Infotainment," and distractions to look around and see what is really going on in the last days of our great President.
     Our guest, is Mr. John Pilger, a renown journalist worldwide, for seeking truth in the face of Power. In his latest post, Pilger reveals some interesting facts about the world around us in 2016. Pay close attention and please go back and study who this man is.
    Finally, I thank Mr. Cowan Amaye-Obu for keeping his mouth shut and allowing me to voice many of his truths and opinions, with a little fact checking, coffee, and wrestling of ideas, in exchange for posting exclusively on his blogspot. We both feel a grave service needs to be done to ensure the American Press does their job and speaks to power, not allowing power to dictate our speech. He often says, "truth doesn't give you a bulletproof vest." A wise man indeed. I can only respond that if we say nothing, then a sinister injustice will be perpetuated and history would know nothing of what really occurs behind the scenes, in our circles and in our daily lives. Last, Dave Chappelle, will be our featured comedian this holiday season, named Our Comedian of the Decade (2000-2010). He offered a sobering critique of America. "America is the greatest nation on Earth, but would be the greatest nation of all time, if we really sat down and honestly discussed and addressed our problems." We agree with Mr. Chappelle. And so, without further ado, Mr. Pilger...
- Peter Commons

  

Best Rap Album 2015: And the Winner is... by Peter Commons

                After Jay-Z, Nas, Eminem, and Common, there is a Top Five Spot, in Hip Hop. The top Five Spot, has a heavy rotation list which includes rappers like 50 Cent, Kanye West, and other heavy artists who crush the Rap Game in a given year. In 2015, there were no better contenders than The Game, Jadakiss, and Rick Ross. 
In 2015, The Game jolted the Hip Hop community alive with, The Documentary 2 release. Every track on the album is a West Coast Hit. Hits from the release were very accessible on Rhapshody, YouTube, and other streaming services, giving Hip Hop Heads taste to buy the nearly Gold selling album. When the, Top Five Dead or Alive release by Jadakiss, hit the streets, the streets went bananas! The album solidified the Incumbent Contender, Jadakiss, as the Best Rapper to beat, and he murdered every track on the release extending from his previous Mixtape Hits, The Champ and Consignment, each previous consecutive summer. The Miami based rapper, Rick Ross closed the 2015 year with the release of Black Market. While the album adds hits to the list of the Platinum selling Artist, record sells released by Maybach Music Group and Def Jam Recordings are still moving to meet expectations. The street credibility, truth to the art, Substance, and skills put on the table in 2015, only deserves the greatest award Hip Hop can give. That award, with equal love and appreciation to all the contenders, now goes to The Game...
The only honorable mention is Kendrick Lamar.

Finally, Some Black Comics by Peter Commons

      Hollywood has been fighting back notions of racism behind the screen and the burden of proof lies in the material put in front of audiences nationwide. Thank the Comedy Gods for mercy because the curtains have rolled up and Black America through the genius of Kevin Hart's Hartbeat Productions, once again has talented voices to help ease everyday Black American life. Now introducing...

Keith Robinson: Back of the Bus Funny (2014) is a breath of fresh air good. Actor & Writer, Robinson delivers a raunchy but tough routine. With topics from "Catch a Predator," to growing up in South Philly, Keith keeps viewers clutching their stomach in hysteria. Don't miss this routine because you'd miss a great moment in comedy history. (5 Stars)

Lil' Rel: RELevant, staring Lilrel Howery, is set in Chicago. Lil' Rel takes the audience back to his hometown, from chuckle to full crying from laughter. Try catching the bus in Chicago or understanding the preacher at church, and see the everyday comedy that is Lil Rel's reality. Don't sleep on this routine or you'd find yourself missing one of the great new comedians. (5 Stars)

Speaking of new comedians, HartBeat Productions recently released The Plastic Cup Boyz, with comedians, Will Norton, Na'im Lynn, & Joey Wells. A tribute to these young men, Kevin Hart, sets the stage for these comedians to create their own path. By the end of the set, you have to agree, the jokes were funny. (4 Stars)

So, while Hollywood continues to crank out film after film of reflecting White American society, the vacuum created by the absence of even the usual Black suspects,  is alarming. But never fear, thanks to Kevin Hart and HartBeat Productions, at least, African Americans can start watching comedy again. All three Stand-up Routines are featured on Netflix this month.