From the moment of its conception, Dave
Chappelle's Block Party was destined to be a classic. It was to be the
most honest accounting of the collective spirit of young
black America in the Hip-Hop era. It achieved that and more.
It may be black Generation X's Woodstock and I envy every last
one of those people who were fortunate enough to attend the
2004 Brooklyn concert on which this film is based.
Chappelle had a dream to gather all of his favorite hip-hop
performers and throw a concert. I have my doubts as to whether
he anticipated the magnitude of such an occasion. To put together
a bill of Erykah Badu, Dead Prez, KanYe West, Black Star, Jill
Scott, Common, The Roots and The Fugees is no mean feat.
But to get all of these people in one place, in such an intimate
setting, with the vast majority of the crowd being the truest
of their true fans was incredible to witness.
Michael Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
perfectly captures the essence of the proceedings and the personalities
of all the various performers. We are invited to see Chappelle
as serious as we will probably ever see him as he tries to mimic
the great Thelonious Monk, playing a portion of Misty that
Roots drummer ?uestlove informs us he's been practicing
for years. Later, we see Dave bringing out the comedic side
of actor-rapper Mos Def, as they work on a comedy routine that
they'd later spring on the audience.
Watching this film also shed some light on the tumultuous year
Chappelle had, with his retreat to Africa and failure to cash
50 milllion dollars in checks from Comedy Central, it struck
me that there's not a disingenuous bone in this guys body. He's
simply not built for Hollywood. He's interested in real people
and real shit. It's no wonder this turned out to be so pure and
heartfelt. It's nothing more than a representation of the guy
who conceived it.
