The comedic mastermind that is Dave Chappelle has added another stand-up comedy special on Netflix and it is not for those who have thin skin. The title “Sticks & Stones” is clearly attributing to the old saying. It is plain as day what the stand-up is about before you dive in too far; a lot of sensitive issues that Chappelle has thoughts on. Chappelle goes over everything from the opioid crisis, to the LGBTQ and cancel culture taking over the U.S., even if a person is not proven guilty.
Chappelle starts off strong going over the song lyrics of Prince’s song “1999” and then transitions into a claim that audiences are going to get every celebrity for something in their career. Chappelle mentions names such as Michael Jackson, R. Kelly and Kevin Hart being part of some of the canceled culture and the witch hunt for something wrong. An interesting dynamic of this joke was Chappelle thinks Jackson did nothing wrong due to a “lack of evidence” but firmly believes Kelly is guilty based off a sex tape transcript that Kelly’s lawyer read involving a 14-year-old girl. Chappelle even admits to the tension between himself and the transgender community for some jokes he performed in some of his previous specials. Chappelle worries about himself for a moment before moving on to his next set.
The second half of the special carries some of the momentum of the first half but it does not have the same punch. Opioid crisis, school shootings and growing up poor all just showcase the second half of the special is not as cruel as the first half. It was what most were expecting from Chappelle. One of the best jokes was about the “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett and the controversy of the “Make America Great Again” attack. Chappelle said the black community, for the most part, was quiet because they knew something was up. Chappelle’s main argument was Smollett’s claim of rope used during the confrontation. Chappelle asked the audience if anyone has been to Chicago. A small percent responded yes or cheered. Chappelle said, “do you remember seeing any rope in Chicago? You think this is 1850?” before the audience burst into laughter.
Most people in today’s world would expect Dave Chappelle to be ran out of town with material like this, but he was not. Not even for a second was the audience put off by any of the material, and in fact cheered longer and louder than expected. Chappelle has not missed a beat with any of his material; it all has his pin-point delivery behind it. The way it seems, Dave Chappelle’s “controversial” thoughts are just another point of view in the chaotic world that is life.
Overall, this stand-up is not as good as some of Dave Chappelle’s other specials, some of the jokes feel like a quick attention-grab verses setting up a punchline. However, it is still worth seeing if strong opinions on sensitive subjects is one your favorite types of genres.
Image from Netflix via YouTube
