Objective Criticism
Okay, I backed away from this column for some time. After single-handedly leveling the death blow to "Love Monkey" by praising it despite its flaws, I managed to get Mr. Tom Cavanaugh and company cancelled. Thus, I disappeared as I searched for a topic: (1) that I would not doom, and (2) seemed worthy of discussion. However, the more important question: did anyone notice?
Dave Chappelle. Yes, you've read, heard, and seen so much of him that you are sick of him. That being said, there is an aspect to this man that continues to intrigue me. More than any other popular comedian today, his audience clearly seems to be split into at least two groups.
First, there is the “Lil’ Jon and Rick James-constantly impersonating” crowd. These people have a keen ability to annoy any sane person seven ways to Sunday (this is an objective assessment of reality; there is no denying its validity.) Yes, we get it; Chappelle has some funny sketches that make us chuckle when we recall them. However, those of us Chappelle fans on the outside of this group want to preserve such moments so that they do not induce reflexive urges to vomit when they are remembered.
On a side note, a subsection of this group does not seem to understand the racial commentary, as basic and shallow as it may be at times. I am continually shocked at the racially ignorant Chappelle fans that use sketches such as the blind black white supremacist sketch or slavery reparation skit as support for their belief, subconscious or not, that blacks are accurately depicted by such stereotypes. In other words, this subsection just does not get the sarcasm and commentary that serves as the foundation for much of Chappelle's material. In fact, it is this same subsection that has lifted Carlos Mencia and his truly stereotype-reinforcing "comedy" to replace Chappelle as reigning sketch king on Comedy Central since the latter's departure.
All of this discussion leads me to my musical point. Experience shows that an unfortunate number of Chappelle fans tune out of his show during the final segment when he brings on a usually semi-underground hip-hop act to perform. These same people also avoided the theatrical run of Dave Chappelle's Block Party.
Thus, as could have been deduced from the above discussion, the second general category of Chappelle fans appreciate the insight that exists just below the surface of his comedy. My experience also leads to my objective conclusion that all Chappelle fans that enjoy Chappelle's taste in music can exclusively be found in this second group.
The greatness of Mos Def and Talib Kweli (collectively known as Black Star) is well documented. The case can be made for the Fugees, Common, Erykah Badu, and Jill Scott, among others. Chappelle gave exposure to all of these, often referred to as "socially-conscious," artists because (the Fugees aside) they simply have not gotten the exposure to the public that they deserve, especially compared to the overexposure of inferior artists like 50 Cent, Jadakiss, and, yes, Lil' Jon. Even the labels of the Chappelle-endorsed artists seem clueless as to how to market them. Talib Kweli could be a star of Eminem proportion. Instead, radio stations and MTV ignore Kweli's more thoughtful work, forcing him to increase the salacious and decrease the personal reflection in his most recent albums as Kweli decides he must do if he is ever to reach a wider audience. Virtually the same can be said of Common's most recent release, Go.
Meanwhile, artists like Badu and Scott, two women with distinctly incredible pipes, also go relatively unnoticed. Scott in particular is a revelation in Block Party. Her willingness to explore with the band is a great example of how the hip-hop jam band scene is still kicking, even if it is ignored by many Chappelle fans, not to mention many hip-hop and music fans in general.
Don't mistake my point -- wanting to be heard by the most people possible is a great goal. This is no rant against "selling out" (as could easily be made against bands like Weezer and Green Day, most recently.) What is a true shame is when these artists are forced to go in other directions not because they want to artistically, but to achieve a broader audience, much of which is weened on nondescript, stereotype-enforcing hip-hop.
So while musical taste is certainly subjective to an extent, I am a firm believer that there is objectively great music being made. The bands and artists supported by Chappelle are specifically hip-hop examples of such fantastic music. While the music created by these artists may not be immediately pleasing (e.g. absence of gimmicky hooks,) if they were given better A&R support by their labels, given a more fair share of airtime of radio and television, their fanbases would multiply many times over. Chappelle should be applauded for giving them a more prominent stage of which to perform; if only the Chappelle fans who have tuned out the musical portions of the show and avoided the film would give it a shot, a good number would certainly become fans. From there, the big corporations controlling the media might take notice, and the public at large will be exposed to these creative and exhilarating sounds.
Josh Winger
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From time to time Josh will examine the musical relevance of various mediums, including Movies, TV, Internet, print and more...