Dave Chappelle is stand-up comedy's biggest and most important icon.
His influence is apparent in so many stand-ups today and since signing a deal with Netflix rumored to be around $60 million back in 2016, Chappelle's return to the limelight has been impressive.
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In 2017, Chappelle came with three Netflix specials, Deep In The Heart Of Texas, Equanimity and The Bird Revelation. Each one was better than last and kicked off an insane Grammys run that included the 48-year-old going back-to-back-to-back, winning three consecutive Best Comedy Album awards.
His 2019 Netflix special, Sticks & Stones stirred the pot and ruffled feathers but in focusing on the existence and nuances of cancel culture, Chappelle navigated difficult subjects with a combination of elegance and crudeness only he could concoct.
In 2020, Chappelle dropped again, this time at an outdoor show due to COVID-19. Titled 8:46, Chappelle spoke at length about the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis and the disproportionate violence by police against African Americans in the United States. Featuring long stretches of serious dialogue and no comedy, Chappelle veered down a lane suited for his ability to introduce a handful of concepts and tie them together in a more-human, less-academic way.
More than a year later, it has been announced that Chappelle's newest Netflix special, The Closer, is right around the corner.