By Philip Friedman | June 13th, 2012
With the success of Odd Future’s sketch comedy show Loiter Squad this season on Cartoon Network‘s Adult Swim, I was reminded of the man who helped to start it all. The godfather of hip hop and sketch comedy: Dave Chappelle.
Premiering back in 2003, and running for two seasons (Plus a few “Lost Episodes”), Chappelle’s Show blurred the lines between music and comedy. Remember the hilarious skits like Charlie Murphy’s ‘True Hollywood Stories’ about Rick James and Prince, ‘Fisticuff: Turn My Headphones Up’ about a rapper who was shot eight times and can no longer hear out one ear, and a moment in the life of Lil’ Jon? How about the spoof on the R. Kelly sex tape featuring the song “I Want To Piss On You,” which even included a remix?
Plenty of rappers also made guest appearances in the skits. Mos Def made various appearances, including his role as General Cornrow Wallace — the gangster who speaks in bird calls. And what sketch comedy show would be complete without an appearance from the Wu-Tang Clan, in a commercial for their financial advisory company, Wu-Tang Financial.
Each episode also ended with a performance from a member of the hip-hop underground elite. The songs below represent some of the highlights from these end of show performances. Enjoy, and remember the man who helped to make hip-hop funny. We miss you Dave Chappelle!