A First-Time Stand-Up Heckled Dave Chappelle and Won
Dave Chappelle might be the first stand-up comedian who has ever responded to a rude heckler by trying to take the offender under his wing and teach him how to be a great comedian. And, based on that heckler’s reaction, Chappelle will be the last to try that move as well.
The overlap between respected rappers and stand-up comedians capable of killing in any room is a decidedly slim slice of a Venn diagram — for every Donald Glover/Childish Gambino who successfully jumps from comedy to music, there’s a T.I. who struggles to find green grass on the other side of that fence. Of all the up-and-coming artists in the modern media landscape, Abbott Elementary star Zack Fox seems the most likely to succeed as both a stand-up and rapper as the hip-hop and comedy worlds take note of his rising star. The Atlanta-based performer has already established himself as one of the names to know in both spheres through the aforementioned success on TV as well as his musical collaborations with hip-hop heavy hitters like Thundercat, Flying Lotus and Kenny Beats.
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During Fox’s upward trajectory, one of his hip-hop friends tried to make the transition to dual threat when he performed stand-up for the first time at a high-profile comedy show that also featured Chappelle . That was the night Sushiboy Mexico began his career as comedy's greatest heckler.
Scoffing at a comedian of Chappelle’s caliber is ballsy enough, but turning down an offer of mentorship from the biggest stand-up on the planet is reckless to the point of demanding respect. And, if there’s anyone who can appreciate a stunt like that, it’s definitely Eric André — only, if he were in that situation, he’d be naked by the time left the room.