Dave Chappelle

Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa Valley Will Feature Robert Glasper, Black Star, Erykah Badu, And More

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The notion of a “jazz music” festival has become about a lot more than just jazz. Like the storied Montreal Jazz Festival and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival that came before it, the brand new Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa Valley presents the best in jazz music and the hip-hop and R&B artists who are inextricably tied to the genre’s roots. Blue Note’s first outdoor, multi-stage festival will be hosted by Dave Chappelle and features Robert Glasper as the artist-in-residence. Glasper will be performing onstage alongside Erykah Badu, Ledisi, D Smoke, Terrace Martin, and BJ The Chicago Kid. It all goes down at the Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena, CA on July 30th and 31st and the loaded lineup just keeps getting better from there.

Also performing at Blue Note Jazz Festival will be Maxwell, the newly reunited Black Star, Thundercat, and Flying Lotus. But the most intriguing part of the lineup is the jazz and hip-hop collaboration sets: Maurice Brown featuring Anderson .Paak?! The Soul Rebels featuring GZA & Talib Kweli?! Now this is unique curation. Not to mention appearances from Chief Adjuah (fka Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah), Butcher Brown, Keyon Harrold, and late-night DJ sets from Dj Jazzy Jeff and Badu’s DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown alter ego.

Peep the full lineup poster below and stay tuned for tickets which go on sale on 04/26 here.

Blue Note Jazz festival Napa
Blue Note jazz Fest

Idris Elba Reveals He Used to Sell Weed Before Finding Fame

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Idris Elba Tapped To Portray Knuckles In 'Sonic The Hedgehog 2'

We all know Idris Elba from “The Wire” or even the “The Office”, but what many don’t know is something he recently revealed on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Podcast. He joined the podcast to promote his latest project “Sonic The Hedgehog 2” which is currently in theaters now.

The podcast spoke on topics outside of his latest project. Like many celebrities, he did not make it big right away. They spoke about the start of his career. When he was in London there were plays and side projects that he would take on. However, when he moved to America and a lot changed for him. There were things he had to do to make sure he could “pay the way”, and some of those things used to be selling weed.

Dave Chappelle only recognized him at first due to the fact that he previously purchased weed from Idris. But selling weed was not the only side hustle he had. He also DJ’ed and was a doorman at Caroline’s Comedy Club.

Selling weed is legal now and is a side hustle he can always revisit.

The post Idris Elba Reveals He Used to Sell Weed Before Finding Fame appeared first on The Source.

Ja Rule Resurfaces With A Will Smith Slap Reaction After Fans Invoke Dave Chappelle’s Infamous Joke

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The monoculture is dead — or at least dying — so culture-spanning moments that unite the whole world in awe, outrage, or hilarity are rare. Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars certainly qualifies; look at us, still discussing this thing two days later, even with our pandemic-shortened attention spans. And whenever there’s such a moment that demands our attention (and our takes), one question arises to loom over the proceedings, a question that demands an answer, no matter how solemn, silly, irreverent, or irrelevant.

“WHERE’S JA!?”

That’s right. Ever since the joke was first uttered by Dave Chappelle during his 2004 special For What It’s Worth, it has become inevitable that when a current event has the world’s attention, people want — nay, need — to know what rapper Ja Rule is thinking. The bit, centered around the absurdity of an MTV News segment that cut away from September 11 attack coverage to get Ja Rule’s take, has since become an ingrained meme on social media. So, when Will Smith stomped his way on stage and shocked the world, there was just one thing fans wanted to know.

Fortunately, we can all breathe easily again. Ja, who knows his role in all of this, was more than game to oblige our curiosity, joking on Twitter that “Slapping season is OFFICIALLY in session.” A day later, he followed up with a countdown to “All rappers wit the Will slap Rock bars.”

Thanks, Ja Rule. You’re not always there when we call, but you’re always on time.

Dave Chappelle Surprises Blue Note NY Audience

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Grammy and Emmy award winning comedian Dave Chappelle surprised Thursday night’s Blue Note New York audience to introduce Hip Hop legend Talib Kweli, and his band The Whiskey Boys – Chris Rob, Matt Loescher, Brady Watt, and Camau. 

Special guest Niko Is also performed two songs with Talib including their new collaboration “Live From The Blue Note” which was recorded at the club a few weeks ago. Other notable moments in the set included Talib’s performance of his classic “Get By” and a cover of Paul McCartney’s “Eleanor Rigby”.

Talib Kweli with Live Band is headlining Blue Note from now through Sunday, March 6. 

Upcoming shows at Blue Note include Braxton Cook (3/7), Keyon Harrold (3/8-3/13), Rex Orange County (3/12), Quincy Jones Presents: Sheléa (3/14), Robert Glasper (3/15-3/20), Ron Carter (3/22-3/27), and An Intimate Evening with GZA and His Live Band (3/29-3/30). 

The post Dave Chappelle Surprises Blue Note NY Audience appeared first on The Source.

Louis C.K. And Dave Chappelle Getting Grammy Nominations Is Making People Wonder If Maybe ‘Cancel Culture’ Isn’t Real

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It’s become fashionable, even profitable, to come out against what is known as “cancel culture.” Opponents to this practice, whose very existence is debatable, claim people, usually young progressives, destroy the lives of those who say or do things they problematic. Others argue it’s a fiction, invented by culture warlords to protect those who don’t want their controversial views called into question. So when Dave Chappelle, under fire for anti-trans comments, and Louis C.K., who confessed to multiple cases of sexual misconduct in 2017, wound up with Grammy nominations on Tuesday, some wondered if “cancel culture” was perhaps not as powerful, or as real, as some have claimed.

C.K., who’s been playing big shows again, wound up fêted with a Best Comedy Album nom for Sincerely Louis C.K. Meanwhile, fellow comic Chappelle received a nom not for comedy but for Best Spoken Word Album, for 8:46, which he released mid-pandemic, and which addressed the murder of George Floyd. That means he’ll be competing against no less than Barack Obama, for A Promised Land.

The two weren’t the only “cancelled” artists who wound up with Grammy nominations. Marilyn Manson, who’s facing sexual assault lawsuits from several women, wound up recognized for his work on Kanye West’s Donda. Kevin Hart, whose homophobic comments led to him withdrawing as host of the 2019 Oscars, will compete with C.K. for the comedy album Zero F***s Given.

Chappelle has not apologized for his anti-trans comments, which he’s made across numerous specials for Netflix. After his most recent controversial special, The Closer, dropped, he even told a roaring crowd, “If this is what being canceled is like, I love it.” Perhaps it was a joke on how “cancel culture” isn’t real, that it doesn’t destroy lives but make them stronger. Or perhaps he was just reveling in his infamy.

But when word broke out that C.K., Chappelle and other “cancelled” artists were being celebrated by a major awards body, some people on social media wondered if “cancel culture” was just a bunch of BS.

Some wondered why Chappelle was nominated but not Bo Burnham’s acclaimed Inside.

Others pointed to another “cancelled” celebrity who recently revealed good career news: alleged Lethal Weapon 5 director Mel Gibson.

Barack Obama And Dave Chappelle Are Competing For The Same Grammy This Year

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The Recording Academy has officially unveiled their full list of nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards. Notable musicians like Cardi B, Lil Nas X, and Justin Bieber are up for awards this year, but the ceremony also has categories for non-music albums, like the Best Spoken Word Album category. This year, the Grammy nominations for Best Spoken Word Album means that Dave Chappelle and Barack Obama are officially pitted against each other for the same award.

The 2022 Grammy nominations for Best Spoken World Album includes Dave Chappelle’s 8:46, Barack Obama’s A Promised Land, LeVar Burton’s Aftermath, Don Cheadle’s Carry On: Reflections For A New Generation From John Lewis, and J. Ivy’s Catching Dreams: Live At Fort Knox Chicago.

If Chappelle wins, it would be his fourth straight year picking up a Grammy after winning in the Comedy Album category in 2018, 2019, and 2020. If Obama won the category, it would be the former president’s third time. He previously won a Grammy in the Spoken Word category in 2005 for Dreams From My Father (Senator Barack Obama) and 2007 for The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream.

Chappelle’s nomination comes from his 2020 Netflix special, which has a title that references the murder of George Floyd by police. But the comedian’s recent 2021 special The Closer has been the source of much controversy since its release. The stand-up features several transphobic punchlines and even led to one trans Netflix employee resigning from the company.

See the full list of 2022 Grammy nominations here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

T-Pain And Usher Reunite Onstage To Make Up Over Their Decade-Long Autotune Dustup

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HipHopDX reports that the longstanding discord between R&B/pop stars T-Pain and Usher finally came to an end last night in Atlanta as the two singers met onstage at a concert afterparty for Dave Chappelle’s documentary premiere event. After the initial film and comedy set, the show reportedly consisted of sets from the likes of local legends such as 2 Chainz, 21 Savage, Jeezy, Monica, and more.

Although phones weren’t allowed inside the venue, a video of Pain and Usher reconciling still found its way online, giving a glimpse into their reunion. T-Pain told Usher, “I love you, bro. I’m telling you, we ain’t going through nothing, bro. We ain’t going through a god damn thing. It’s all love. In a time when we’re divided the most, we need to be together the most. I love you, bro. I’m never not gonna love you, bro, trust me.”

While there was likely never any real ill will between the two artists, Pain’s comments on Netflix’s This Is Pop docuseries could have lent the impression that he held a grudge after he admitted a chance encounter between the two sent him into a deep depression. “[Usher] was like, ‘Yeah man you really f*cked up music for real singers,’” he recalled. Meanwhile, Usher claimed that the encounter never happened in Billboard, prompting T-Pain to tell Power 105’s Angie Martinez that he’d reached out to Usher to settle the dispute.

“I hit Usher after the interview came out, and I’m like, ‘I’m sure you saw what happened,’” he said. “‘That was the truth. That’s what happened, you definitely said that.’ I remember that whole day. Then all he texted me back was, ‘Let’s not text, let’s talk.’ And I was like, ‘Cool, hit me up.’ And I never heard from him, he never called me. I feel like I initiated the contact.”

It appears that the two were able to make good on Usher’s suggestion and turn the page on that particular chapter of both their lives.

Why Drake’s 50,000 Sq Ft Toronto Mansion Was So Significant To The Kanye Truce Moment

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Drake’s extravagant 50,000 sq foot Toronto mansion, dubbed “The Embassy” provided a significant setting for the momentous truce between Drake and Kanye. The two rivals came together at The Embassy to settle their differences before witnesses including J. Prince, who brokered the peace. Comedian Dave Chapelle was there as a witness and celebrated the epic […]