Chris Rock: Bigger & Blacker

The summary says it all : This is literally the funniest standup I've ever seen (or heard) in my life, hands down.

I could give snippets of his performance, but that wouldn't do it justice. Just watch it.

I'm not a fan of Chris Rock in general - I never really thought he was that special; on "Saturday Night Live" he annoyed me and his films so far have been pretty pathetic. His racist remarks around last year's Oscar ceremony really p!ssed me off, too - more so than anything else he had done or said in the past.

So I approached this live comedy performance with skepticism. As bad as he may be in films, one of my friends told me he's "great at standup" - so I gave it a shot late last night at three o'clock in the morning on Comedy Central's uncut & unedited "Vault" program.

I was surprised because it was actually pretty funny. It's not brilliant, and certainly not on the same level as Richard Pryor, but it's promising - and shows that Rock is FAR more suited for standup than, say, acting or sketch shows.

If you aren't familiar with Rock's work, check this out. If you hate Rock and haven't seen this, check it out, too. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Be warned, however, that the language is very strong.

I don't have too much reference in stand-up, because I've never seen Eddie Murphy or Richard Pryor (I realize I am missing out and intend to see those VHS or DVD's next). But I can tell you that Bigger and Blacker is the funniest thing I have ever seen. PERIOD.

I've seen "Bring On the Pain", this one, and the new one where he wears a burgundy suit, and this one is definitely the best by far.

Chris Rock isn't silly. He's hilarious because he isn't silly, but smart, spot-on, pointing out all the f*ed up situations in the world. The only thing that dates it is his reference to Ricky Martin's "La Vida Loca" but that was a really big song back in the day.

His insight on women is uncanny, almost as much as it is hilarious. I couldn't believe someone put into words so well how we want our men to ask us the correct questions that will allow us to run our %$@ mouths. He also said how women always say they need to talk as a couple, but "oh, NO, they don't want YOU to talk. They want you to LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN!!"

As someone else previously posted, he talks about the $$ being in the medicine not the cure, a sad truth.

I guess with any stand-up, it's about the delivery. There's this one part when he talks about how The Jerry Lewis Telethon is the same dismal atmosphere every year and the kids still look miserable. I couldn't stop laughing at the way he said. "Do SOMETHIN'! Prop a stick under the kid. LIE TO ME, JERRY!! LIE!" And then talks about how all the $ must go to keeping his hair black, because "Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Dean, Dean Martin, all dead, and Jerry Lewis has a full head of black hair!" LOLOL I can't rave any more about this, because you have to see it to really laugh!

This is the way comedy should be made. If you're sick and tired of Seinfeld's silly comedy about insignificant things in life, or Robin Williams' clown theathrics, then Chris Rock is guaranteed to make you laugh. Chris talks about the late 90s biggest issues... (Racism, Sex, Columbine High School, Clinton, etc). Bigger and Blacker will make your stomach hurt will laughter.

by Dane Youssef

This is one of the funniest and perhaps greatest stand-up bits ever made. And I have seen more than my fair share.

I had seen Rock mostly from bit comedic parts. Films like "Beverly Hills Cop II" and "Beverly Hills Ninja." Not to mention "Boomerang." But I was unaware to this man genius with a mike for the longest time (too long, in my opinion).

Rock is mostly known as "The angry, loud little black guy bitching how the white man is trying to personally keep him down." But he's so much more. He speaks with such insight and eloquence about humanity and the races and the sexes, I think of him as a superman or some prodigy.

His theories here: Women who want to raise kids without a man's help, respect and appreciation for Daddy, fat black women, people's obsession with the OJ trial and how white people bitch about their current financial status. But given the choice... they wouldn't trade places with a black man. Not even him.

"And I'm rich!" he exclaims.

Not even the poor white trash. Or the one-legged busboy busing the concert. "That's how GOOD it is to be white!"

Maybe he's right.

"When you're white, the sky's the limit! When you're black, the limit's the sky!"

He goes into other stuff. Where guys hide their porno. What women are truly thinking. Perhaps he's the only man who truly knows. He also has some great childhood stuff about being the only black kid at his school at how Robitussin was an all-purpose medicine at his house. Like people use to think leeches were.

This is a gem on film. The man created gold when he's given a microphone and a stage. I bought the tape a year later and a lot of Rock's others. I'm serious. It's so incredible, funny and true to life and painfully on target that at times we flinch when he aims directly at us. It's almost scary.

May Chris Rock be forever immortalized in the same status as Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Eddie Murphy and Bill Hicks. Every generation (just once) every generation... a creature as divine as this is born into this pitiful mortal world... and changes it forever.

Now the black Def Jam comics who have made their own showcase vehicles, "The Original Kings of Comedy" and "The Queens of Comedy." They are very talented and amazing. Like I even need to say so. I'm preaching to the choir, aren't I? But even they're not in Chris Rock's league.

Rock is up there (as far as I'm concerned) with those who redefined comedy and now the modern comics incorporate it into their act, without even knowing where the hell it first came from. Who was the innovator. Who started it all.

Here is a man who deserves the success Seinfeld has had. Maybe if he had a revolutionary sit-com with his own brand of comedy. Who knows?

The sky's the limit for Rock.

I hope he makes another stand-up concert film. I liked his stand-up concert bits in "Head of State." Let's hope he does more.

This concert film is more than a gem, but a treasure. Look for any of his others. One of the best stand-up concert films ever made, if not actually THE best. Worthy of being put-up on par with "Richard Pryor Live On The Sunset Strip" and "Eddie Murphy Raw," this one richly deserves a 10 out of 10.

Enough said.

--For The Rock That Rocks... Hard, Dane Youssef