Dave Chappelle: Killin' Them Softly

This is one of my favorite stand up acts of all time. It's hilarious from beginning to end. Dave Chappelle is an excellent storyteller which makes the punchlines even funnier. My husband and I still quote his act 20 some years later. If you don't know Chappelle before his Comedy Central show or Netflix specials, this is a must watch.

Dave Chappelle is funny -- Not funny like Richard Pryor, or Eddie Murphy, or Redd Fox. But funny like Dave Chappelle. The guy has a certain genius to the comedy he does, while at the same time letting it all hang out, tickling every funny bone in my body! "Killin' Them Softly" is the funniest stand-up comedy performance I've seen in years! And Chappelle is one of the funniest comedians, who'll be around for years!! FUNNY-FUNNY-FUNNY!!!

A Dave Chappelle stand-up comedy performance from Washington, DC.

Incredibly clever, subversive and irreverent and delivered with Dave Chappelle's incredible sense of timing and range of voices, this is stand-up comedy at its finest. Might well be the funniest comedy performance I've seen - only Robin Williams comes close.

Three years later Dave Chappelle turned his clever, racially-focused wit into a series, with Chappelle's Show. There he had even more room to demonstrate his talents, as he mixed stand up with set-orientated skits. Chappelle's Show turned out to be one of the funniest TV series of all time.

'Killin' Them Softly' was the first comedy special I watched from Dave Chappelle after his show blew up in a big way and I could barely stop laughing. It was three years before that moment would happen and he still exhibits a youthful energy as you see a bunch of parallels to what made his show so successful. Some people say the politics and sexism date the material here, but as an older person I get the references and mindset.

I'm preaching to the choir. This special is old news and if you're a fan you've already saw it. Too many spots to talk about, but I appreciated numerous moments of crowd interaction. Type of energy here is really affectuous. Two element missing from his later special 'For What It's Worth'. I can also say there is bits on race relations and racism to his show, but again unlike that later special it never got taken to far or lost me. There's no serious dips in quality, momentum or laughs.

He pulls voices, heavy on swearing, sexual content. I think what sets it apart is Dave is very relaxed and the material flows effortlessly. It never feels like he gets lost or has to draw a loose bridge to connect it all. If you've watched 'Chappelle Show' to death and don't find his newer stuff hitting as hard as you'd like go back to the past and revisit 'Killin' Them Softly'. You won't be disappointed.

After multiple appearances with Comic Relief and a half hour special on HBO, Dave Chappelle returns to his hometown of Washington, D.C., to tape his first hour-long special. He spends the bulk of the time exploring racial differences and making cultural observations, with a smattering of political humour. Chappelle manages to navigate some sensitive material with a disarming charisma. He's not breaking any new ground for black comedians here, but he manages to make it seem fresh with his effortless charm. Some jokes (like the ones featuring the out-of-place baby) illustrate Chappelle's ability to paint a picture with words and gives a few clues into what it was that made his show so popular. The political bits and the casual sexism will make this feel a little dated, but there is enough here to appeal to a newer audience.