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• Dave Chapelle’s Block Party (2005)

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If you can’t decide on what movie to rent or buy, an essential for movie and music lovers is Dave Chapelle’s Block Party. This film gives Chapelle fans the ultimate block party experience, as he brings a crowd of unsuspecting fans to a secret location in Brooklyn to witness an unprecedented collaboration between the biggest names in hip-hop. Performers include Talib Kweli, Kanye West, Jill Scott, Mos Def, Common, John Legend, Dead Prez, Erykah Badu, the Roots, Cody ChesnuTT and the reunited Fugees. This DVD also features a version of the film with extended musical performances that will make you wish you were there to witness history in the making.

This documentary takes place in the late summer of 2004 before Chapelle famously turned down a $50 million contract to continue The Chapelle Show on Comedy Central. Chapelle guides audiences through life before fame as he takes them to his small hometown in Ohio where he hands out golden tickets to his block party. Ohio’s Central State University’s Marching Band is invited to hop on a bus to New York and perform with this legendary lineup. Once in Brooklyn, the film documents rehearsals for the show, interjected with Chapelle’s raw comedic delivery. Block Party is an exemplary case of how music and comedy can bring people from all walks of life together.