| Dave Chappelle's Block Party | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michel Gondry |
| Written by | Dave Chappelle |
| Produced by | Dave Chappelle Michel Gondry |
| Starring | Kanye West Mos Def Talib Kweli Common The Fugees Dead Prez Erykah Badu Jill Scott The Roots Dave Chappelle |
| Cinematography | Ellen Kuras |
| Music by | Corey Smyth |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Rogue Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million[1] |
| Box office | $12.1 million[1] |
Dave Chappelle's Block Party (also known asBlock Party) is a 2005 Americandocumentary-concert film starringcomedianDave Chappelle at the height of his early mainstream success and cultural influence. Directed byAcademy Award-winning filmmakerMichel Gondry,[2] the film captures Chappelle organizing a freeblock party concert inBrooklyn on September 18, 2004,[3] inspired by the 1973 concert documentaryWattstax. Despite intermittent rain, the concert continued uninterrupted, featuring performances from a lineup of hip-hop and R&B artists, includingThe Fugees in their first reunion since their 1997 breakup,Kanye West,Mos Def,Talib Kweli,Erykah Badu,Jill Scott,The Roots,Common,John Legend,Kool G Rap, andDead Prez.[4]
The film premiered at the2005 Toronto International Film Festival before its wide release on March 3, 2006. It was dedicated to the memory of music producerJ Dilla, who died fromlupus one month before the film's release. Block Party received widespread critical acclaim, praised for its vibrant atmosphere, historic musical moments, and Chappelle's ability to merge comedy with hip-hop culture. The film holds a 92% rating onRotten Tomatoes and has been recognized by publications such asRolling Stone,The A.V. Club, andIndieWire as one of the greatest concert films ever made.[5][6][7] It is widely recognized for facilitating one of the last major Fugees reunions, often cited as one of hip-hop’s most significant reunions.[8] Artists such asJ. Cole have described attending the event as a defining experience.[9]
Filmed at a pivotal moment in Chappelle's career,Block Party was released after he made the decision to leaveChappelle's Show and withdraw from the public eye.[10] The film was a box office success, debuting at #6 in its opening weekend, grossing $6 million from 1,200 theaters, and ultimately earning $12.1 million worldwide against a $3 million budget. Its DVD release sold over 1.24 million copies, generating $18.8 million in revenue. The documentary also earned several accolades, including aBlack Reel Award for Outstanding Original Soundtrack.
The film follows Chappelle during the summer of 2004, ending on September 18, 2004, when he threw ablock party on the corner of Quincy Street and Downing Street in theClinton Hill neighborhood ofBrooklyn,New York City. The film features nearby sites, including theBroken Angel House in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn as well as areas inFort Greene, Brooklyn andBedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The film was produced before Chappelle's highly publicized decision to walk away from a $50 million deal to continue his hitChappelle's Show, and gained prominence after the announcement.[citation needed]
Chappelle invited severalhip hop andneo-soul musical artists to perform at the party, includingKanye West,Mos Def,Jill Scott,Erykah Badu, andThe Roots along with TheCentral State University Marching Band.Lauryn Hill was also scheduled to perform at the party, but sinceColumbia Records refused to release her songs for use in the production, she decided instead to reuniteThe Fugees for the occasion. In addition, Chappelle performed comedymonologues andsketches in between the musical acts. A pre-fameJ. Cole was in attendance and can be seen in the crowd watching the hip hop duoBlack Star perform.
| Dave Chappelle's Block Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Live album by Various Artists | |
| Released | March 14, 2006 (2006-03-14) |
| Recorded | September 18, 2004 |
| Genre | |
| Label | Geffen |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| The A.V. Club | B−[11] |
| HipHopDX | 3.5/5link |
A compilation of "music from and inspired by" the film was released on March 14, 2006.[12]
The album was released byGeffen Records, and produced by Corey Smyth for Blacksmith Music Corp andQuestlove.
All the songs were recorded live in concert, except "Born & Raised", an exclusive new studio track from Mos Def and Talib Kweli's Black Star. Many performances, includingThe Fugees' reunion andKanye West's performance, could not be included due to legal restraints with the groups' record labels.
Chappelle's version ofThelonious Monk's"'Round Midnight" was featured in the film, but was not released on the compilation.
Cody chesnuTT was featured in the film with his song ″Parting Ways″ among others, was not released on the compilation but is shown on the end credits.
The film grossed $11,718,595 in theUnited States and an additional $333,329 overseas, giving the film a total gross of $12,051,924; based on a $3 million budget, the film was a moderate success.[1] The DVD has sold a total of 1,240,405 copies since 2006, grossing a total of $18,776,445.[13]
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 93% rating based on 127 reviews with an average score of 7.70/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Dave Chappelle's Block Party is a raucous return to the spotlight for the comic, buoyed by witty, infectious humor and outstanding musical performances."[14]Metacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film an average score of 84 based on 30 reviews.[15]
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