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Album Description:
The Dave Chappelle's Block Party soundtrack spotlights comedy superstar Dave Chappelle in all-new freestyle standup material, and also one-time-only performances by Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Common, Dead Prez, Jill Scott, Talib Kweli and the Roots, among others. The soundtrack captures the unprecedented combination of comedy and music, and was recorded on location as Mr. Chappelle threw a party in downtown Brooklyn, inviting local residents to experience these exclusive performances by the most progressive cutting edge urban artists in the music scene today. Amazon.com:
Don't you wish you were Dave Chappelle? The guy is funny as hell--and rich and famous for it. What's more, he's socially conscious and has impeccable taste in music. Thanks to Michel Gondry's triumphant, uplifting film, we got to see Chappelle live out his personal fantasy--a "block party" in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy 'hood. The comedian handpicked his favorite hip-hop and R&B artists to participate, and the roster includes some of the most significant names of the past 10 years of "urban" music, including the Roots, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, and Common. Unfortunately, the CD omits the Fugees reunion that formed the climax of the film and it also leaves out a stirring performance by Kanye West, the biggest rap star of the day. That said, the music that is here is often scintillating, especially by Badu and Scott, who kill with their own tracks and spice up many of the rap tracks to boot. The one new cut (not in the film), Blackstar's "Born & Raised," keeps the quality high. Not surprisingly, the soundtrack simply can't reconstruct the positive vibrations and powerful messages of the movie, but it's still a worthwhile document of the magic that happened on a rainy September 2004 day at the corner of Downing and Quincy. --Marc Greilsamer |  |
