Dave Chappelle Tackled by Man During Hollywood Bowl Performance

Comedian Dave Chappelle emerged seemingly unscathed from a vicious attack by a man who rushed the stage from the audience late Tuesday while he was on stage at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

Video posted to social media shows Chappelle, 48, being tackled to the ground during his set at the Netflix Is A Joke Fest — the streamer's inaugural live comedy fest currently touring the nation.

The two appear to struggle on the ground before the individual attempts to run away and is immediately subdued by security near the rear corner of the stage.

After the incident, Chappelle continued with the show. He joked that his attacker was "a trans man," in a likely reference to the animosity and criticism he has drawn from some in the transgender community following the release of his Netflix's "The Closer" last year.

#davechappelle attacked at #hollywoodbowl #netflixisajoke pic.twitter.com/oP04S0de90

— abazar 🦇🔊 (@abazar) May 4, 2022

He likens being transgender to wearing blackface and says "gender is a fact” in the hour-long comedy special. The comments, along with others from previous shows, sparked calls for Chappelle to be canceled by some in the LGBTQ community. It was also the catalyst for a walkout in protest of his continued association with the brand by hundreds of Netflix employees.

Chappelle may have made light of the attack, but it was no joking matter, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, which confirmed to ABC News early Wednesday that the man was armed with a replica gun that can eject a knife blade "when you discharge it correctly."

Fortunately, Chapelle was not injured according to police. His attacker appeared to be worse-for-wear. He was taken to the hospital with what the LAPD called "superficial injuries." Video on social media seems to show the man being pummeled by security, and pictures and video of him being loaded into an ambulance show him with what appears to be a dislocated arm.

Definitely don’t tackle #DaveChappelle while he’s performing on stage 😬 pic.twitter.com/X0Lbi8ghsf

— AlexGB.sfm (@ab_a_w_p) May 4, 2022

“I’ve been doing this 35 years, I just stomped a n–a backstage. Always wanted to do that,” Chapelle said during the curtain call. He also thanked Jamie Foxx for rushing to aide him during the attack.

Here is a video of the aftermath. #DaveChappelle handled this like a champ! #HollywoodBowl pic.twitter.com/0xaBpWsbrT

— E5QUIRE (@e5quire) May 4, 2022

"Whenever you're in trouble, Jamie Foxx will show up in a sheriff's hat," he said.

The attack comes in the wake of Will Smith's largely unpunished attack on comedian Chris Rock during the Oscars. When the movie star slapped Rock on stage for making a joke about his wife and was allowed to stay at the ceremony and accept his first Academy Award, many comedians said it would embolden others to do the same. Chapelle even joked about how he had increased his security after the incident right before he was accosted.

Rock, who was at the show and has been lauded for his handling of the attack by Smith, had one question after the incident.

“Was that Will Smith?” he said, joining Chappelle on stage to give his fellow comedian a hug.

Black Star Releases Second Album After 24-Year Hiatus

It may not exactly be Christmas in July, but for fans of old-school hip-hop today might be just as special.

For the first time in nearly 24 years, a new Black Star album has dropped.

The release of “No Fear of Time,” first announced in April of this year, reunites Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, and Talib Kweli. 

Their 1998 debut as a duo, “Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star," was met with critical acclaim, helped bring alternative rap to the mainstream and launched the individual careers of two of the most prominent and successful rappers in the “conscious” rap movement.

The reunion, while highly anticipated, will require fans to put their money where their music is if they want to listen to the nine new tracks.

Subscription podcast platform Luminary, which arrived on the scene two years ago with much fanfare describing itself as the Netflix of podcasting, before fading mostly into obscurity, is the only place to access the music legally.

While a platform that prides itself on not inserting advertising into the podcasts it hosts may seem like an unusual place to release one of the most anticipated hip-hop albums in over two decades, the group has its reasons for the decision and believes that those who truly support them as artists and musicians will pay to listen (an annual subscription to the platform is around $35) to the new material.

“If you bought the Black Star album in the last 20 years, you paid Universal Records, which is one of the biggest companies on Earth. You know who you did not pay? You did not pay Black Star because we didn't see any of that money,” Talib Kweli told NPR’s Morning Edition when asked about the risk of putting Black Star’s music behind a paywall.

Courtesy Photo: Mathieu Bitton

He continued, “You know, people come and say, 'Hey, what about what I want? I want the vinyl. I want it on Spotify. I want...' What you want does not matter. Know what I'm sayin'? What Black Star wants matters.”

Kweli added that the album, produced by Madlib, confronts similar themes as the duo's past work, which was inspired in part by Amiri Baraka in the Black Arts Movement and Nina Simone among others, and concentrated on themes of black excellence, unity, confronting racism and elevating consciousness.

“We stand tall on the shoulders of our ancestors,” Kweli said. “The canon of black art is amazing, and it is the lifeblood of all great art that comes from America in particular. Black people in America have been the moral compass, and we have been the ones who have elevated the art and we have been the ones who have made the most original American things. Black Star started in Brooklyn, but at this point, we are citizens of the world, and I feel like this album represents that type of growth for us.”

Soul Singer Otis Jackson Sr., Father of Hip-Hop Stars Madlib and Oh No, Dead at 77

Photo Credit: @nowagain (Instagram)

Over the weekend, it came to light that Otis Jackson Sr., the father of two hip-hop prodigies celebrated for both their rap and production skills, died on April 13 at the age of 77.

The death of Jackson Sr., a singer and a session musician for jazz and soul gigs for act including Tina Turner and Bobby “Blue” Bland and whose singing is said to have impressed famed producer Axelrod, was announced Sunday on Instagram by Eothen Alapatt, seven days before what would have been his 78th birthday.

The former general manager of Stones Throw Records, the independent music label which represents a majority of Jackson Sr.’s sons Otis “Madlib” Jackson Jr. and Michael “Oh No” Jackson’s work, Alapatt — known professionally as Egon — wrote a touching tribute to the man he said was directly responsible for Madlib and Oh No’s rise in the industry and was a musician of note himself.

“He was born nearly 78 years ago, on May 8th, 1944. He died on April 13th. I knew him nearly as long as I’ve known Madlib and Oh No, and any that know the brothers, and so many of their compatriots, know that they got their start in music because of Otis’s, and his wife Sinesca’s, belief in their musical excellence,” Alapatt wrote on Sunday.

He continued, “He should be one to know – he was a soul singer of high regard, the kind of singer who even impressed the great David Axelrod, who, in our first meeting, was effusive in his praise for Madlib’s dad.”

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A post shared by Egon (@nowagain)

Alapatt noted that Axelrod’s best friend, H.B. Barnum, produced a series of songs for Jackson Sr., two of which saw release on Mega Records.

“Beggin’ for a Broken Heart” and “Message to the Ghetto” were released by the label in 1974. In 2006, Jackson released his full-length debut album “The Art of Love,” which featured production work from both his famous sons and an uncredited rap from Oh No on “It's All The Same (Hip Hop).”

Alapatt added that he had been working to compile Jackson Sr.’s other singles into an album and shared the liner notes from music journalist Jeff Mao, a former staff writer at Vibe and XXL magazines, who agreed to work on the project.

“Encompassing tenor and baritone ranges in performance, and punctuated by an occasional mischievous chuckle in conversation, his instrument reflects the ups-and-downs of a decades-long journey – from community gospel prodigy to independent soul navigating an unforgiving music industry to parent and mentor of two revered hip-hop production auteurs,” Mao wrote in part. “It also happens to command, with a grace and gravitas commensurate with these experiences, as impeccable a handful of rare soul recordings as you’ll hear.”

The album will be released next year according to Alapatt.

No cause of death has been released and neither Madlib nor Oh No have publicly commented on their loss, but other members of the Stones Throw Records family took to the internet to pay their respects to Jackson Sr., including Lootpack’s Wildchild.

“RIP Mr Jackson!” he wrote on Instagram. “This Gentleman here was the 1st meaning of support for me! He was my (Equalizer) ‘This ain’t yo house, Get yo feet off my couch Jack, but make yourself at home but realize this ain’t your home so respect my s—t!’ Lol I didn’t get that til later in life.”

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A post shared by Jack "WildChild" Brown (@jdawildchild)

He continued, “He wasn’t my father but gave guidance as a father figure would do. He was there when Lootpack was first formed. He was our first manager as our crew CDP was developing. He and Mrs Jackson (RIP) were both there when I decided to propose to my wife @cyndeebrown . I witnessed how he supported his sons @ohnothedisrupt & @madlib as we jumped into HIPHOP. For that I will always be thankful. May you rest in Heaven Mr Jackson.”