Video After The Jump
In this episode of People's Party, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with comedian, actor, and radio host -- Donnell 'I'm Rich Biaaaaatch!' Rawlings. The hilarity ensues from the jump as Donnell calls out Talib for disrespecting him during a recent comedy event they attended with Dave Chappelle. They go on to discuss Donnell's stand-up philosophy of challenging himself to the fullest with every performance, they dig into the elements that went into creating sketches on Chappelle Show like the all-time classic "Player Hater's Ball," he talks about some of his first appearances on TV with the "Ricki Lake Show," and sneaking onto the the People's Court street camera on the daily. Donnell also reflects on his early days doing stand-up in D.C. where he was born and raised, and what brought him to Brooklyn, New York where he would seek out gigs anywhere he could, until eventually landing a spot on Def Comedy Jam. He gives his thoughts on his stint in the military and then expands on his "go hard or go home" hustler mentality that he's maintained over the years which he credits to his success.
Donnell reflects on how "Chappelle's Show" came to an unforeseen and abrupt ending, coming together with Charlie Murphy and Bill Burr to go on tour afterwards, doing the Lost Episodes without Dave, and his close friendship with Charlie and how much he is missed. Donnell aka "Ashy Larry" also gives his take on Michael Rapaport's comments of Kenya Moore's having ashy ankles, he names his top 5 "Chappelle's Show" sketches, speaks on Wayne Brady's reluctance to say "b*tch" during his sketch, and talks on school kids getting suspended for doing Rick James impersonations. Donnell goes on to explain why it feels like he's going to war when appearing on the Breakfast Club, how he feels about the current state of comedy during COVID, his time working on HBO's "The Wire," his perspective on the notion to defund police, and what he thinks is needed for lasting reform. In closing Talib asks Donnell what he has in store for his fans.
TIMESTAMPS:
2:14 -- Donnell does a mic-check and drops some potent bars on his introduction, then calls out Talib for being disrespectful, which segways into them both reflecting on the "Dave Chappelle & Friends" social distance comedy event in Yellow Springs, Ohio which they both performed at. Talib accuses Donnell of forcing him on stage, and Donnell explains what really went down.
7:40 -- Talib brings up Donnell's quote of "If someone has too many pairs of glasses they're becoming an a*shole". Donnell speaks on elements of his stand-up philosophy in welcoming the challenge of going on after an act that slayed it, and the importance of going all-in during every performance. Donnell also goes into his time spent in the Air-Force, and explains why he joined.
14:11 -- Donnell talks about the classic "Player Hater's Ball" sketch from Chappelle Show, and details what went into naming and building his character for the clip, including a jheri curl wig, a spray can of activator and a mirror. He also responds to the question often asked of if he ever gets tired of talking about his time on the Chappelle Show, he speaks on his appearances on the Ricki Lake Show, and sneaking in TV appearances on People's court every chance he got.
21:54 -- Donnell reflects on his early days doing stand-up in Washington D.C. where he was born and raised. He details why he decided to move to New York, what it was like performing for the first time there, and how he got put on to Def Comedy Jam. Talib also asks about Donnell's closeness with Brooklyn claiming it his second home, Donnell speaks on infiltrating the Brooklyn Moon Cafe by telling them he was a poet to get stage time, and goes on to explain "protest-head".
28:28 -- Jasmin asks Donnell to expand on his hustler mentality of "go hard or go home" and manifesting his own opportunities. He explains by referencing a backstage moment auditioning for Chappelle Show, details a very important component of what it takes to reach success in show business, and speaks to his thoughts of fame before reaching fame.
34:00 -- Donnell is asked what it was like for the cast of Chappelle Show when they knew it was ending. He digs into being in the middle of shooting one of the last sketches and what Dave said that let them know what might be coming. Donnell also digs into getting together with Charlie Murphy and Bill Burr to put on the "I'm Rich Biatch" tour and host the Chappelle Show Lost Episodes in the aftermath of Dave leaving. He goes on to speak on his close friendship with Charlie, and expands on his incredible story-telling and roasting skills, and how much of an all-around great guy he really was.
41:20 -- Talib brings up the "Ashy Ankles" moment of Michael Rappaport's appearance on People's Party, and asks Donnell aka "Ashy Larry" for his take on white people using the term. Jasmin also asks Donnell to list his personal top 5 Chappelle Show sketches, they talk about how long it took for Wayne Brady to say the word "Bitch", and how kids were getting suspended from school for imitating Dave's Rick James interpretation.
48:21 -- Donnell speaks on his multiple appearances on the Breakfast Club, and explains why everytime he gets on it feels like he's going to war with three people. Donnell also expands on the backstory to a part of his stand-up when he talks about being forced to read in class, how most of his material is based on real-life experiences, Jasmin asks how Donnell feels about the current state of stand-up with online comedy taking hold especially during COVID, and Donnell expands on how essential comedy is during times like these.
58:38 -- Donnell gets asked about his experience working on HBO's iconic series "The Wire". He talks about how he and Michael K. Williams were both up for the role of Omar, how he didn't realize how successful the show was going to be so early-on, and how his character Damien "Day-Day" Price was originally scripted to have more development. Isiah Whitlock also gets a solid mention, and Donnell tells what his father had to say about the character of Omar.
1:03:36 -- Donnell gives his take on the "Defund The Police" chant during protests, as someone that has spent time in the military and even considered becoming a cop himself at one point in time. He talks about how he feels more hopeful this time around with so many white people showing up for the cause, they discuss the difficulties in getting the good cops to speak up when they see wrong-doing, the disdain that many black cops are subjected to from their own communities, they point out reasons why some police should consider a different profession, and Donnell notes how accountability is the only thing that will give lasting change.
1:15:43 -- Talib asks Donnell to outline what he has coming down the line for his fans. He talks about his pod-cast, his "Black Ash" candle line and other irons he has on the fire.
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