Make no mistake about it, Dave Chappelle goes straight for the jugular in a new Netflix special titled 8:46. Rather than quarantine the impromptu concert to their streaming platform, Netflix debuted the show for free on its YouTube comedy channel late Thursday night.
For the special, which had been filmed on June 6 in Yellow Springs, Ohio, coronavirus precautions were full-effect for attendees, including temperature checks, face masks, and a social-distancing seating arrangements. The spirited engagement was Chappelle's first time on stage in 87 days, at which point he used the platform to deliver a scathing set focusing on everything from George Floyd's death to the passing of Kobe Bryant, the unmitigated gall of news anchors the likes of Laura Ingraham and more.
"This man kneeled on a man's neck for eight minutes and forty six seconds! Can you imagine that," Chappelle asks his audience with passion and fire spilling from his broken heart. "This guy thought he was going to die. He knew he was going to die. He called for his mother. He called for his dead mother. I've only seen that once before in my life. My father, on his deathbed, called for his grandmother. When I watched that tape, I understood that this man knew that he was going to die. They watched it. People filmed it. And for some reason, that I still don't understand, all these fuckin' police, had their hands in their pockets. Who are you talking to?"
You can watch Dave Chappelle's 8:46 concert special in its entirety below:
During his set, Chappelle also used a portion of his time to call out political commentator Candace Owens, saying, “I seen Candace Owens try to convince white America, ‘Don’t worry about it. He’s a criminal anyway.’ I don’t give a fuck what this n— did. I don’t care what this n— did. I don’t care if he personally kicked Candace Owens in her stanky p—. I don’t know if it stanks, but I imagine it does. If I ever find out, I’ll let you know for sure. I’ll tell like Azealia Banks. I’ll tell.”
The title of Chappelle's newest special, 8:46, refers to the length of time Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against Floyd's neck, an act of violence the ultimately led to the man dying where he lay.
Included alongside the special is a link where viewers can donate to the Equal Justice Initiative. Founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer and bestselling author of Just Mercy, EJI is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. They challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment and provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people. A film titled JUST MERCY from director Destin Daniel Cretton was released last year in which Michael B. Jordan starred as Stevenson. JUST MERCY is available to watch for free throughout the month of June on multiple platforms, including YouTube, Google Play and Amazon.