Bey and Chappelle drop in on Madlib set
Comedian Dave Chappelle made another one of his increasingly frequent surprise appearances in San Francisco, this time popping in on a late-night DJ set by producer Madlib on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 1015 Folsom, part of the 26th annual Noise Pop Music and Arts Festival.
Chappelle arrived at the nightclub around 1 a.m., fresh from a late set at the Punch Line comedy club, and joined rapper Yasiin Bey on the stage.
Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, was first to surprise fans during Madlib’s set, taking the mike shortly after midnight and prompting fans to pull out their smartphones. Beaming as he looked over the sea of bobbing heads and camera flashes, the emcee seemed more spirited than usual.
“It’s a big moment for me. I hope it’s a big moment for you,” Bey said.
Earlier this month, the emcee announced a follow-up to his lauded 1998 album “Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star,” a collaboration between Bey and the New York hiphop artist. This time around, however, the forthcoming “Black Star” release will also include Madlib. Bey told fans Thursday that he had recorded the first verse of the new album just the previous day.
“I’m so excited, I don’t even know how to feel,” Bey said.
After he spit a few stray semi-freestyled verses over Madlib’s beats, the crowd erupted again when comedian Chappelle appeared. As is standard for his appearances, he quickly asked fans to put away their phones: “I implore
“This is the kindest conspiracy. All we gotta do is commit to being kind to one another.” Dave Chappelle
you to make a memory.”
He then commented about the current state of the country, telling people to take care of each other.
“Listen,” Chappelle said to the cheering audience, “this is the beginning of a new day. This is the kindest conspiracy. It don’t matter what anybody says. All we gotta do is commit to being kind to one another.”
The comedian continued to tell stories, including the time that he was in San Francisco when he found out Prince died. A huge fan of the the music icon, Chappelle recalled how Prince’s camp would reach out to invite him to the the Purple One’s parties, saying, “When Prince called, it was like getting the call from Aquaman.”
From there, at Madlib’s discretion, the two traded turns at the mike, with Bey rapping here and there, and Chappelle offering advice and other musings during the more than three-hour set.
Chappelle then led the audience in a clip of “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F— Wit” and later, around 2:15 a.m., “Killing Me Softly” after a quick but respectable stage dive.
Chappelle’s three-day stint in the city — a total of six stand-up shows at the Punch Line that kicked off Tuesday, Feb. 20 — was his first string of Bay Area performances since winning his first Grammy Award for best comedy album with “The Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas.”
“You’re welcome,” Bey told the crowd. “When you leave here, you can tell a friend you were here. Congratulations!”