Words by Offspring Community member Dan Baines @danbaines10
“I remember when I was a kid, when I first told my parents I wanted some Pumas, that was like, a discussion. That was like, them in the living room like, “Really? Thirty dollars?”
At the time it was a bit of a leap, but to me it makes a lot of sense that Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons would go on to produce Def Comedy Jam. The label was always about giving a platform to young, black voices with something to say about the disparity between their socio-economic status and the rest of America. This theme is a common thread, woven through hip-hop, comedy and sneaker culture.
So when Chris Rock talked on Sneaker Shopping about his journey going from a kid begging his parents for thirty dollar Pumas, to flexing about his vast collection of Yeezys, I had to admire him, he deserves to flex. He’s built up an immense career speaking his truth and shining a light on the hardships of breadline families in urban America, whilst also being fucking hilarious.
I started my own journey in stand-up comedy in 2018, as an overweight, bisexual from a working-class, northern town on the seaside, I’ve experienced the difficulty of presenting challenging subject matter with a down to earth perspective that will work as well in northern working men’s clubs as it does in arts centres in Surrey. All whilst making the audience laugh. That’s why I’m so excited for Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle coming to the UK this September for a run of double headline shows, two comics who don’t compromise on quality.
From describing the OG Grape V Jordans he’s wearing on his debut comedy album, Born Suspect, as a ‘status symbol’, to going HAM for Yeezy 350s, on Sneaker Shopping, saying, “I like wearing them on stage…they send a signal, I am today”, Rock has always been on point. His ability to connect with HIS audience is unparalleled.
Meanwhile, Chappelle has been quieter, but no less mindful, of the interplay between his style and his material. If you do yourself a favour and look beyond the controversy that some of Chappelle’s recent material has whipped up, you might see an incredibly meticulous craftsman, who always knows the impact of what he’s doing on-stage.
Over the last few years, Dave Chappelle’s on-stage style has been fascinating. With specials like Equanimity, The Bird Revelation, and Sticks and Stones, Chappelle’s fits became more and more working class, with him wearing a self-branded boilersuit in the latter. The core of his material seeming to match his aesthetic in a precision engineered way.
Chappelle changed his style up massively for his 2020 special, 8:46. Speaking passionately, angrily, about the oppression black people are still facing in the 2020s, the murder of George Floyd, and the resulting uptick in support for BLM, Chappelle wore a simple black sweater with black joggers, no personal branding, a much more sombre look.
There will always be a significant interplay between creative mediums, but in comedy I’ve always found there’s a little less overspill, with most comics deliberately opting for an understated outfit that doesn’t detract from their words (Eddie Murphy excepted). Personally, I love seeing a comic with a little drip, if it’s who you are off-stage, be it on-stage and audiences will find a way to relate. At this point, with the storm around Chappelle, I’m half expecting him to walk out at the O2 on September 3rd, in a pair of triple black ‘fuck you’ Air Forces.
Whatever these two GOATs wear, here’s my hot tip: if you don’t have tickets to the tour, you can bet they will want to squeeze in the odd last-minute guest spot at some of the hottest comedy venues close to the tour, so do yourself a favour and get down to your local venue if you’re in a city where they’re touring, because you never know who could pop in.
