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 People’s Court every chance he could. 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 goes to expand 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 “bitch” 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.
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