Famous Black Comedians
There have been some excellent comedians through time. In this article, we take a look at famous black comedians from the past through today. It is a golden list.
Being a black comedian fifty years ago was much different than it is today. Making cracks on the racial situation didn’t produce laughs so much as tension. This limited the number of African Americans doing comedy, but it was a special group. As time passed, the ugliness of the past began to fade away and the aspiring group of black comedians today is simply excellent. Let’s get to the list of famous black comedians.
Richard Pryor – The king. It is as simple as that. What other man could make biting social commentary during a time when race relations were very tense and then turn around and joke about lighting himself on fire while partying? Only Sir Richard. Pryor was struck down far too early so it is a shame that many younger people don’t know him well. Go to YouTube and pull up some videos. You’ll be in tears laughing.
Eddie Murphy – Okay, he makes some absolutely horrible movies these days, but the man has kids. In his prime, he was often considered the successor to Pryor. He was that funny. From his work on Saturday Night Live to his stand up act on his family life, the man was simply as funny as they come. His skit on wanting a McDonald’s hamburger and having his mom make a home made one is one of the funniest things you will ever see.
Dave Chappelle – Is there any more famous black comedian today then Dave? The man behind the absolutely hilarious Dave Chappelle Show is loved both for his hysterical comedy and the fact that he also walked away from a huge fifty million dollar contract to keep doing his show. Sketches from the show are legendary and you can check them out on the Comedy Channel site if you dare risk laughing yourself unconscious. The Star Wars parody is one of the funniest things I’ve every seen.
There have been plenty of other players when it comes to the list of most famous black comedians. They tend to be wildly popular for a short while, but don’t have much staying power. Still, spending a night watching Katt Williams, Chris Rock and Steve Harvey is definitely worth your time. When it comes to the top famous black comedians, Pryor, Murphy and Chappelle are simply a cut above.
