Back Dave Chappelle's Block Party Welsh Block Party German La fiesta de Dave Chapelle Spanish Dave Chappelle's Block Party French Block Party (film) Italian Dave Chappelle’s Block Party Polish
| Dave Chappelle's Block Party | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michel Gondry |
| Written by | Dave Chappelle |
| Produced by | Dave Chappelle Michel Gondry |
| Starring | Kanye West Mos Def Talib Kweli Common The Fugees Dead Prez Erykah Badu Jill Scott The Roots Dave Chappelle |
| Cinematography | Ellen Kuras |
| Music by | Corey Smyth |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Rogue Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million[1] |
| Box office | $12.1 million[1] |
Dave Chappelle's Block Party (also known as Block Party) is a 2005 American documentary-concert film starring comedian Dave Chappelle at the height of his early mainstream success and cultural influence. Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michel Gondry,[2] the film captures Chappelle organizing a free block party concert in Brooklyn on September 18, 2004,[3] inspired by the 1973 concert documentary Wattstax. Despite intermittent rain, the concert continued uninterrupted, featuring performances from a lineup of hip-hop and R&B artists, including The Fugees in their first reunion since their 1997 breakup, Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, The Roots, Common, John Legend, Kool G Rap, and Dead Prez.[4]
The film premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival before its wide release on March 3, 2006. It was dedicated to the memory of music producer J Dilla, who died from lupus one month before the film's release. Block Party received widespread critical acclaim, praised for its vibrant atmosphere, historic musical moments, and Chappelle's ability to merge comedy with hip-hop culture. The film holds a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been recognized by publications such as Rolling Stone, The A.V. Club, and IndieWire as one of the greatest concert films ever made.[5][6][7] It is widely recognized for facilitating one of the last major Fugees reunions, often cited as one of hip-hop’s most significant reunions.[8] Artists such as J. Cole have described attending the event as a defining experience.[9]
Filmed at a pivotal moment in Chappelle's career, Block Party was released after he made the decision to leave Chappelle's Show and withdraw from the public eye.[10] The film was a box office success, debuting at #6 in its opening weekend, grossing $6 million from 1,200 theaters, and ultimately earning $12.1 million worldwide against a $3 million budget. Its DVD release sold over 1.24 million copies, generating $18.8 million in revenue. The documentary also earned several accolades, including a Black Reel Award for Outstanding Original Soundtrack.
- ^ a b "Dave Chappelle's Block Party". Box Office Mojo. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (March 3, 2006). "A Comedian's Ultimate Goal: Rock the Block". The New York Times.
- ^ Walsh, Peter WalshPeter (2014-09-18). "Dave Chappelle Throws Epic Brooklyn Block Party: Today in Hip-Hop - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
- ^ "One Rainy Day in Brooklyn". www.theringer.com. 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
- ^ Shteamer, Tim Grierson,Sam Adams,Eric Hynes,David Fear,Jason Newman,Kory Grow,David Browne,Jon Dolan,Andy Greene,Hank (2021-11-25). "40 Greatest Rock Documentaries". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "The 30 greatest concert films of all time, ranked". AV Club. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
- ^ Brock, Ben (2014-07-17). "The 10 Best Concert Movies Ever". IndieWire. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
- ^ LeDonne, Rob (2016-09-20). "Hip-Hop's 10 Best Reunions". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
- ^ Stone, Rolling (2014-06-27). "J. Cole Remembers Chappelle's Block Party". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
- ^ Kameir, Rawiya (2020-06-07). "Revisiting Dave Chappelle's Block Party, A Celebratory Concert Film and Reclamation of Black Fandom". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-03-01.