Bootlegs and Def Comedy Jam 25 Review

In the days before being able to stream( steal) content from the Internet, the only way for you to see something that you didn't already pay for was to: Go to a friends house; or get a bootleg.  Black folks in my hood are no stranger to bootlegs, or booters.  I had several bootleg music tapes and movies growing up. Usually a young entrepreneur would be set up at the barbershop or on a random street corner with goods to sell at a discounted rated.  You may get ganked and the Dana Dane tape you buy is a blank of the copy of Krush Groove was in Spanish... but that its the chance you take with buying booters. Its on some Forrest Gump shit... you really never know what you was gonna get!

However, as technology got better and brothas got a bit of money, things weren't such a crapshoot.  My family ain't have HBO money tho, so whenever I wanted to see Wimbledon or anything that was HBO exclusive, I had to go to somebody house.  Now when Def Comedy Jam came on in 1992, I was in college.  In a white college, where finding booters was not a possibility.  And since we was all broke, nobody had HBO.  Shit you was flossin' if you actually had cable.

So I missed out on Def Jam for the most part. I'd hear people talking about it, but I had really never seen it.  Then when I did come home, my moms ain't have HBO money so I was back looking for booters.  When I finlly caught a good booter of Def Comedy Jam, I was kinda knocked backed.  The language, the energy, the crowd losing they shit... it was like nothing I had ever seen before.  You gotta remember, this part of the 90's was owned by Cosby, so to see Black folks embracing they culture this way was shocking in a sense.  But funny!  Like, really, pain in your guts funny. Like crying funny!  Martin hosted it and the comics brung it!  I was hooked for sure on the likes of comedians you just had never seen before.

So as time has gone by, many of those Def Jam comics went onto huge things from tv shows, movies... Def Jam spawned an empire of rich, Black comics. So, when I heard about Netflix doing a 25th anniversary show, I was with it.  I really wanted to see what Earthquake and Hamburger was up to.

But you didn't really get that... I mean you did, but it was more retrospective on how the show came about and all the come ups that people received from the show.  Martin, who was such a huge part of the success of the show, really only has a bit part, and much of the show focuses on some of the comedians who DIDN'T get a huge come up from the show.  Even tho he came through with a video, Rock wasn't there and I am pretty sure Chris Tucker dont fuck with any of these niggas anymore.

Overall, it was ok! Some laughs here and there, but nothing major!  And just FYI, don't book Dave Chappelle on any comedy show uness you want him to take it over.  His pressence is that big right now! He outshines and eclipses anyone you attempt to put on stage with him and when he is not there, you can feel it!

So check it out!

The Producer