Richard Pryor: Nigga 4 Life

I was relieved when the news of Richard Pryor's death flashed across the bottom of my television screen on December 10th. He had suffered from the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis for several years and I was happy to know that he would finally be at peace. What saddened me was the fact that we lost one of the most influential comedic talents of our lifetime. In a feature I did for OZONE Magazine and MTV Jams' "25 Greatest Southern Artists of All Time" back in the summer, I wrote:

"8-Ball & MJG are to fellow southern rap pioneers Outkast what Richard Pryor was to Bill Cosby. While the Cos enjoyed the mainstream success and acceptance of Johnny Carson and Ed Sullivan, Pryor staked his claim in the blue comedy clubs of the Northeast and in seedy Midwest nightspots. While both comic legends inspired generations to come, more black comedians would eventually eat off of the template Pryor created than the image Cosby fostered."

The Pryor "template" was simple and can be described in three words:
Keep it real.

It was this singular pursuit of truth that defined Richard Pryor as an artist. While Bill Cosby rode to superstardom as the non-threatening Negro next door, Richard was without question the original nigga with attitude. Pryor routinely shocked and appalled mainstream America with his biting commentary on race relations and raw descriptions of illicit sex, violence and drug abuse. Like gangsta rappers a generation later, Pryor took the hard knock reality of the ghetto and packaged it for Hollywood and Madison Avenue.

The heavy sampling of Pryor's comedy routines in the raunchy records of 2 Live Crew and on N.W.A.'s landmark F**k Tha Police is evidence of his influence on Hip-Hop music. Even more pervasive was his connection to the culture at large. Chuck D and KRS-1 rapped about Huey P. Newton and the Black Panthers, Richard hung out and did coke with the black power icons. When Kid [of rap group/comedy duo Kid 'n Play] needed help after his character got locked up in House Party, the advice he relied on came straight from Pryor -- tell jokes to keep the other inmates' mind off yo' booty.

Richard was like an older family member you went to for "worldly" advice when no one else seemed to understand. In his concert movie Raw, Eddie Murphy described how Bill Cosby, in full Heathcliff Huxtable mode, took him to task over his language. An upset Murphy immediately called Pryor, who simply asked: "Do the people laugh when you tell the jokes?" "Do they pay you?" After Eddie answered yes to both questions, Richard offered, "Tell that motherf**ka to have a Coke and a smile and shut the f**k up!"

Murphy went on to become the biggest movie star of the 1980's and the entertainment industry scrambled to find the next "super-cool-Eddie-clone." What resulted was an assembly line of slick-talking black comics loaded with attitude, but very little soul. Richard's comedic genius lay in his ability to was a master at weaving elaborate comic tales that allowed us to see the world through the his eyes. From growing up a prostitute's son in Peoria, IL ("Hey boy, I'm about to f**k yo' mama.") to running ablaze through the streets of Beverly Hills ("Fire has a way of sobering yo' ass up real quick."), Pryor made the most painful aspects of his life funny.

With the exception of Chris Rock and David Chappelle, most of the "Def Comedy" generation is much too image conscious to display the type of vulnerability that made Richard Pryor special. Richard was smart enough to know that dirty jokes may tickle the ears, but without substance they have very little effect on the heart and mind. Pryor had something to say and used comedy to push the boundaries of artistic expression each time he stood in front of a microphone. Today's black comedians, like "reality rappers" in Hip-Hop, are quickly becoming just a bunch of niggas on stage cussing.

Despite its current lack of creativity, Pryor's brand of humor has dominated the world of urban comedy the same way the N.W.A. family tree (Ruthless, Death Row, Aftermath, G-Unit, etc.) has dominated the rap world. Richard's unique ability to entertain people, while simultaneously offending them, inspired some of to most successful entertainers of our time. No other comic in the last quarter century has left such an indelible mark on American popular culture and it is doubtful that another will.

We'll miss you Daddy Rich...