It was that mastery of language that first attracted
Dave Chappelle to Murphy and changed both of
their futures. A chance encounter at their mutual
business manager’s office spiraled into an invitation
to be part of “Chappelle’s Show” with the warning
that it wasn’t paying a lot, but should be a lot of
good times. Charlie liked good times so he signed
on for what nobody expected to be more than a
show providing content for low rated basic cable
station, Comedy Central, whose biggest hits up until
then had been “Win Ben Stein’s Money” and “South
Park.”
“Chappelle’s Show” exceeded all projections and
became a certified cultural phenomenon. When
it abruptly ended the question for the newly famous
cast members was, “What’s next?”
For Donnell
Rawlings and Bill Burr the answer was going on the
road.
“What’s that?”, Charlie asked.
“We’re
stand-up comedians.
You should think about
doing it, too.” That’s how the “Rich Bitch Tour” was
born. That’s also how Bill Burr pulled the coattails of
Charlie, the neophyte host of that tour and let him
know that the audience was there to see him – the
host and once he left the stage the customers
could’ve just as easily hopped in their cars and
gone home. It was time for Charlie to think about
building a solid act and becoming a headliner.
Charlie took Burr’s suggestion to heart and decided
he just didn’t want to be another celebrity
capitalizing on his notoriety for a fast buck, but
learn the craft of stand-up and be worth the price
of admission. Yes, he was a funny guy. That how
“Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories” was
conceived. Chapelle had heard Charlie telling his
tales about Rick James while hanging around Eddie
and thrust it into the show. A hit was born as well as
a star.
Now it was time for Charlie to keep
ascending.
Murphy grabbed comedian Freez Love, who he’d
met in 1995 on the set of Snoop Dogg’s video,
“Murder Was the Case”.
He made Love his road
mate and comedy mentor. It was Freez who had
initially dropped the idea of stand-up in Charlie’s
head after seeing how the older Murphy had a
room dying laughing effortlessly and without any of
the style or mannerisms of his renown brother. At
the time Charlie said he was just being Charlie and
he’d leave the comedy up to Eddie. Regardless, a
decade later, Freez was happy to see Charlie
follow his true calling and he was also down to help
him attain it.
initially
Freez Love understood the position Charlie was in.
Most comedians start off with no expectations from
an audience.
On the other hand, Charlie was
known, but his brother was a full-blown star. Thus,
people had high expectations and Charlie was hell
bent on delivering.
He then did something few
comedians do; established or not.
Charlie told
Freez not to ever hold back. Use all his comedic
skills and powers and make Charlie work for every
laugh. Okay.
Charlie had already felt the sting most beginning
comedians experience and he didn’t like it one
little b it. In 2005, he was part of a show Mike Epps
headlined in Cleveland, Ohio.
According to
comedian / author, Cortney Gee, Charlie bombed,
accompanied by booing and he fell into an instant
depression. Cortney convinced him to scuttle his
plan of going right back to the hotel and sulking in
his room, but to shake it off and go to the planned
after party. Well intentioned advice, but as they all
sat in the VIP section an apparent attendee from
the show came over and booed Charlie to his face.
Cortney said he thought Charlie was going to kill
the guy as he exploded into a curse-filled tirade
using every word he’d probably heard in Brooklyn
and the Navy. So, asking Freez Love to make him
battle ready was not mere idle chatter.
It was a
focused mission.
That relationship commenced in 2006 with the “I Will
Not Apologize Tour” and went up until 2013 during
which they performed 40 weeks out of the year,
criss crossing the world on three 13 country tours,
including many parts of Europe, Australia, the
Bahamas, Canada and most of the US except for
Wyoming and Montana.
The two became like brothers to the point that
Charlie once said Freez Love was his favorite person
in the world. He felt he owed Love a great debt.
Charlie had started stand-up at the ripe age of 47
(Eddie had been a star since he was 18) and Freez
helped him get good quick. They spent so much
time together talking about the mechanics of
comedy and life that they could finish each other’s
sentences.
The hard work paid off.
Original Queen of
Comedy, Sommore, saw the results first hand in
2015. “I only met Charlie one time and it was brief.
He was performing at the Miami Improv. I came
through and his set was fantastic. He was nice.”
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