- you know what? that looks like fire! - comedy without black people would be like the nba without black players. (kevin screaming) - your biggest, biggest superstars in comedy have been black. (eddie yelling) - just genius and hilarious. - yeah, i said it. (audience cheering) - the chappelle show redefined sketch comedy. - i m rick james, bitch. (audience laughing) - in living color set up a platform for black comedians blowing up. - i don t think so. homie don t play that. (audience laughing) - arsenio hall was, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. it was groundbreaking. - [audience] woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. - you had a black man willing to fight the power. - nice being out of jail. (audience laughing) - laughter is healing, laughter purifies the air. actually i don t like to talk about the races, because i m white. - and we, as black people, have been doing it forever. - i am, this is a freckle. (audience laughing) - all black comedians discuss race. - it s harder being gay than i
- we re gonna turn the questioning over to the soul train gang, marvin, okay? - what else do you like to do besides singing at your spare time? - well, i enjoy, i like fooling around. (audience laughing) - one reason soul train succeeded 15 years after the nat king cole show is because they found a sponsor to take it national. - that was for us, by us and we loved it. - let s welcome them warmly, gladys & the pips, mr. barry white, sly and the family stone, curtis mayfield, aretha franklin. - don cornelius was an icon. this man changed the game. when i was growing up, you did not miss soul train. i mean, that was a part of my youth. - it was the regularly scheduled national platform for black culture. someone does popping on soul train in 1971 and people are tryin popping in the schoolyard two hours later. it was a kind of universal black experience. - back in the 80s, which i ll never forget,
that there s joy in black culture. - we re gonna turn the questioning over to the soul train gang, marvin, okay? - what else do you like to do besides singing at your spare time? - well, i enjoy, i like fooling around. (audience laughing) - one reason soul train succeeded 15 years after the nat king cole show is because they found a sponsor to take it national. - that was for us, by us and we loved it. - let s welcome them warmly, gladys & the pips, mr. barry white, sly and the family stone, curtis mayfield, aretha franklin. - don cornelius was an icon. this man changed the game. when i was growing up, you did not miss soul train. i mean, that was a part of my youth. - it was the regularly scheduled national platform for black culture. someone does popping on soul train in 1971 and people are tryin popping in the schoolyard two hours later. it was a kind of universal black experience.
- redd foxx, he had comedy albums that were raunchy, and they thought he would never make it on tv. how could he clean up his act? and then he goes on television. - my first wife, i had a 1942 buick, and her. (audience laughing) and i left both of them to come to california. (audience laughing) didn t hurt too bad cause neither one of em was working. (audience laughing) - now did he clean up his act? in a way he did. but you knew what he was thinking. (upbeat percussive music) - in 1971, the intensity was something that was really everywhere. you know, we ve had assassinations recently, riots, there s nixon talking about law and order. but soul train suggested that there s joy in black culture. - we re gonna turn the questioning over to the soul train gang, marvin, okay? - what else do you like to do besides singing at your spare time? - well, i enjoy, i like fooling around.