Dave Chappelle seems to be pleading the fifth as it concerns his "Piss on You" parody of R. Kelly. Back in 2003, when it first aired on Comedy Central, "(I Wanna) Piss On You" was viewed a whole lot different. Although Dave Chappelle's parody video received a near-unanimous reception upon its release, it is now viewed with a different lens, in light of the shifting views of restorative justice in America. As you likely know, Dave's skit is based upon a child pornography video depicting R. Kelly peeing on an underage woman.
In Chappelle's satirical depiction, the comedian avoids passing judgment on Kelly's pedophilic tendencies. Given the climate surrounding these issues at the time, Chappelle's only interest was in Kelly's sexual quirkiness, which in itself, drew the comedian into a contentious situation with his comedic subject. R. Kelly's response to Chappelle was to send goons to his front door.
With the interest in R. Kelly's transgressive "past and present" bubbling to an all-time high, the "Piss on You" parody has come back to light. Just yesterday, Chappelle was asked to comment on the lack of foresight he displayed in airing the "Piss on You" skit when it dropped. His response to a TMZ field reporter was to sarcastically remark that he'd prefer "watching it again" over commenting on the spot.
Whereas fellow comedian D.L Hughley was far more biting when asked the same question. Watch (below) as Hughley denigrates a generation of social commenters who feigned ignorance on the issue of Kelly's pedophilia. Where do you stand - does Chappelle deserve a slap on the wrist? Are we not all complicit in laughing with him back in 2003?
