For those of you who have never seen or heard the comedic genius that is Richard Pryor, here is treat for you. Pryor is one of the most important and influential comedians, actors and writers of the last generation. Inspired by Bill Cosby, Pryor started his comedic career in the mid-1960s, appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, and later as a relatively successful act in Las Vegas. After having an "epiphany" during a September 1967 appearance in Las Vegas, Pryor began to increase the level of profanity and rawness of his comedy acts.
Pryor is the forerunner and inspiration for many famous black comedians, including Eddie Murphy and Dave Chappelle; you can hear similarities in delivery and content between Pryor, Murphy and Chappelle, including the prevalence of profanity and the unafraid commentary on social issues, specifically race and racism. It's brilliant how Pryor - and later Dave Chappelle - was able to touch on complex topics in a humorous, yet insightful way. In this particular clip about prisons, Pryor spits on both sides of the prison issue - the necessity of prison and the feeling of security it provides versus its racially disproportionate composition and its general inhumanity.
Pryor battled drug addiction throughout his career and died in 2005. R.I.P. to the "Picasso" of comedy.
[My favorite quote:]
"What do you think they'd do to us if we were here Rich?"
"Fuck us."
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