Jack White‘s Third Man Records has announced a limited-edition vinyl pressing of 8:46, the short “comedy special” shared for free last summer by Dave Chappelle in the wake of George Floyd‘s murder.
The reason “comedy special” appears in quotes here is due to the video’s subject matter. While Dave Chappelle has released numerous iconic stand-up specials over the years, he wasn’t in a laughing mood when he delivered this searing rumination on race inequality, police brutality, and the criminal justice system.
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Filmed in Ohio on June 6th in socially distant fashion—during the thick the COVID-19 lockdown and less than two weeks after Floyd’s murder had sparked protests around the world—8:46 embodies the reality of the coronavirus as it tries to come to terms with a plague that has been around for much longer.
The B-side of the album features poet Amir Sulaiman’s performance of “My Insides Out” and “We Must Win,” also recorded in Ohio. It also includes “White Noise,” a track featuring 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence in remembrance of Floyd.
The entire 8:46 project—from the performance to the directing to the sound mix and mastering, design, and photography—was completed by artists who donated their time and efforts.
The album cover and artwork features performance photos and backstage shots from Chappelle’s concert as well as images from various George Floyd protests in Los Angeles, CA, all taken by Grammy-nominated artist and photographer Mathieu Bitton.
Proceeds from the vinyl sales will be donated to Chappelle’s high school alma mater, Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C.
As Chappelle explained in a statement, “When I was a student at Duke Ellington, the teachers instilled in me the notion of activism through art. We need more soldiers for great causes on the stage.”
[Photo: Mathieu Bitton]
The Dave Chappelle 8:46 limited-edition vinyl, pressed at Third Man Pressing in Detroit in a run of 846 numbered copies, is splattered in red, black, and green.
They are available on a first come, first served basis now at Third Man Records stores in Nashville and Detroit as well as online at ThirdManStore.com.
A standard black vinyl pressing of 8:46 is also available for pre-order, delivering on October 29th, 2021.
You can watch 8:46 by Dave Chappelle in its entirety below.
Dave Chappelle – 8:46 – Full Video
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