For the latest installment of ToyFare’s WISH LIST action figure feature, I was asked to contribute a custom spotlighting Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show, specifically Dave Chappelle as “Rick James.”
In what is likely the most legendary and widely-recognized sketch ever to air on the show, Charlie Murphy (who also wrote the sketch) retells events of the 1980s, the most popular being the Rick James story with Murphy as himself and Chappelle as James, including incidents such as James punching Murphy in the forehead (resulting in an imprint of the word UNITY on it) and Murphy retaliating.
The sketch is interspersed with present-day scenes of the real Rick James explaining his past behavior, saying, “Cocaine’s a hell of a drug!” The sketch spawned one of the show’s popular catchphrases, “I’m Rick James, bitch!”, which Chappelle as James repeatedly declares. Being split into parts, it is the longest skit to be featured on the show.”
– Wikipedia
The Dave Chappelle-as-Rick James custom was made using a NECA Freddie Mercury figure as a base. The right arm was repositioned and the jacket was replaced with one from an Arvin Sloan Alias figure. The head comes from a McFarlane Clyde Drexler NBA figure while the feet were taken from a Cult Classics Tall Man. The braids were individually sculpted using gold wiring, and Magic Sculpt was used to create all the added details. Finally, the zebra print was created digitally and printed on MicroMark Clear Decal paper and then applied to the figure.
Hey, what did the five fingers say to the face? SLAP, bee-yatch!!!
Created Summer 2007
Featured in TOYFARE MAGAZINE, Issue #123, Nov. 2007
