Sketch Chappelle is a Molotov Lite. Stand-up Chappelle is a Molotov Cocktail.

If stand-up comedians were breweries, there’s no doubt in my mind that Dave Chappelle would be Evil Twin Brewing. In this stage of his career in particular, Chappelle is definitely a Molotov Cocktail. Check out the description:

Despite the crudeness it is tricky to make an effective Molotov cocktail. Despite the unruly nature of the rebel it is very tricky to resist accepted conventions.

First of all, shout out beer descriptions. These always crack me up. If you read it in your head you sound like the movie trailer voice. If you read it out loud you sound like a dick.

Back to the larger point. All the key Chappelle stuff is there. Crude, yet tricky to pull off. A rebel battling with accepted conventions. Yo, Dave Chappelle gave up $50 million to not continue doing his successful comedy show and flee to Africa. That’s a Molotov Cocktail in a nutshell.

That was over a decade ago, and um, a lot has happened lately. Chappelle may be crude, but he’s effective at shining new light on things through his own perspective. When Chappelle’s show first aired, Dave was just a Molotov Lite goofing on President Bush and Wu-Tang Clan. These days, things are a little more bitter and heavy. See where I’m going here?

Overall, I’m still rocking with the O.B. original #banger Molotov Lite. Like Dave’s sketches, it doesn’t get old. When he hosted Saturday Night Live after the election, it was amazing that he didn’t miss a beat. I drank a Molotov Lite while watching because it is delicious. Even if Molotov Cocktail reality is what we need right now, I can’t help but wish for simpler Molotov Lite times.

Quick notes:

• Back tomorrow with Part 2 on Chappelle’s “Deep in the Heart of Texas.”
• Read this old Entertainment Weekly story on the end of Dave’s Molotov Lite days.
• Come for stories about meeting OJ Simpson, stay to hear about his son loving Kevin Hart.