Are Chris Rock and Kevin Hart on the same level?

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Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

I have a creeping suspicion that there was one specific motive behind Netflix’s fun new doc, “Kevin Hart & Chris Rock: Headliners Only.” It’s about more than making money for Netflix. It’s about more than taking a look behind the scenes as two of the world’s greatest comedians work their way through a historic run of shows in New York. It’s about establishing Kevin Hart as being on the level of Chris Rock, which is, uh, problematic.

The doc takes us into the comedic roots of both men. It points out that Chris Rock was discovered by Eddie Murphy. When Murphy was the biggest comic in the world, he saw a young Rock and instantly believed in him and gave him a helping hand. That led, in time, to Rock becoming the successor to Murphy as America’s Biggest Black Comedian. (Yes, that’s a thing.) In turn, when Rock was ABBC, he saw a young Hart and helped him out, leading, eventually, to him becoming one of America’s Biggest Black Comedians. Was he ever the sole ABBC? No, Dave Chappelle took that mantle from Rock.

The doc even gives us Tony Rock, Chris’s brother, saying Hart never missed a chance to talk to Rock about the intricacies of comedy, much like a young Kobe asking Michael Jordan questions about the intricacies of basketball. That suggests Hart is the Kobe to Rock’s Jordan.

Chris Rock made a slightly different comparison that may be a bit more accurate. Early in the doc, Rock likens himself to Jay-Z and Hart to Drake. That’s a more accurate analogy. Rock, like Hov, is one of the all-time greats, and Hart, like Drake, is huge. Being huge is not the same as being great. Y’all know how I feel about Drake.

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I see Rock as a comedian who’s also a philosopher and a political thinker. Many of his jokes are interesting ideas. When he said the way to achieve gun control was to make bullets really expensive, I thought that was a really smart way to add a fresh take to the national gun conversation. His comedy often works on multiple levels. Sometimes it has served as a look into what it means to be Black like his famous joke about there being two kinds of Black people. Sometimes, like with his special “Tamborine,” it has been a look into his soul. Rock always comes with great material. I believe there are two kinds of comics — some have meticulously manicured material and some have a funny vibe about them so much that they could read the phone book and it would be funny. Rock is a material guy. Hart is a phone book guy.

There’s nothing wrong with being a phone book guy. It’s a gift. Those sorts of comics come out and say, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen” in a certain way and everyone laughs. The way Hart talks is funny, the way he moves is funny. Hart could do anything and make people laugh. But do his funny stories lead to iconic material? I feel like any hour of Hart jokes will always be fun, but his stories and observations won’t be unforgettable. I can’t recall anyone ever saying did you hear Hart’s joke about …?

“Kevin Hart and Chris Rock: Headliners Only” wants you to see Hart and Rock on the same level. As far as being able to sell tickets, they’re absolutely on the same level. But as far as the quality and depth and complexity of their material, I don’t think they’re close. Rock is one of the elite joke tellers and public thinkers of all time. But I also think his approach to comedy — look at how smart I am — transformed the way many people view comics. He is never a clown. He is never the butt of the joke. He is the smart observer of the world who’s come to help you see things the right way, or at least, the Rock way. Hart is more of a hilarious entertainer who welcomes you to laugh at his pain. He doesn’t mind you looking down on him. He’s happy being the butt of the joke. He makes himself the butt all the time on his hilarious Netflix show, “Real Husbands of Hollywood.”

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I’m talking about where each person’s comedy comes from and what their style gives us. I’ve always loved Black comics who brought their ego to the stage. I grew up on Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy then watched the rise of Rock and Chappelle. I loved their ego, their wit and their refusal to be clowns. Hart is OK with being a clown, and that’s fine, I guess. But to me, that’s not the highest form of the art of comedy. 

To me, the progression of the ABBC crown in my lifetime is this: it was Pryor then Murphy then Rock then Chappelle. Hart is an important part of the comedy universe, but he has never held the crown. “Kevin Hart and Chris Rock: Headliners Only” wants you to think Hart is in that lineage, and he may be close but unlike Rock, he’s never held the crown.

Touré is a host and Creative Director at theGrio. He is the host of Masters of the Game on theGrioTV. He is also the host and creator of the docuseries podcast “Being Black: The ’80s” and the animated show “Star Stories with Toure” which you can find at TheGrio.com/starstories. He is also the host of the podcast “Toure Show” and the podcast docuseries “Who Was Prince?” He is the author of eight books including the Prince biography Nothing Compares 2 U and the ebook The Ivy League Counterfeiter.

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