Dave Chappelle gave crowds at 50 Cent’s charity festival a big surprise – his unexpected appearance.
The comedian, 50, dropped in on stage at the Humor and Harmony Weekend on Thursday, August 8, which takes place over four days in Shreveport, Louisiana. The event was organized by 50 Cent’s (real name Curtis Jackson) to raise money for underserved youth communities.
As Chappelle took to the stage to speak directly to the audience who had attended the comedy and music event, the crowd erupted in cheers at the stand-up legend’s surprise cameo.
“Man, I flew all the way to Shreveport because any time makes history, I don’t want to miss it. And this is history,” he told the crowd in footage shared with Us Weekly.
“This motherf–ker, Curtis Jackson, has been the American nightmare and the American dream in the same life and brought it all here to Shreveport.”
The event was thrown in collaboration with 50 Cent’s company Sire Spirits and his charity organization, The G-Unity Foundation, and will run until Sunday, August 11, after kicking off on Thursday, August 8.
Among the performances to feature at the event are Andrew Schulz, Bill Bellamy and Katt Williams and musicians including Da Baby, 2 Chainz, Cam’ron, Flo-Rida, Monica as well as 50 Cent himself.
The “Get Rich Or Die Trying” rapper has long used his influence to give back and created The G-Unity Foundation in 2005 as he aimed to support nonprofit organizations that improved quality of life for low-income communities across the United States.
Speaking of his affinity for philanthropy in an interview with Forbes in 2023, 50 Cent said he was proud of transitioning from strictly music and acting to taking on more charitable causes.
“I’ve donated to organizations since 2004, but I didn’t offer my time. Now I’m able to coordinate,” he said of his work with G-Unity.
In the interview, the Power star admitted that fame has helped him to have more influence.
“It’s like a cheat sheet. I probably wouldn’t be involved as much in philanthropy, but having the relationships makes it easier,” he said. “You see me more around it because connecting through what they’ve developed on the ground allows me to get into something I know is effective already.”
Meanwhile, Chappelle has also drawn on his stardom in the past to help out, such as when he announced during a June 2022 standup show at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, New York, that he would donate ticket sales from the event to the families of the mass shooting at Tops Supermarket, which is in the area.
Chappelle also invited some of the victims’ families to the show. The mass shooting took place one month prior in the Buffalo area, leaving 10 people killed and three wounded.