Up-and-coming young comedian Dave Chappelle returned to D.C. to perform at GW’s Smith Center on Sept. 1 for Welcome Week. The D.C. native took a few minutes before the show to talk about his comedic style and his mission as a comedian.

“I may not be funny, but will make sure you will always remember it,” Chappelle said.

Chappelle’s go-for-broke style is nothing new. He says his comedic success is due to the fact he “keeps his ear to the street” and “gets his hands dirty.” His comedy is all about taking chances, even if it means sacrificing reputation.

“A lot of guys get to a point in their career where they don’t want to take chances; they get real wrapped up in protecting their reputation,” Chappelle said. “I feel like you have to take chances in order to make a reputation, to grow as a comic.

“Otherwise, you might as well hang it up and just be that guy that does one good hour you write. I think that’s been my forte, just putting it out there, for better or worse.”

Chappelle has “put it out there” from the beginning, performing since he was 16, when his mother took him to and from the shows.

“I started in high school . going to comedy clubs after school,” Chapelle said. “It was a drag, because when I first started my mom had to go with me. It was wild because girls would come up to me after the show and go, `You were incredible,’ and mom would be like, `Oh no, he has school in the morning.'”

Although Chapelle’s mom may have caused him to miss out on some early love interests, he credits her for sticking by him.

“She really stuck it out for me in the beginning,” he said. “Then, by the time I was 16, I was getting paid on the regulars . so my mom didn’t have to come with me anymore, and I just did my thing.”

With his 10-month-old son by his side, Chapelle said, “He’s mad because he wants to sit on my lap. If you don’t look at him every second he gets pissed off. I think he might be a comedian or something.”

Performing has certainly worked for Chappelle, and he has come a long way from afternoons at local D.C. clubs. In addition to getting his own HBO comedy special, “Killing Them Softly,” Chappelle earned accolades by being the youngest black comedian to play Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Aside from stand-up, Chappelle has starred in a number of movies, including Robin Hood, Men in Tights; The Nutty Professor; and, of course, Half Baked. Although Chappelle had fun writing the movie, he said don’t expect a Burnt: Half Baked 2.

“(Universal) had been getting a lot of pressure from Washington about the types of movies they release,” Chappelle said. “Then they made another weed movie (How High) with Method Man when everyone was set to do a sequel. So, they didn’t want to compete with themselves and do two weed movies.”

And fans shouldn’t be too concerned about Chappelle’s movie fame overshadowing his stand-up career. Although he enjoys movies, especially Con Air and The Nutty Professor, Chappelle said it’s hard for him to get into the right role.

“For me to say yes to a script there’s a lot of people that have to say no,” Chappelle said. “Yeah, Martin said no, Chris Tucker said no, Will Smith said no, Chris Rock said no.”

But, Chappelle said little rivalry exists between the plethora of other comics and him.

“You get what you’re supposed to get; I truly believe that,” he said. “All those guys said no to The Nutty Professor; I did it and it started a career for me. I’ll get my shot. I’ve got to keep plugging away and picking the right spots, and it will all happen.”

Chappelle has led a charmed 14-year comic career, working with the likes of Tom Hanks, Eddie Murphy, Nicolas Cage and John Malkovich.

While Chappelle said he has learned a lot from the stars, he cannot choose a favorite.

“I’ve worked with some of the funniest people; it’s hard to say who my favorite is,” he said. “It’s like when people say, `What’s your favorite ice
cream?’ I just like ice cream, I’m not going to say which ice cream is my favorite.”

Chappelle stars alongside Eddie Griffin in his upcoming film, Undercover Brother (Universal), a detective comedy which Chappelle says is set to come out next June.

“Everyone calls it a black Austin Powers,” Chappelle said. “I wouldn’t really say that. But, for a lack of anything better to compare it to, I would say that.”

Chappelle’s GW show is a homecoming of sorts. He was born in D.C. and taped his HBO special, “Killing Them Softly” at D.C.’s Lincoln Theatre. But Chappelle only returns to the nation’s capital sporadically – his last visit being a little more than a year ago.

Although Chappelle was too young to hit up GW hotspots having he left D.C. at 17 years old, he said he does have some fond memories here. So while you won’t run into him at Tequila Grill on a Saturday night, you might catch him at one of his favorite hangouts, Ben’s Chili Bowl at 1213 U St. in Northwest.

In fact, Dave and D.C. restaurants have a long history. His first part-time job was handing out flyers in a cookie costume at the Cookie Bake, which no longer exists.

Chappelle said he was excited and thankful come to GW.

“Just a big shout out to everyone at GW,” he said. “And, you know, thanks for letting me come and entertain you guys.”