NEW YORK — Dave Chappelle is working the late-night show circuits before he begins a string of stand-up performances at Radio City Music Hall. And he’s saying outrages things.

On Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show Friday night, a story about the first time he met Kayne West went viral.

“You could tell Kayne was going to be a star,” Chappelle said of the artist who had not even produced an album as yet. He recounts how West answered his phone. “No. No I can’t. Because I am looking at edits that no one has ever seen; I am looking at edits of the Dave Chappelle Show. …

“Because my life is dope and I do dope s–,” West was reported to have said.

Chappelle appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman last Tuesday night, his first late-night appearance in more than six years. Chappelle has kept a mostly low-profile since abruptly exiting Chappelle’s Show in 2005.

“Technically, I never quit. I’m seven years late for work,” said Chappelle, who actually departed the show nine years ago. The 40-year-old comic said rapper Nas will join him for his June 23 show. The Radio City Hall shows run from June 18-26.

The comedian acknowledged he sometimes misses the lucrative payoff of his Comedy Central contract.

He says “the only difference between having $10 million and $50 million is an astounding $40 million.”

Chappelle was in the spotlight before the late-night gigs after the May 28 death of poetess and author Maya Angelou. Chappelle had previously interviewed Angelou for Sundance TV’s Iconoclasts’ series. He spent a day at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where they discuss various topics including the “N” word and love. Chappelle uses the “N” word in his standup comedy and expected Angelou to “give it to me.” Instead

Angelou said this: “Words are things. …” So if words are things, like poison is a thing, she reasons, it doesn’t matter what you put the poison in, it is still poison.

When asked about her global outlook and her living abroad before globalization was popular Angelou told Chappelle she could do it because of love.

 “Love is a condition so powerful, it may be that which holds the stars in the firmament … it may be that which pushes and urges the blood in the veins. Courage, you have to have courage to love somebody – because you risk everything,” Angelou said.


To watch the rest of the interview go to http://bit.ly/1vhHpy2


The Associated Press contributed to this report.