Dave Chappelle releasing “8:46″ as a vinyl record on Third Man

Manny Sanchez

Last year Dave Chappelle released "8:46," a standup special that was angry, powerful and very serious. Titled for amount of time, in minutes and seconds, that Derek Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd's neck and back, "8:46" tackled race relations, police brutality, the criminal justice system, the election, and the state of America (and the world) halfway through 2020. "I don't mean to get heavy," Dave said in the special, "but we gotta say something."

A year after the special debuted on YouTube, "8:46" is being made into a record, released by Third Man Records. The special edition colored vinyl -- pressed at Third Man Pressing in Detroit and limited to 846 numbered copies -- is is a mix of red, black and green, and is on sale now via the Third Man store. A black vinyl edition will be out later this year.

The b-side of the record features poet Amir Sulaiman's performance from the same June 6 event -- one of Dave's outdoor shows in Ohio he staged last year -- as well as a track called "White Noise" that is eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence.

Proceeds from the vinyl sales of "8:46" will be donated to Chappelle's high school alma mater, Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC. “When I was a student at Duke Ellington, the teachers instilled in me the notion of activism through art,” said Chappelle. "We need more soldiers for great causes on the stage.”

You can check out the artwork and packaging -- which features performance and backstage photos from Chappelle’s concert plus images from various George Floyd protests in Los Angeles, CA, all shot by photographer Mathieu Bitton, who frequently collaborates with Chappelle --  and watch the "8:46" special, below.

Those 2020 Ohio shows will soon be the basis of a new documentary that will premiere as part of the Tribeca Film Festival at Radio City Music Hall on June 19.

Meanwhile, episodes of Chappelle's podcast with Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli, The Midnight Miracle, are streaming on Luminary.