Dylan Dilinjah believes that a Dave Chappelle Chappelle Show skit “burned” his career.
During an interview with We Are Flatbush, the former Making The Band artist discussed his musical career. Dilinjah stated that his musical ambitions were ultimately dashed following Chappelle’s “Dylan (I Spit Hot Fire)” act.
The young musician had no choice but to profit off the famed prank. Dylan added that he tried his hardest to make the publicity work for him by developing a craft beer and a radio show based on the skit. However, he became upset as he recalled how the joke “burned” all of his momentum in the early 2000s.
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“I had to do that,” he said. “Because they said, ‘Dylan is top 5, Dylan, Dylan, Dylan.'” These are words that I never said or created. I never put this out. I had to trademark it and fight for it. But David made this up; he is a genius. I never said that. So I have no control whatsoever.”
“Whenever I send my music to DJs, they say, ‘Oh, that’s the ni**a that Dave Chappelle made fun of, nah, I’m good with that.'” Furthermore, every promoter now says, ‘Nah, we’re not scheduling him.’ So now I have a newborn, the fridge is empty from 2005, and no one is calling. “Everyone’s laughing.”
Dylan claimed that he attempted to turn the tide on the joke but was unsuccessful. For example, the musician claimed to have called many high-profile record labels in an attempt to get anything moving. However, his efforts were shattered when he claimed that various label heads informed him that they could no longer assist him. He stated how the D.C. native’s joke had transformed him into a joke.
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“I am a legend now! But [at the time], I was f**ked up because of what you did. And you aren’t answering the phone. At the moment, no one answered the phone. Not one label; at the time, you had to sign with a record label. “And I called each of them directly,” he added. “They said, ‘I can’t help you.'” That prank is over, boy. The joke took over. That joke literally ruined your career. “That joke burned it.”
Surprisingly, Dylan has frequently expressed opposing views on the iconic act. Over the years, the musician has frequently praised Dave for the skit. During a 2020 interview with ESSENCE, Dylan described meeting the controversial comedian for the first time after the sketch went platinum in the neighborhood.
“I had never met Chappelle before that and it was the most amazing link up ever and we had shots,” he went on to say. “We had a few shots and it cooled us out and I can’t wait to see him again!”
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