Message In the Hat

Long before TV's Malcolm and Eddie, gut-buster Eddie Griffin released a phat bomb with Message in the Hat. Deliriously funny standup routines recorded at the Comedy Store in 1992, plus three music tracks, equal the most explicit, truly riotous and original comedy album of the decade. The music cuts are hit or miss: "Hi-Ho" scores a laugh, and the heavy metal parody "Mommy's Gotta Go" is redeemed by a late-in-the-game funk injection, but the mundane rap of "Joke Thieves" falls flat.

With the exception of the overlong "Bone People," which loses steam after some initial amusing imitations of the title characters, the comedy routines are uniformly outstanding. Of particular tear-inducing hilarity are: "Star Trek," "Whip My Ass" (an original perspective on the Rodney King incident), and "Intro/Politics," which features Griffin's on-target impersonation of Ross Perot. Griffin also garners laughs with his comical depictions of two badass black men — Jesus and the U.S. president. Some of the best pieces in the set, and the ones which get the most reaction from the audience, are the sexually explicit "Pussy Makes the World Go Around," "Monkey F****r," and "My Nuts." Potentially palm-sweating comedy for the sensitive, this CD is not recommended for family reunions or first dates...unless your girlfriend is curious about Tarzan's sex life.