Yesterday Brokelyn, like every other website in the universe, shared the skit where Kevin Hart, Keenan Thompson and Jay Pharoh stood around being tough corner dudes in Bushwick who are loving the neighborhood’s gentrification. Not wanting to be party poopers, we stifled our impulse to say that the skit wasn’t really that funny, because we figured there was no need to.
Turns out we gave the internet too much credit, because it’s been three days of nothing but headlines like “Kevin Hart Spoofed Brooklyn Gentrification and It Was So Right,” “Watch Kevin Hart’s Amazing ‘SNL’ Digital Short About Gentrification” and “Saturday Night Live Brilliantly Takes On Brooklyn Gentrification.” How this many people can all hold the same wrong opinion is a mystery to us, but we guess we’ll be the first website to say it: The SNL Bushwick skit was brutally unfunny and has been done to death.
The jokes in the skit weren’t so much jokes as they were Family Guy-style “Hey, here’s a reference, you’ve heard of this!” flailing. A mayo store, you’ve heard Brooklyn has one of those! A white person doing a hip-hop song on an acoustic guitar, you haven’t seen that happening for well over 15 years! And if you didn’t think that Kevin Hart was talking about dogs when he was talking about his “bitches,” we’d go see a doctor about that blindness you’re suffering from because you could see that joke coming from sixty miles away.
We’re hardly arguing Brooklyn or gentrification shouldn’t be spoofed, but what a tired way to do it by going down the “black people enjoy things traditionally done by white people” road. There was nothing “right,” “brilliant,” “amazing” or “Wire-esque” about the skit. It’s also been done better at least twice, first by Michael Che when he wandered through a bodega in his old hood and then Friends of the People’s “Gentrify Rap.” Plus those skits were able to end without the final punchline of “black guy shoots someone.” It was dumb to keep that to ourselves, so we’re sorry.
View Comments (16)
Relax, bro. Don't take it personally. It was as funny as I would warrant two minutes of my time to be. Let's not get sensitive because you are part of the issue.
You've got to be kidding me.... I've watched the skit a good 4 times and it gets funnier every viewing. This might have been the best skit out of snl in years.
Clearly you don't find this funny because you are what this skit was making fun of. You are part of the problem so you don't get the humor when it's aimed at you, nor do you or people or blogs or websites like yours get it. Also, everything you wrote above is completely humorless and totally void of any fun. You are a total bore, as is your gentrify blog itself. Get over yourself, You are the problem that the funny skit was aiming at and they hit you right on target. Your so self absorbed and serious and humorless and dried up and stiff that you are clueless how great this skit was and why so many people actually find this funny because it so true.
Part of what problem, exactly?
As Dave's employer, I have inside knowledge that he's not doing a whole lot of gentrifying. But I have seen him sneak some artisanal mayo.
this is such a silly article I felt the need to write a silly response: you just wrote an in depth review on the validity of an snl skit spoofing what had become common place. Please don't take the skit or yourself too seriously
No Brokelyn, you are wrong...and humorless it seems. From BedStuy to Weeksville to the newly rebranded Prospect Park South (formerly known as Flatbush), this is what people who were already there are talking about. That skit was spot on funny.
1. Post a video one day
2. Post a few paragraphs insulting that same video the next day
3. Get all the clicks.
Way to pander to both sides, Brokelyn.
Remember when you guys ripped off Portlandia with your ridiculously unfunny Brokelandia? Right. I just want you to remember what your comedy credentials are.
"How this many people can all hold the same wrong opinion is a mystery to us...". Oh grow up and stop being so freaking pretentious while you're at it. The sketch was funny and topical. I agree that some of the bits were lazy and obvious but not worth the right up or holier than though attitude.
You suck.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER RE CALLING OUT SNL LAME SKIT
Hate to say it, but Brokelyn is right about the skit.