Watch Chris Rock: Bring The Pain Free Online

Chris Rock: Bring the Pain is a 1996 HBO television special starring comedian Chris Rock. This was Rock's second special for the network following 1994's Big Ass Jokes. Although Rock was already a well-known comedian, Bring the Pain made him one of the most popular comedians in the United States. By 1994, Chris Rock's career had experienced a downslide: Rock became determined to subvert any preconceived notions about him. To prepare for the special, he honed his material for two years by performing nightly in comedy clubs and then launching a national tour. The special was taped at a tour... MORE

Chris Rock: Bring the Pain is a 1996 HBO television special starring comedian Chris Rock. This was Rock's second special for the network following 1994's Big Ass Jokes. Although Rock was already a well-known comedian, Bring the Pain made him one of the most popular comedians in the United States. By 1994, Chris Rock's career had experienced a downslide: Rock became determined to subvert any preconceived notions about him. To prepare for the special, he honed his material for two years by performing nightly in comedy clubs and then launching a national tour. The special was taped at a tour stop at the Takoma Theatre in Washington, D.C. Bring the Pain premiered on June 1, 1996 on HBO. Rock's performance included bits about then-D.C. mayor Marion Barry, the O.J. Simpson murder case, dating, marriage and race relations in America. The most well-known and controversial piece of the special is "Niggas vs. Black People" in which he states: The special was regarded as one of the finest recorded stand-up comedy performances of all time. Entertainment Weekly called it "groundbreaking" and "a classic". Variety compared Rock to revered comedians Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce and called it LESS