Kanye West & Nas Surprise Dave Chappelle With Choir Singing “Happy Birthday”

On Sunday, Dave Chappelle hosted “Gem City Shine”, a free concert in Dayton, Ohio, to honor the victims and survivors of the city’s mass shooting on August 4. The day started out with a special edition of Kanye West’s Sunday Service, which was livestreamed for all to witness the soulful renditions of Kanye songs and gospel tunes. The event also happened to fall on the same weekend as Dave Chappelle’s birthday. It seems Ye arranged for his travelling choir to sing a beautiful version of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” for his good friend, Dave. The moment was captured and shared by Nas on Instagram, showing the jubilant group swaying and clapping in a hotel lobby as they harmonize. 

Funny enough, Stevie Wonder also put on a surprise performance at “Gem City Shine”, along with other artists like, Chance the Rapper, Teyana Taylor and Thundercat. Talib Kweli, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart also made appearances onstage. There was an estimated 120,000 people in attendance at the block party. It seems Chappelle put together a powerful tribute to the strength of his hometown. 

Chappelle’s sixth Netflix special, Sticks & Stones, is set to drop today. 

Watch footage of the “Gem City Shine” performances below (especially Dave joining Stevie for “You’ve Got A Friend”).