Craps

When Richard Pryor first burst onto the comedy scene in the early 1960s, his routine was not unlike another popular black comedian, Bill Cosby, insofar as he worked clean, but still managed to fill his act with witty, scathing observations about everyday life. While the wit remained throughout his illustrious career, by the late '60s and early '70s, Pryor had become inspired by the hippie counterculture and Black Power movement. His comedy began to take on a more earthy and gritty tone, which can be sampled on his first comedy album, 1971's CRAPS (AFTER HOURS).
It must have come as a shock to most of his fans, who had only seen Pryor's "clean" material on TV, to hear him working through such racy bits as "Big Tits," "Masturbating," and "F**k from Memory." But there's no denying his hilarious and sharp delivery on these, and other gems like "Being Born" and "Black Preachers." Although the audio here is not as clear as his future records would be (you can hear audience chatter throughout Pryor's performance), CRAPS (AFTER HOURS) remains a highly auspicious comedy-album debut.