I was relieved when the news of Richard Pryor‘s death flashed across the bottom of my television screen on December 10th. He had suffered from the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis for several years and I was happy to know that he would finally be at peace. What saddened me was the fact that we lost one of the most influential comedic talents of our lifetime. In a feature I did for OZONEMagazine and MTV Jams’ “25 Greatest Southern Artists of All Time” back in the summer, I wrote:
“8-Ball & MJG are to fellow southern rap pioneers Outkast what Richard Pryor was to Bill Cosby. While the Cos
