What was the title of Dave Chappelle’s 2000 HBO stand-up special that helped establish his national profile?

Dave Chappelle’s 2000 HBO stand-up special that helped establish his national profile was Killin' Them Softly.

The special was filmed at the Fillmore in San Francisco and broadcast by HBO in 2000. It captured Chappelle before his Comedy Central sketch series made him a household name, although he had already built a reputation through films, television appearances, and club performances.

Killin' Them Softly is often confused with For What It's Worth, another Chappelle concert film released in 2004. The earlier special is especially notable because it preserves Chappelle’s developing stage persona and observations on race, popular culture, and everyday life.

Chappelle later became strongly associated with Chappelle’s Show, which premiered on Comedy Central in 2003. The show’s success brought renewed attention to his earlier stand-up work, making the 2000 HBO release an important part of his career history.