Warning: Some of the video below is definitely NSFW.
What happens when a comedy troupe that has been quietly killing the digital-short scene for 15 years decides to make a major motion picture together? They never stop never stopping, that’s what. Thus, we have Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping and the impending ascent of Conner4Real into the zeitgeist.
The Lonely Island -- a comedic trio formed by Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone -- first banded together back in 2001 (though the guys had known each other since middle school in the ’90s) and has been steadily rolling out pieces of NSFW viral gold ever since. So, to prepare for all the “So Humble” dopeness coming to the big screen, we gathered up some of those video gems for your LOL-able viewing pleasure.
(Note: It’s probably best not to be drinking anything while watching, unless your screen and keyboard are waterproof.)
First things first: “Ka-Blamo!”
Long before the Lonely Island would become known for their more crudely hysterical Saturday Night Live digital shorts like “D**k in a Box” and “I Just Had Sex,” they were waxing Dr. Seuss with this 2001 faux rap video about their own lexicon invention: Ka-Blamo! You’ll have to watch it all the way through to get a true definition, if there is one, but from what we can tell it’s some kind of synonym for squishy and/or awesome. This is actually a pretty accurate descriptor of their entire body of work even to this day, come to think of it.
They also tried to launch their own TV sketch shows in the early ’00s.
Who knew a pilot titled “White Power” (about a super-strong teeth brightener, not neo-Nazis) wouldn’t sell? What’s even more hilarious is that actor Kiefer Sutherland randomly drove by them filming the senior citizen sidewalk-attack scene and tried to pull a Jack Bauer hero move and stop it. You can’t make this stuff up.
Their second episode was a little more successful… a little. “Regarding Ardy,” the deadpanned saga of a man in dire need of a pinky transplant (yes), was picked up by Comedy Central for pilot presentation, but eventually fizzled out, left to live on the Internet instead.
Then “The ’Bu” came along and changed everything.
At a time when The O.C. was making the surfside escapades of a super-wealthy teen squad a must-watch, the Lonely Island came up with “The ‘Bu” (as in Malibu), an eight-episode riff on the trend that got some important eyes on these guys and what they could do.
“Lazy Sunday” officially ushered in their SNL-icon status.
The Lonely Island got their big break in 2005 when Saturday Night Live hired them to lead up the Digital Shorts division. Their “Lazy Sunday” video catapulted them into national recognition and us into the viral-video age, becoming number one on YouTube with some five million hits -- huge at that time. The sketch is about two guys whose rap about wanting nothing more than to see The Chronicles of Narnia includes clever lines of pop-culture relevance like, “I love those cupcakes like McAdams loves Gosling.” That’s when the kids were officially “in.” After that, the hit songs just kept rolling.
“Natalie’s Rap,” below, featured Natalie Portman slinging dirty words left and right about her nefarious goings-on at Harvard. “Laser Cats” blasted the fourth wall on their own brand of humor by parodying their own creative-pitch process (yes, with cats that shoot lasers from their mouths). Then Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake teamed up for their most iconic -- and, let’s face it, gut-bustingly lewd and rude -- video, “D**k in a Box.”
They make everyday situations ridiculously funny.
From your average ho-hum work performance review in the Seth Rogen-starrer “Like a Boss” to an ordinary day of fun in the sun in “I’m on a Boat” with T-Pain to a clever commentary on millennial vernacular with “YOLO,” their social commentary game has been running strong all along. (Incidentally, “Like a Boss” and “I’m on a Boat” appeared on the first of their three albums, Incredibad, which became the eighth best-selling rap album of 2009.)
They definitely dare to go THERE.
Who else could pull off a song about channeling bin Laden in the bedroom? (Answer: No one.) But that’s part of their appeal -- tugging at that delicate thread that makes up the line between political correctness and daring humor and stitching together to create something all their own.
Even when they dial back the raunchiness, they put on one heck of a show.
Not only has their iconic “I’m on a Boat” beat aged well, but they proved they could easily upgrade it to reflect current events in pop culture, which speaks to their verse versatility and how fun these gems were, are, and will continue to be.
Now, Conner4Real is here to seal their deal.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping – the first movie the Lonely Island wrote, directed and starred in -- is pretty much the pinnacle of what these guys are doing comedically. First, there’s the real-life relevance (we’re in a mini era of boy banders breaking off and going it solo … oh hiii Zayn), plus it’s just wacky enough to fit their wit and it gives them a chance to create hilarious music bits -- which has always been their niche.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping opens in theaters everywhere June 3. Can’t wait until then? For more of their feature-length humor, watch the 2007 movie they directed on FandangoNOW: Hot Rod.
