Tyson Zone: Rick James Fu**ed Eddie Murphy’s Couch, Slapped Carlton From “Fresh Prince” Posted by Nathan S. on 11/14/13 | Filed under Humor, General Awesomeness, Mike Tyson

All praise due to Bill Simmons for coming up with the Tyson Zone. Over the years I've gotten more use out of the Tyson Zone theory than almost any other (completely made up) cultural theory. In short, someone has entered the Tyson Zone when you can hear a story about them and no matter how balls crazy it sounds, you have to believe it. For example, someone tells you that Mike Tyson once strangled one of his tigers with his bare hands. Yeah...I can totally see Tyson actually doing that. (Did he actually do that? The fact that you're not sure is classic Tyson Zone.)

Charlie Sheen was in the Tyson Zone for a minute, but didn't have the stamina to keep it up. In hip-hop Ol' Dirty Bastard is the undisputed king of Tyson Zone rappers - he really did collect food stamps in a limo, pee on LL Cool J's gold plaque. (As crazy as rappers like Danny Brown and Tyler the Creator are, they're not quite in the Tyson Zone.) But, of course, there's still only one Tyson Zone GOAT, the man himself.

Case in point, Iron Mike is coming out with a new book, "Undisputed Truth", and Rolling Stone posted an excerpt that goes so deep into the Tyson Zone I may never be able to find my way out. Let's get to reading....

"Rick just didn't give a fuck. He once was working on some music with Eddie Murphy and he was over at Eddie's house. I went in and Eddie came up to me.

"Mike, this nigga's put his feet on my chairs," Eddie said. He was complaining about Rick. Eddie had an immaculate house; everything had to be just right. And Rick was putting his smelly feet up on the chairs and they had asked him to stop, but Rick didn't give a shit.

"Fuck this. I can do what I want," he said."

Well goddamn then. It's not like I ever doubted Charlie Murphy, or Rick James himself, but it's still fucking incredible to get third-party confirmation of the classic-of-all-classic "Chapelle Show" skits. It's like talking to Neil Armstrong and truly realizing, "Oh fuck, a human being really did walk on the moon."

But the Tyson Zone wouldn't be named after Tyson if he stopped there. Just because he's possibly the single most interesting person on the planet, Iron Mike goes on to confirm yet another legendary "Chappelle Show" skit. This is quickly becoming the greatest day of my life. 

"The next day, I went back to Eddie's house and Eddie and Charlie were marveling over the fact that Prince and his guys had kicked their ass playing basketball. Prince had on his high heel shoes and he was still hitting every bucket. Swoosh. Swoosh."

Comedy Central

I don't even know what to do with reality anymore. Mike Tyson confirming two "Chappelle Show" skits alone is earth-shaking, but the two greatest skits? I'd be able to die a happy man but, beyond all belief, the real Tyson Zone moment is buried in the lead up to the Eddie Murphy stories. Earlier in the excerpt Tyson says: 

"Next time I saw him [Rick James] I was in the lobby of a hotel on Sunset Boulevard. I was sitting outside with Ricky Schroder and Alfonso Ribeiro from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", just chilling. Ricky was probably 16 then and Alfonso was maybe 17. But we're sitting there drinking, and I looked up and I saw a convertible Cornice Rolls-Royce pull up and Rick get out...He came over to us, slapped me five, and then he looked at Alfonso.

"Aren't you an actor?" he said and then, boom, he hit him.

"Gimme that fucking beer," he said and grabbed Alfonso's beer.

"Rick, this is a kid, you can't hit this guy like that," I protested.

He just took that bottle and swigged from it."

Holy...sweet...baby...jesus. I just...I feel like I need you to really understand what just happened. MIKE TYSON WAS DRINKING WITH AN UNDERAGE CARLTON FROM THE FRESH PRINCE WHEN RICK JAMES SLAPPED CARLTON AND TOOK HIS DRINK BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT REALLY HAPPENED IN HUMAN HISTORY. 

That's fucking amazing, there's now an 110% chance I'll be reading Tyson's "Undisputed Truth" book when it comes out. And it makes me realize that perhaphs the only person to ever out Tyson Zone the actual Tyson was Rick James. Can we get more insane Rick James stories please universe? Thanks. 

For the full insanity, check out the full excerpt on Rolling Stone.