2008 Woodie Awards
Cracking jokes: an interview with Bill Bellamy
Sharl Tate
Issue date: 10/2/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Thunderous applause welcomed Bill Bellamy and a standing ovation waved him goodbye after his show in the Cone Ballroom on Wednesday. A sold-out crowd finally saw the show they had anxiously anticipated as part of the Fall Fest events.
Most of us recognize Bill Bellamy from Yo! MTV Raps. You may have also seen him in numerous films including Love Jones, How to Be a Player, The Brothers, Any Given Sunday, Getting Played and others. Recently he has had much success being the host of the number-one rated show on NBC, Last Comic Standing. In addition to hosting Who's Got Jokes on TV One, Bill is currently working on October Road, an hour-long drama on ABC.
Bellamy says he didn't always anticipate on being a comedian. His first idea was to go to college.
"College was my plan A," he says. "Going to school wasn't really a choice in my household."
Bellamy graduated with a degree in economics, but said shortly afterward he began to evaluate what it was he really wanted in a career, "I wouldn't have been an entertainer if I didn't want to make money, meet the hottest chicks in the game, and ball…I wanna ball!"
In Bellamy's opinion this is what everyone seems to want, or so it seemed in our discussion about the effects of hip hop.
The comedian mentioned his love for hip hop in his act, and later expanded on how he felt about the impact the rap industry has on America 's black youth.
"It's two-fold," he says. "Cats are making more money than they've ever made, legitimately. Everybody doesn't have to be a dope boy anymore."
While it is true that rap entertainers are making money in more diverse ways - clothing lines, perfumes, sports team owners, etc. - Bellamy also acknowledges the flip side.
"On the other hand, some of the images might be a little rough," says Bellamy. "Especially when you think about the females."
Bill went on to say, "It's a Catch 22. We can't have a video without (females) in it. I don't want to see a video with a bunch of dudes in it! I gotta see me some booty shaking! Do you have to have the shorts that low? I would prefer. But think about it if you took all the girls out of the video … we wouldn't watch it?"
Most of us recognize Bill Bellamy from Yo! MTV Raps. You may have also seen him in numerous films including Love Jones, How to Be a Player, The Brothers, Any Given Sunday, Getting Played and others. Recently he has had much success being the host of the number-one rated show on NBC, Last Comic Standing. In addition to hosting Who's Got Jokes on TV One, Bill is currently working on October Road, an hour-long drama on ABC.
Bellamy says he didn't always anticipate on being a comedian. His first idea was to go to college.
"College was my plan A," he says. "Going to school wasn't really a choice in my household."
Bellamy graduated with a degree in economics, but said shortly afterward he began to evaluate what it was he really wanted in a career, "I wouldn't have been an entertainer if I didn't want to make money, meet the hottest chicks in the game, and ball…I wanna ball!"
In Bellamy's opinion this is what everyone seems to want, or so it seemed in our discussion about the effects of hip hop.
The comedian mentioned his love for hip hop in his act, and later expanded on how he felt about the impact the rap industry has on America 's black youth.
"It's two-fold," he says. "Cats are making more money than they've ever made, legitimately. Everybody doesn't have to be a dope boy anymore."
While it is true that rap entertainers are making money in more diverse ways - clothing lines, perfumes, sports team owners, etc. - Bellamy also acknowledges the flip side.
"On the other hand, some of the images might be a little rough," says Bellamy. "Especially when you think about the females."
Bill went on to say, "It's a Catch 22. We can't have a video without (females) in it. I don't want to see a video with a bunch of dudes in it! I gotta see me some booty shaking! Do you have to have the shorts that low? I would prefer. But think about it if you took all the girls out of the video … we wouldn't watch it?"
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