Something is simply amiss in hip-hop comedian Katt Williams' world. He's been imprisoned on gun violations two times within the last three years, with the latest charge being dismissed. Recently, he was set to host the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta a second time but apparently pulled out the night just before the show right after losing a break-dancing challenge to hip-hop singer T-Pain to host the show. Other resources declare that Williams and a BET staffer experienced a heated exchange, prompting the Ohio native to go out.
All these bizarre occurrences come as Williams is ready for megastardom. His highly-rated 2006 HBO special, Katt Williams: Pimp Chronicles Pt.1, took him to new heights and his newest DVD, Katt Williams: Pimpadelic, is now accessible on Amazon. But Williams, who cares for eight kids, one biological, has fallen in to the rhythm of other black comedians just before him.
Is fame that much of a pressure cooker? Recent surveys about comedian Mo'Nique, who presently helms a battling night time show on BET, may back that up. Poised for mainstream stardom, Mo'Nique, who gives a riveting, Oscar-worthy performance in Precious, the newest from Lee Daniels, has long been charged with refusing to make appearances to market the small budget film unless paid a hefty sum.
The truth that she's entered one of the hardest genres in television is ignored. Think about the pressure that must go with a choice to enter an arena where failure is the norm. Yet the media has given little support to those pressures, writing Mo'Nique off as a temperamental diva. Seemingly, rapper Notorious B.I.G.. hit it on the head when he rhymed, "mo' money, mo' problems."
A couple of years back during an interview in Atlanta, I asked Williams why so many black comedians lose their edge in Hollywood. He openly talked about the pressures of maintaining his brand of humor. Noting that, once fame set in, it was difficult to frequent the environments that once nurtured his humor and that of other like comedians, Williams shared instances of going to the types of night clubs he may have once visited following his performances and having to stay alert to avoid robbery attempts.
Are Katt Williams, Martin Lawrence, Dave Chappelle and others crazy or is this the price that black individuals, particularly, must pay for achievement? It might not manifest itself on the scale of those better known, but does this truth explain the distance so many successful African-Americans have between where they are and where they come from?
All these bizarre occurrences come as Williams is ready for megastardom. His highly-rated 2006 HBO special, Katt Williams: Pimp Chronicles Pt.1, took him to new heights and his newest DVD, Katt Williams: Pimpadelic, is now accessible on Amazon. But Williams, who cares for eight kids, one biological, has fallen in to the rhythm of other black comedians just before him.
Is fame that much of a pressure cooker? Recent surveys about comedian Mo'Nique, who presently helms a battling night time show on BET, may back that up. Poised for mainstream stardom, Mo'Nique, who gives a riveting, Oscar-worthy performance in Precious, the newest from Lee Daniels, has long been charged with refusing to make appearances to market the small budget film unless paid a hefty sum.
The truth that she's entered one of the hardest genres in television is ignored. Think about the pressure that must go with a choice to enter an arena where failure is the norm. Yet the media has given little support to those pressures, writing Mo'Nique off as a temperamental diva. Seemingly, rapper Notorious B.I.G.. hit it on the head when he rhymed, "mo' money, mo' problems."
A couple of years back during an interview in Atlanta, I asked Williams why so many black comedians lose their edge in Hollywood. He openly talked about the pressures of maintaining his brand of humor. Noting that, once fame set in, it was difficult to frequent the environments that once nurtured his humor and that of other like comedians, Williams shared instances of going to the types of night clubs he may have once visited following his performances and having to stay alert to avoid robbery attempts.
Are Katt Williams, Martin Lawrence, Dave Chappelle and others crazy or is this the price that black individuals, particularly, must pay for achievement? It might not manifest itself on the scale of those better known, but does this truth explain the distance so many successful African-Americans have between where they are and where they come from?
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To get more insight into the world of black comedians, make sure to check out my website: http://www.blackcomedians.net.
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