Something is certainly amiss in hip-hop comedian Katt Williams' world. He's been arrested on gun violations two times in the last 3 years, with the newest charge being terminated. A year ago, 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 after losing a break-dancing challenge to hip-hop singer T-Pain to host the show. Other sources declare that Williams and a BET staffer got into a heated exchange, prompting the Ohio native to walk out.
All of these bizarre incidents come as Williams is poised for megastardom. His highly-rated 2006 HBO special, Katt Williams: Pimp Chronicles Pt.1, took him to new heights and his latest DVD, Katt Williams: Pimpadelic, is now accessible on Amazon. But Williams, who cares for 8 kids, one biological, has fallen into the rhythm of other black comedians just before him.
Is fame that much of a pressure cooker? Recent reports about comedian Mo'Nique, who currently helms a struggling late night show on BET, may back that up. Poised for mainstream stardom, Mo'Nique, who gives a riveting, Oscar-worthy overall performance in Precious, the latest from Lee Daniels, has long been accused of refusing to make performances to market the small budget film unless paid a large amount.
The fact that she's entered one of the toughest genres in tv is overlooked. 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. Apparently, rapper Notorious B.I.G.. hit it on the head when he rhymed, "mo' money, mo' problems."
A few years back during an interview in Atlanta, I asked Williams why so many black comedians lose their edge in Hollywood. He freely talked about the pressures of maintaining his brand of humor. Noting that, once fame set in, it was challenging to frequent the environments that when nurtured his humor and that of other like comedians, Williams shared examples of visiting the types of night clubs he might have once visited following his routines and having to stay alert to avoid thievery attempts.
Are Katt Williams, Martin Lawrence, Dave Chappelle and others crazy or is this the price that black individuals, particularly, should pay for success? It might not manifest itself on the scale of those more well known, but does this reality explain the distance so many profitable African-Americans have between where they are and where they come from?
All of these bizarre incidents come as Williams is poised for megastardom. His highly-rated 2006 HBO special, Katt Williams: Pimp Chronicles Pt.1, took him to new heights and his latest DVD, Katt Williams: Pimpadelic, is now accessible on Amazon. But Williams, who cares for 8 kids, one biological, has fallen into the rhythm of other black comedians just before him.
Is fame that much of a pressure cooker? Recent reports about comedian Mo'Nique, who currently helms a struggling late night show on BET, may back that up. Poised for mainstream stardom, Mo'Nique, who gives a riveting, Oscar-worthy overall performance in Precious, the latest from Lee Daniels, has long been accused of refusing to make performances to market the small budget film unless paid a large amount.
The fact that she's entered one of the toughest genres in tv is overlooked. 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. Apparently, rapper Notorious B.I.G.. hit it on the head when he rhymed, "mo' money, mo' problems."
A few years back during an interview in Atlanta, I asked Williams why so many black comedians lose their edge in Hollywood. He freely talked about the pressures of maintaining his brand of humor. Noting that, once fame set in, it was challenging to frequent the environments that when nurtured his humor and that of other like comedians, Williams shared examples of visiting the types of night clubs he might have once visited following his routines and having to stay alert to avoid thievery attempts.
Are Katt Williams, Martin Lawrence, Dave Chappelle and others crazy or is this the price that black individuals, particularly, should pay for success? It might not manifest itself on the scale of those more well known, but does this reality explain the distance so many profitable African-Americans have between where they are and where they come from?
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